BASALT • Pull off Colorado 82 for this flyover town between Glenwood Springs and Aspen, and you’ll come to a charming downtown where, between storefronts, a restaurant appearing to be a family home catches the eye.

Inside, a framed letter hangs on the wall. It’s written by a daughter, who recounts childhood memories of her mother, “a stay at home mom extraordinaire” while Dad was a busy entrepreneur in Los Angeles. Heather Lujan showered her children with love — and with food.

She’s mother to everyone at Heather’s Savory Pies, where one snowy evening last winter her regulars filed in for belly-warming comfort grub with an aprés ski twist.

“How ya doing, honey?” she said to the woman at the bar, where the menu listed about 40 different wines.

“Hey, Al,” she said to the man coming through the door. “How are ya, honey?”

“Hey, honey,” she said, hugging one of the cooks in the back.

It’s often still Heather who’s whipping up the pies, savory and sweet. Heather’s Famous Chicken Pot Pie is a deep spoonful of herb-roasted bird and veggies with a flaky crust and cranberry sauce — plus “love,” reads the last ingredient. The lamb shepherd’s pie is nearly as popular.

The other pies are the fruit variety. Massive rounds of banana cream, peach-cherry and blueberry make mouths water from the display case. There’s also a carrot cake, pistachio cake, coconut cake and the beloved peanut butter balls.

While the gourmet tapas — pumpkin ravioli and chicken lollipops are favorites — are about the size you’d expect, the desserts are overwhelming.

“When I first opened, a chef said, ‘You gotta cut these in half,’” Heather said of the dessert serving size. “I said, ‘I can’t! That’s momma’s cooking!’ ”

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Momma is pictured with the family photos on the wall. Growing up in New Hampshire, Heather learned from her in the kitchen.

In 1980, Heather’s wanderlust took her to the Roaring Fork Valley, where she met the man who would be her husband. She found Rene out dancing — an activity that is encouraged at Heather’s.

She raised the kids and ran a catering business until 10 years ago, when she opened a cafe in a gas station.

“I got to know everybody,” Heather said. That’s because everybody came for her food, and everybody gravitated to her spirit.

“We didn’t even have a cash register,” she said. “There was an apple bucket. If you have cash, just throw it in the bucket, make your own change.”

It’s different in Heather’s home now, where she moved by popular demand in 2012. No bucket. No gas station. But everybody comes, and still they find a friendly face.

“I’m here all day,” Heather said with a smile. And at night, she’ll be here dancing.

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