Our Story

Lance Nickel, a retired Army veteran, has launched Patriot Pies & Provisions, a veteran-owned cottage food business with a mission: helping fund the launch of a veteran nonprofit providing adventure therapy and career training programs for veterans.

A Distinguished Service Record

Lance Nickel joined the Army after high school. Even though he qualified and was offered his choice of any MOS, he chose infantry—he wanted to serve where it mattered most.

At basic training, Lance was selected to join the Old Guard—the U.S. Army's oldest active-duty infantry unit and the official presidential honor guard. He performed military funerals, dignitary arrivals, and formal ceremonies at sites including the Vietnam Memorial, Pentagon, and Capitol.

After the Old Guard, Lance served with the 1/506th Infantry—a legendary unit with a storied history. Injuries forced a break in service, but Lance rehabbed and re-enlisted—his time wasn't up yet.

He had multiple deployments, mainly to Afghanistan, where he sustained yet more injuries. He fought to recover and keep serving. After nearly a decade and a half of service, Lance was medically retired from the Army.

Rooster: The Service Dog Who Saved a Life

In 2014, Lance received Rooster—a 2-year-old Black and Tan Coonhound—through the nonprofit Train a Dog Save a Warrior, which funded both the dog and their training together.

When Lance enrolled at Texas A&M University (a dream he'd had since childhood), Rooster attended every single class with him. "Without Rooster, I wouldn't have made it through," Lance says. "He made my success possible."

Today, Rooster is retired, spending his days roaming the property, napping, and enjoying homemade dog treats. He's joined by Lilo, a Golden Retriever who started as Lance's fiancée's dog but has firmly decided he's Lance's now—much to everyone's amusement.

Together, Rooster and Lilo serve as the "quality control team" at Patriot Pies & Provisions—supervising every batch and ensuring it meets their exacting standards.

From Grandma's Kitchen to Army Values

Lance's passion for baking began in childhood. His grandmother's kitchen was where it started—fresh peanut butter cookies when he visited and helping her make his favorite chocolate meringue pie.

Baking requires the same attention to detail the military demands—in combat, details mean the difference between life and death. In baking, they're the difference between success and failure.

The Army values instilled in Lance shape everything he does—from the kitchen to serving his community to building his nonprofit mission:

Sailing: The Unexpected Path to Healing

Being an Army veteran, Lance was never exposed to sailing or the maritime industry until he met his fiancée. She lived aboard a sailboat in Fort Lauderdale, and when Lance unfurled the sails for the first time and took control of the helm, everything clicked.

Lance recognized the parallels immediately: sailing requires the same skills as military operations—navigation, planning, supply management, risk assessment, and quick adaptation.

On the water, he found what he'd been searching for: that same sense of purpose he felt when deployed. He had a mission. Lives depended on his decisions. He was using the skills honed through years of combat operations—and it felt right.

Lance went to university to study psychology so he could help other veterans. Through his studies, he realized that conventional therapy doesn't help most combat veterans. What helps is having a mission, feeling needed and respected, and having a goal—a reason to work hard and push forward. Sailing therapy provides exactly that—it gives veterans a mission, demands their skills, and lets them use instincts that civilian life asks them to suppress.

The Problem: Transition Without Direction

When Lance transitioned out of the Army, support was minimal. The transition classes the Army offered were, frankly, a joke.

Finding meaningful work was a struggle. Lance's physical injuries were still healing, and he was working through the mental weight of what he'd experienced overseas. The Army's inadequate transition program left him unprepared. As an Army veteran, Lance had zero exposure to the maritime industry until he met his fiancée and discovered sailing. He quickly learned that maritime desperately needs workers, actively hires veterans, pays well, and provides something invaluable: work that brings back the purpose and camaraderie of deployment.

The Solution: Patriot Pies Funds Veteran Nonprofit

Patriot Pies & Provisions operates as a for-profit cottage food business under Texas law, with profits funding a veteran nonprofit Lance is launching.

The nonprofit will provide two integrated programs: