For as long as I can remember, my grandmother always made the best sweet potato pies. No family gathering or dinner is complete without the traditional desert in attendance. I discovered that the original recipe dates back to when my grandmother was a little girl in the 1950s, and her mother baked the pie for their family events. My grandmother grew up in a small country town in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to the stories of my grandmother and my mother, my great grandmother was quite the cook. Her sweet potato pie was such a hit because she used a secret ingredient that wasn’t usually included in a traditional recipe. Growing up, my grandmother was the oldest female and she assisted my grandmother in the kitchen. As my great grandmother grew older she became very ill, and her sickness prohibited her from being in the kitchen. This is when the infamous sweet potato pie recipe was passed down. My grandmother continued to cook for the family with the help of her 2 younger sisters. Once she met my grandfather they migrated to the north and settled in a beautiful yellow house in which they still own and reside in today. This is the house in which I had my first taste of Mama’s sweet potato pie. The pie legacy will continue as my mother, the oldest daughter now knows the recipe too. Mama’s sweet potato pie will always hold a dear place in my heart but more importantly, the legacy linked to the roots of my family will forever reign.

– Bill Powell

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