Jawanda Jackson: Sweet Potato Pie Dreams and Flavor Innovations at Jawanda's Sweet Potato Pies
Jul 01, 2024
Patricia
Have you ever wondered how a simple love for sweet potato pie can blossom into a thriving business with 16 unique flavors? Meet Jawanda Jackson, the passionate baker and owner of Jawanda's Sweet Potato Pies in Birmingham. Inspired by her husband's unwavering love for sweet potato pie, Jawanda embarked on an inventive baking journey, experimenting with flavors like pecan, orange cream cheese, and even key lime. Her dedication and creativity have led to a deliciously diverse menu that keeps customers coming back for more.
Join us as Jawanda shares her heartwarming entrepreneurial journey, from baking for family and friends to selling out at local markets. With a story rooted in community support and a lifelong passion for baking that started at just nine years old, Jawanda's Sweet Potato Pies is a testament to turning a beloved hobby into a successful business. Whether you're a fan of the classic sweet potato pie or eager to try one of Jawanda’s innovative creations, this episode is a must-listen for all dessert enthusiasts. #GNPBirmingham #JawandasSweetPotatoPies #BirminghamFoodie #Birmingham #Foodie #SweetPotatoPie #BestofBirmingham #PigglyWiggly #Pie #Foodie #BirminghamFoodie
Have you ever wondered how a simple love for sweet potato pie can blossom into a thriving business with 16 unique flavors? Meet Jawanda Jackson, the passionate baker and owner of Jawanda's Sweet Potato Pies in Birmingham. Inspired by her husband's unwavering love for sweet potato pie, Jawanda embarked on an inventive baking journey, experimenting with flavors like pecan, orange cream cheese, and even key lime. Her dedication and creativity have led to a deliciously diverse menu that keeps customers coming back for more.
Join us as Jawanda shares her heartwarming entrepreneurial journey, from baking for family and friends to selling out at local markets. With a story rooted in community support and a lifelong passion for baking that started at just nine years old, Jawanda's Sweet Potato Pies is a testament to turning a beloved hobby into a successful business. Whether you're a fan of the classic sweet potato pie or eager to try one of Jawanda’s innovative creations, this episode is a must-listen for all dessert enthusiasts. #GNPBirmingham #JawandasSweetPotatoPies #BirminghamFoodie #Birmingham #Foodie #SweetPotatoPie #BestofBirmingham #PigglyWiggly #Pie #Foodie #BirminghamFoodie
Speaker 1:
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Patricia Blondheim.
Speaker 2:
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, patricia Blondheim, and today we have good neighbor Jawanda Jackson, and Jawanda is the owner of Jawanda's Sweet Potato Pies here in Birmingham. Jawanda, how are you today?
Speaker 3:
I am doing absolutely wonderful.
Speaker 2:
I am a big fan of Sweet Potato Pies. That is my favorite pie in all the world, so I'm thrilled to hear from you about your business. Tell me all about Jawanda's Sweet Potato Pies.
Speaker 3:
Well, first, thank you so much for allowing us to be here with you today, and we are excited about Jawanda's Sweet Potato Pies. It's such a blessing to myself and to our I believe our customers as well. We're located at 5291 Valleydale Road, suite 111, near the Winn-Dixie Shopping Center. But let me tell you, jawanda started as a result of my husband's love for sweet potato pie and in starting Jawanda's, we really, really had a desire to do different flavors. So that's what makes us unique is that we serve 16 different flavors of sweet potato pies.
Speaker 2:
Wait a minute. Sweet potato pies have flavors, of course they do. Well, tell me all about it.
Speaker 3:
Well, we started out with, of course, the classic original sweet potato pie, because, again, that's my husband's love for sweet potato and so he likes the classic. But then I wanted to tweak it because I'm a lover of just different things. Like pecans, I like things that are fruity, and so I started tweaking the pie. So my second pie was the pecan sweet potato pie, which is our second top seller. The original classic is first, but then the pecan sweet potato is second. But then our third top seller is the orange cream cheese sweet potato pie. Everybody just goes for that one because of that name. For sure. You know that, just kind of. You know it sparks something with people when they hear the name Orange cream cheese sweet potato pie. But it is absolutely amazing. So we do orange cream cheese, pineapple cream cheese, coconut cream cheese, ooey gooey s'mores, marbled chocolate. We do. Surprise, surprise, too mallow, we got all kinds of sweet potato pies that we do, even a key lime sweet potato pie.
Speaker 2:
That doesn't seem. You're telling me that goes together. Keep that acid and that oh oh oh it does.
Speaker 3:
Really, yes, it does. I mean if you like key lime and sweet potato, you would love it. It's amazing.
Speaker 2:
Oh my gosh, you have such an imagination. I never would have put those together. I'm sure it's delicious. Tell our listeners about your journey, Jawanda. How did you end up doing this amazing?
Speaker 3:
thing. Well, actually, again my husband, he would brag on me about the sweet potato, again it being his love, and you know he thought that they were really good, and so he would talk to his family, talk to his friends about them, and they started asking me to bake them one, and I would, you know. But then it started kind of rolling and I'm like, okay, I'm baking these fries for free, you know. I said, well, let me just. And I love cooking, I love baking. I started cooking with my mom in the kitchen at the age of nine years old. I'm telling you, I just love to be in the kitchen, I really really do. And so I decided let me see if I've really got something here. I'm going to put a price to it and see if they still ask me for more. And so I did. And they did.
Speaker 3:
So family and friends started telling me you ought to do something with this, you ought to do something with this. So I turned a hobby into a business and started going to markets. And, patricia, I would take hundreds of pies out to the markets. I started here, locally in the Birmingham area, and in my taking the pies out to the markets, we would sell out completely, we would sell out completely, and so from there I went to what is known as Cowboys on Highway 280. I went there, asked if they would be interested in sweet potato pies in their store. You know they cater to locals and so they were absolutely, you know, fine with doing so, and so that was our first wholesale. That we started it was with Cowboys on Highway 280. Then we moved to Piggly Wiggly, which is where we're now located as well. So I'm telling you it's been an amazing journey. It's been wonderful. I have the most awesome customers and just enjoy serving them.
Speaker 2:
Well, I think that's amazing. You must be covered up with work. I mean, look how big you've grown.
Speaker 3:
Do you have any time for fun and when you do, what do you do for fun? No-transcript. So you know I am quite busy, you know, but I do believe in again having fun. So I love traveling with my husband and, you know, seeing different parts of the world. Aruba is probably my favorite spot to travel to, but I do that. I love to kick back and just watch a good old movie, you know, and also I'd like doing that as well. I love spending time with my sons, whom I love very, very much, and also, yeah, I believe in having some fun too and enjoy. I enjoy being with my church members. We love doing things and just celebrating one another birthdays, just different occasions and all and so you know that's fun for me and it's a time of relaxation and just celebration of one another.
Speaker 2:
So it sounds like you have led a blessed life, but you wouldn't be able to enjoy your blessings if you didn't have a couple of things in your life that challenged you. Can you talk about anything that sort of has made you the person you are today?
Speaker 3:
Well, yes, patricia, I will say that there have been some challenges that I have faced. As a matter of fact, jawanda's was birthed out of and when I say birth, we were doing it in our home prior to this. But after my mother going home to be with the Lord, the Lord spoke to me and he said I'm going to blow your mind. And he did just that. And actually, what really helped me during that season of my life because my mother and I were very, very close, as I told you, she was the one that taught me how to bake and how to cook and how to cook and how to clean, how to be a good wife, all of those things and after her going home to be with the Lord, me really, really getting more involved in the business and spreading the business and expanding the business, which is when we got a brick and mortar location and that's when we started the wholesale side of the business. So it was that that really pushed me, because I needed something, I needed to be doing something, you know, to really take my mind, I guess, off of the hurt, the pain and the disappointment you know, and that helped me. I was able to serve others and make others smile, even in the midst of my hurt and my disappointment of my mother going home to be with the Lord. So that's one of the challenges that I faced along the way.
Speaker 3:
Covid, of course, challenged all of us in different ways, and so for Jawanda's, while it was a challenge to my retail side, it did pick up my wholesale side of the business, did pick up my wholesale side of the business and, as a result of COVID, honestly, patricia, we haven't really been able to bounce back as much as I wanted and would like to have bounced back on my retail side, because we are having such a problem finding good help. We just can't find good help that'll stick and stay with you. I preached a message that is entitled having the stuff that sticks, and so we just haven't been able to find employees to stick with us. But God has been faithful in the midst of it all. But those have been a few challenges that we faced. We always recover, in that we continue to serve not only the people that God brings our way, but him as well. So we're grateful to still yet be standing.
Speaker 2:
Jawanda, do you have a takeaway that you'd like to give our listeners about Jawanda's sweet potato pies?
Speaker 3:
Well, you know, jawanda's is a place where we believe, when you come, you're going to get a taste of heaven, and so we say that as a part of our motto.
Speaker 3:
Our scripture references oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. And so, with that, patricia, we strive to serve our customers not only from a natural perspective, in giving them something that will cause their taste buds to rise, but also something that would help them spiritually. We're living with today, patricia, where we really need to share love one with the other. And so, if I were to say anything to those that are listening, you know, let's show love one to another, let's give someone a smile, a thank you, let's celebrate one another in this life that we're living in, you know, and I believe in doing so, that we'll give people a taste of heaven, because I believe that heaven is going to be all about, again, smiles and love and embracing of one another. So, yes, Joann, this is all about that, you know, both from a natural side amen of food but also from a spiritual side of the soul.
Speaker 2:
If everyone loved their neighbors like that, wouldn't it be paradise on earth, jowanda? Of course it would, and I'm sure that when we walk into Jowanda's sweet potato pies, we will get a greeting similar to the one we receive in heaven.
Speaker 3:
That's what we strive to do, Patricia, that's exactly what we strive to do. Only I'm not sure they have sweet potato pies in heaven. That's what we strive to do.
Speaker 2:
Patricia, that's exactly what we strive to do. Only I'm not sure they have sweet potato pies in heaven. Oh, goodness. Jwanda. How can listeners learn more and find you at Jwanda? Sweet Potato Pies.
Speaker 3:
Well, you can visit our website at JawandaSweetPotatoPiecom. Of course, you can go out also to Facebook. You can go out to Twitter. We're also on Instagram, so please, please, go out and find us and just look at. You know what we have to offer. You can also visit us by coming to our location at 5291 Valleydale Road, suite 111. Now we are only open to the public on Fridays from 1030 until 4, and we are making some changes there as well, patricia, again due to the challenges that we have faced. So we are getting ready to make some changes, but for the next month or two, you can come and visit us there, look out on our website and, again, facebook and Twitter and Instagram, if you see that there are some changes. To see how you can get more of Jawanda's sweet potato pies, you can go to our local Piggly Wiggly stores I will tell you that and Cowboys on Highway 280. All of the listings of our Piggly Wiggly stores are on our website.
Speaker 2:
Marvelous. Thank you so much, Jawanda. It was a pleasure getting to know you and learn more about my favorite dessert.
Speaker 3:
Thank you again, Patricia, for allowing us to be here today.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpbirminghamcom. That's gnpbirminghamcom, or call 205-952-0148.
