Intent And Ingredients Behind Sweet Potato Pies

From pumpkin to chocolate to apple, the baked dish with sweet fillings known as pie often takes center stage during the holiday season. But there’s a recipe familiar to African-Americans that other cultures are becoming more acquainted with: the sweet potato pie.

Generations of African-Americans have made the pies with less fanfare than soul songstress Patti LaBelle, whose pies sell at a rate of 36,000 a day at Walmart according to Food And Wine magazine. To talk about the pies, we’re joined by a chef and food scholar at New York University and the owner, operator and pie master at Neil Street Blues in Champaign.

Guests:

Scott Alves Barton, Chef & Food Scholar, New York University

Gayle Starks, Owner & Operator, Neil Street Blues

Prepared for web by Reginald Hardwick. 

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