A small Peekskill-based sweet potato pie maker is looking to gobble up a slice of the national market after some Super Bowl baking introduced the company to a wider audience.
G&K Sweet Foods L.L.C. catered its pies at a post-Super Bowl VIP tailgating party at MetLife Stadium. There, the company”™s sweet potato tarts and pies reached some high profile dessert plates ”“ and not just the family and friends of NFL players.
“Michelle Williams from Destiny”™s Child even came and tasted our pies,” CEO Gay Wheeler-Smith, a New Rochelle resident, said. “She said the pies reminded her of the home cooked food she grew up with.”
Wheeler-Smith and her partner, chief operating officer Kecia Palmer-Cousins became friends at a book club in New Rochelle in 1997 and realized both were raised in the south eating sweet potato pies at every family meal, and they wanted to bring back their favorite childhood dessert.
Wheeler-Smith, armed with her great grandmother”™s sweet potato pie recipe, asked Palmer-Cousins to become her business partner. With Wheeler-Smith”™s baking experience and Palmer-Cousins”™ business knowledge, which comes from having entrepreneurs in her immediate and extended families, the two formed the company in 2007 and have been selling to restaurants and bakeries ever since.
“You have so many people who were raised with southern recipes and ate sweet potato pies every Sunday when their grandmas, aunts and moms used to make them, and people still crave those desserts,” said Palmer-Cousins, who received a bachelor of science degree in manufacturing engineering from Boston University, an MBA in marketing from Long Island University and a master certificate in project management from George Washington University.
Palmer-Cousins, former senior information technology project manager at Verizon Business, said she was thrilled the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee selected them as one of the vendors for the tailgating party after a year-long vetting process.
“When we were first asked to participate, the Super Bowl Host Committee sent out lots of invites,” said Palmer-Cousins, a Peekskill resident. “We weren”™t sure if we would be selected because everyone was invited to attend the same workshops, and we had to prepare desserts for taste tastings along with the potential vendors for the Super Bowl.”
The partners are a triple threat. They have certifications as small business, minority-and-women-owned business and disadvantaged business enterprises, which Palmer-Cousins said helped them qualify for a contract with the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee this year. Their experience with the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee has given them the confidence to apply for contracts with more government agencies and major institutions.
“We”™re hoping the Super Bowl will maintain a long-term relationship with us,” Wheeler-Smith said. “Our goal is to eventually get into airports, colleges and any large institution because we have a commercial kitchen space that can bake everything and expand our offerings.”
G&K started packaging their sweet potato pies and selling them frozen to extend the product”™s shelf life. The partners also started baking and selling kosher chocolate chip cookies using organic ingredients.
Both Palmer-Cousins and Wheeler-Smith received entrepreneurship training at the Women”™s Enterprise Development Center in White Plains, networking with mentors who helped them build an effective business strategy. They received a range of mentorship advice from companies including IBM Corp. in Armonk and Golden Krust Bakery, a Jamaican beef patties business in the Bronx.
“They showed us how to be strategic, utilize time efficiently and effectively, and see where opportunities lie,” Palmer-Cousins said. “You can”™t just spin your wheels. They were very instrumental in helping us understand cash flow, profit margin and business projections.”
G&K started breaking into local farmers markets two years ago. The partners sealed long-term contracts with Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt Manor, C-Town Supermarkets in Mount Vernon, Inga Watkins”™ personal development program Modelquette in New Rochelle and an after school leadership program called Elton Brand Academy at Peekskill High School. Their next big event is showcasing their desserts at The Business Council of Westchester”™s annual mega mixer in March.
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