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Sweet (potato) taste of success

Area baker uses Southern staple in sought-after culinary creations

3:08 AM, Aug. 28, 2011  |
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Letitia Pickett poses by her stand, Des-Z Potato Cones, at the Montgomery Farmers Market on July 30, 2011 in Montgomery, Ala.. / Stacy Thacker

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Written by

Nick Thomas

Special to the Advertiser

Filed Under

My Life

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Letitia Pickett sells her products at the Garrett Coliseum Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the first and third Sat urday of each month, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tuskegee Farmers Market on the second and fourth Saturday. To learn more about Pickett and
Des- Z's Potato Cones, visit deszpotatocones.com.

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Savor the flavor of sweet potatoes

In Southern restaurants, the sweet potato is most frequently served baked, smothered in butter and brown sugar. But to 35-year-old Montgomery native Letitia Pickett, the starchy root vegetable is more than a colorful side dish.

A year ago, Pickett formed her local home-based business, Des-Z's Potato Cones, which is named after her children, Destiny and Zechariah, and her first kitchen creation.

"The business began with a prayer request for something different to take to a work luncheon," Pickett said outside a classroom on the Auburn Montgomery campus, where she takes evening classes. "God gave me the recipe for mashed potato cones and all of the others came after that."

While the warm potato cones -- made from mashed white potatoes and seven secret ingredients served in an ice cream cone -- remain a popular seller, according to Pickett, most of her other creations feature sweet potatoes as the main ingredient. She sells dozens of homemade products at farmers markets in Montgomery and Tuskegee.

"My interest in sweet potatoes really began back in 2001, when I was pregnant with my son and I became anemic," Pickett said. "I was looking for foods that were high in iron, and the sweet potato was perfect."

As she considered interesting ways to prepare sweet potatoes, Pickett then headed to her kitchen and began experimenting. Working with a recipe from her great-aunt, she came up with a killer sweet potato pie formula.

"Most people put eggs in their sweet potato pies, but I don't. So what makes the pie firm? I can't tell the secret!" she said, with a laugh. "But the pies are what I quickly became known for and I would make a couple of dozen each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas."

Other creations soon followed, and were promptly offered for "taste-testing" to her eager family, friends and coworkers.

"People would come over to my cubicle at work and ask what I had brought in for them to sample," she said. "One of their favorites was my sweet potato pound cake."

Pickett said she found a pound cake recipe about a year ago, and tweaked it until she was satisfied with the flavor and texture.

(Page 2 of 2)

"You can eat it by itself, or with my special frosting. People seem to love it," she said.

Candra Thomas, who works for the Alabama Department of Educa tion, is not a big sweet potato fan but said, "the sweet potato pound cake is very moist and delicious. I have taken baskets to my office and the staff just was shocked with the flavor. All of her products I have sampled were very pleasing to my taste buds."

In addition to the pound cake, Pickett's line of products includes muffins, cupcakes, pies, cake pops, waffles, cookies, rolls, chips, dessert pizza, parfaits and spreads -- all based on the humble, yet apparently versatile sweet potato.

In addition, she produces specialty cakes such as Red Velvet, Carrot, Pineapple Upside Down, Peanut Butter/Chocolate, and Hummingbird -- a spice cake with banana, pineapple and walnut/cream cheese frosting.

Pickett sells her products at the Garrett Coliseum Farmers Market on the first and third Saturdays of each month, and at the Tuskegee Market on the second and fourth Saturdays. But each week, the preparation begins a few days earlier with the purchase of a box of jumbo sweet potatoes.

"I like the Georgia-grown ones when they are available because their flesh is more orange, they have more beta carotene and they are better tasting," she said.

Pickett said she then starts preparing Wednesday and Thursday evenings after her classes wrap up.

"Typically I'm up until 2 am Friday morning," she said. "I come home from work at 6 p.m. and cook all Friday night. Usually, I get to bed around 5 a.m. Saturday -- if I'm lucky -- for a couple of hours sleep. Then it's off to the market all day."

Her sweet potato pound cakes sell for $25 ($12 for half a cake). Pies are $10 during the holiday seasons. A full price list can be found on her website, deszpotatocones.com.

Although she works full-time in an office as an administrative support assistant and has just started an education degree at AUM, Pickett hopes to expand her cooking business and is already scouting locations for a store.

"It's going to be costly," she acknowledges. "I'll need another baker, a cashier, store hostess and lots of equipment. There are also licenses and health department regulations to follow.

"But I definitely want my own building in downtown Montgomery," she said.

In addition to crediting a little divine inspiration with her business's inception, Pickett finds strength from the same source in her busy life.

"It's tough getting my work, study, and cooking schedules all together each week," Pickett admits. "I just have to pray, pray, pray!"

Nick Thomas is a freelance journalist who lives in Millbrook.

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