The 3rd Generation of our family’s wonderful legacy consists of me, my Husband Al, and my sister Denise.
It’s kinda ironic because I don’t think any of us knew for sure when we were younger that this business would become our passion and a big part of our “Mission in Life”. The one thing we knew for sure was we cared about this business and preserving its legacy.
When my mother, Alberta, and brother, Gregory ran the business I looked on from afar. While running track and winning an Olympic gold medal, I did learn the value of hard work and dedication. My sister learned the value of sacrifice. She works full time and takes care of her special needs child, all while working to keep our family legacy alive. When the day came to take over the reins of this Landmark business all my husband said was, “honey, when you take that first step you know there’s no turning back, right?” My answer was a resounding YES! Here we are almost 20 years later with more products, more customers and more notoriety than ever before!
Of course, there are so many more people than the 3 of us who have contributed to the success of our business. Loyal, hardworking employees who show up and do their best every day, other family members who sacrifice and do whatever needs to be done and the list goes on and on! I just wanted to take a minute in this “About Us” section to really try to convey WHO we are. We’re your neighbors, your friends, your family and I want to say from the bottom of my heart WE ALL appreciate each and every one of you. Your encouragement and support truly means a lot to us. We could never have done it without YOU.
Thanks.
What’s your family legacy?
Ours is making Homemade Sweet Potato Pies!
OUR HISTORY
My grandfather, Harry Patterson and his wife, founded the business in the 1930’s. The 27th Street Bakery was originally a restaurant that converted into a specialty Bakery in 1956, manufacturing Homemade Sweet Potato Pies, Fruit Pies and a variety of cakes.
Harry believed that in order to make the best products you have to stay true to certain processes and ingredients. He taught us to resist the temptation of cutting corners ad that the result would be products that people would drive long distances to buy and would tell all their friends about. Of course, as always my grandfather was absolutely correct. The Bakery became a household name in the Los Angeles area and the pies received much acclaim and recognition.
When my mother and brother took over the business in 1980 they had a tried and true recipe for success to follow. Alberta Cravin and Gregory Spann new they had huge shoes to fill and dedicated their lives to keeping my grandfather’s legacy alive. Today The 27th Street Bakery is an Eastside Landmark and has grown into the largest manufacturer of Sweet Potato Pies on the west coast.
We realize how special Homemade taste really is…it’s like having a little slice of “mama’s” cooking no matter how far you are from home. We invite you to try our Famous Homemade Sweet Potato Pies and let us know if you think grandpa Harry would be proud.
Al & Jeanette Pickens
3rd Generation Owners - 27th Street Bakery
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