May 18, 2009 was a sad day in the Bay Area as smooth jazz listeners witnessed a format change on their favorite station KKSF. This San Francisco station was just another victim of Clear Channel’s decision to change the musical format from jazz to classic rock. For us, it felt like an unjustified end, but for one air personality, it was just the beginning.
For 17 years, Miranda Wilson made listening to smooth jazz a necessary daily ritual. Wilson is known for her calming voice and gracious personality to listeners. But away from the mic, family and friends knew her as the queen of the sweet potato pie; a favorite pastime usually revealed around holidays and special occasions. With her family’s recipe mastered over the years, Wilson’s sweet potato pies were secretly the talk of the town.
Born and raised in Oakland, Calif., being creative has always been a part of Wilson’s DNA. Majoring in Theater Arts, she attended San Francisco State University and classes with actress Annette Benning after a few years at Chabot College where actor Tom Hanks was a classmate. Given her signature voice, it is no surprise that Wilson was also a singer performing in various nightclubs and at events around the Bay Area. But it wasn’t until she referred back to her list of what she wanted to do in life that she would make a decision that would eventually lead her to a successful career in radio. However, when the news came last year about the format change to the frequency 103.7 FM, Wilson looked at it as an opportunity to tap into her culinary creative side a little differently and Goodness Gracious Sweet Potato Pies was officially born.
Raised in a family of fabulous cooks, Wilson remembers her grandmother letting her loose in the kitchen to bake. And whether it turned out good enough to share, it was still her introduction to the future.
Not everyone can make a sweet potato pie and in her family, you had to earn an invitation to prepare one for family gatherings. Determined to do so, Wilson took the recipe that had been passed down from her great grandmother to her grandmother, mom and sister and would soon make it her own and notes that the “curious became the convinced” as family members raved about the pies time after time often creating a demand.
She shared that it is not uncommon for every generation to take a recipe and add something a little different. One thing Wilson shares that captures the essence of how cooking was done back in the day, is when she asked her mother about how much sugar the recipe calls for which was omitted. Her response is priceless. “The sugar is the love. Taste it and know for yourself how much love is needed.”
Fast forward a year later and you will find Wilson hard at work baking and delivering pies to her customers. Although she is still on the radio with shows syndicated in over 20 states outside of California, she has discovered a new passion and is enjoying this part of life’s journey that may not have been on her list but nevertheless is an exciting addition.
She is currently attending a 20-wk culinary program where the focus is on learning the business from the inside out. It is one thing to know you can bake, but it is another to bring it all together so that in the end you and your business are on top.
Goodness Gracious Sweet Potato Pies currently offers a 5 and 9-inch pies along with a 9-inch deep dish sweet potato casserole. All pies are personally prepared by Wilson and available online as well as to restaurants and caterers in the nine Bay Area counties at this time only.
In the midst of just enjoying the moment, Wilson looks forward to expanding Goodness Gracious in the future by having the filling available in stores. After all, all this goodness is too good for just California to enjoy. I am sure others across the country want some of the love as well.
For more information on Goodness Gracious Sweet Potato Pies, visit www.goodnessgraciousspp.com.
You can also follow Wilson on Twitter and Facebook.
Keeping good company, be sure to check out the article, A Love Just Sweet Enough, with Wilson’s good friends Gerald and Glynis Albright.
