Cassandra Thomas is celebrating her 20th year in business as a master of the lowly sweet potato. Well, lowly until you taste her sweet potato cookies, pies, cakes, ice cream and cobbler. Then you realize that George Washington Carver -- who she deems her "posthumous mentor" -- was onto something pretty amazing with his tuberous experiments.
Thomas launched
Sweet Potato Sensations as a home business 1987 and opened her Old Redford storefront in 1994. "I love my community," she says, name-checking neighbors like the
Redford Theatre and the
Detroit Dream Project artist's village. "We all work together like a family to uplift this area, to bring it back."
Thomas and her husband and business partner, Jeffery, purchased a building across from their current location on Lahser just north of Grand River that they plan to open as a bakery and café in 2008. "You will be able to have coffee or tea and sit down and have pie," says Thomas.
Sweet Potato Sensations has been featured on the Food Network and its ice cream won the "best dessert" award at this year's Chrysler Arts, Beats and Eats festival.
Customers can walk in, order on-line or via phone and purchase goodies at Metro Foodland in Rosedale Park, Western Market in Ferndale and at restaurants like
Beans and Cornbread and
Southern Fires.
This Thursday is the final
Northwest Detroit Farmers Market -- and Thomas, a North Rosedale resident, will be there, manning a table of sweet potato delicacies.
Sweet Potato Sensations is located at 17346 Lahser and can be reached at 313-532-7996. It is open Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. A product and price list can be found
here. Orders for Thanksgiving pies will be taken from Nov. 1-15; a 9-inch pie is $9.75.
Source: Cassandra Thomas, Sweet Potato Sensations
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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