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Summer 2026—February 2027
2026 SFA Film Residency, with multi-city in-person experiences and monthly virtual workshops ⟶
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Renew
Summer 2026—February 2027
2026 SFA Film Residency, with multi-city in-person experiences and monthly virtual workshops ⟶

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. If you would like to contribute to SFA’s oral history collections, please send your ideas for oral history along with your CV or Resume and a portfolio of prior oral history work to info@southernfoodways.org.

ORAL HISTORY

Dawn Urrutia

Georgia's Sweet Potato Pie Company

Dawn Urrutia is a native of Louisville, Kentucky. Dawn was an educator and worked at the University of Kentucky. She helped childcare centers improve quality of care before leaving her job to work full-time on Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie Company. Dawn and her husband Deyago started Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie Company in 2017. Dawn is a recognized leader in the community having received a Torch Award and other recognitions.

Urrutia’s mission is to bring families together with their delicious desserts while she also makes a meaningful impact on children’s lives. She invests in their education by donating books to book deserts, low-income areas without access to books in the Louisville area. Urrutia plans to create a non-profit to continue positively impacting communities through literacy. 

Date of interview:
2023-08-13

Interviewer:
Rosie Moosnick

Photographer:
Sarah Jane Webb

Download Transcript

“

“People now are really understanding we are a mission-driven company. But the pies just open doors. The thing is that, well, here's what happens. Most people love good food. When you eat our pies, you will taste the love. That's it. I don't care what you believe. I don't care if you the far left, the far right, in the middle. I don't care what your beliefs are. People like good food. When you walk in here, we're going love on you. That's it. I don't care. People– somebody– I said something the other day, they was like, "You gonna love on that person, yes," 'cause I have an obligation. So we're gonna love on you, 'cause I might be the only person that looked like me that has showed you love. And I might even want to change your mind about what you believe about my race of people. So I'm gonna love you.”

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