Berkeley

Cynthia Foreman’s Signature Products in a Walgreens Near You

Published

13 years ago

December 26, 2013

“Sweetie Pie, you in business!”

Those were the words Cynthia Foreman heard from one of her mentors Lonnie Bates after he sold out of 100 of her sweet potato and pecan pies in 15 minutes.

Now years later, Cynthia Foreman’s Signature Products – a branch of Cynthia Foreman’s Sweetie Pies established in 2006 – can be found in Walgreens stores nationwide.

The story of how this ambitious businesswoman went from selling out dozens of pies to close friends to selling her popular shortbreads across the country started in Foreman’s hometown of Houston, Texas. She started selling pies after church to benefit a fundraiser for her daughter and the youth choir, and she knew then that she was on to something.

“It became a micro-business,” said Foreman, who recalls selling between 150-250 pies in less than 30 minutes every Sunday.

“I didn’t realize I was really in business. As a divorced, single parent, it ended up being another source to supplement what I was doing as a single mother,” she said.

After relocating to Oakland, Foreman’s pies became a hit as she built her customer base through her friend Oakland Raiders legend Clem Daniels, and mentors Ruth “Ms. B” Beckford and businessman Lonnie Bates.

Her most famous customer was NBA legend and McClymonds alumni Bill Russell, who would order four to six dozen pies for his trips from Washington to Oakland.

Foreman says Bates helped build up her confidence as a business owner and welcome competition. Before getting stocked at Walgreens, Cynthia Foreman’s Signature Products were sold at the local grocery store, Berkeley Bowl, her biggest contract.

When she approached Walgreens three years ago, Foreman saw a greater opportunity for her business.

“I saw one of my competitors in Walgreens; we made the same product and I was outselling this person. Mr. Bates always said competition is good, so I thought, let me try to get in this Walgreens,” she said.

“When I went into the first store, the manager said we already have that product. I said, well do you just have one brand of cookies?”

She said, “Rejection is not always bad; it’s a time to reflect on how can I do it differently.”

She persisted, going to another Walgreens the next day and meeting with the district manager, who wanted her products in the store the next week.

Now thousands of Walgreens locations throughout the country sell Cynthia Foreman’s Signature Products, including her sweet potato pies, shortbread cookies (traditional and gluten-free in 8 flavors), and frozen cookies.

“It didn’t happen the orthodox way. I’m very aware that it was not me, it was the support I had, it was people believing in me because that fueled me to keep going. I had some doors closed in my face but none of that stopped me. Everything started falling in line,” Foreman said.

“The idea started to be able to offer something that came from me with my hands. Aunt Jemima’s been on a box for 125 years plus, Uncle Ben’s been on a box, but [they] never owned the company. It’s a new age – we’re owning [businesses],” she said.

“Sometimes, women we really dream small or we compromise because we are nurturers by nature. I learned from people like Mr. Bates who kept telling me competition is good. What it showed is to give your best.”

Check your local Walgreens store for Cynthia Foreman’s Signature Products. For a list of all her products, visit. www.cynthiaforeman.com.

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UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

6 days ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

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Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

10 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.

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Arts and Culture

Cal Performances Presents Angélique Kidjo & Yo-Yo Ma in Sarabande Africaine at UC Berkeley Greek Theatre on Aug. 30

On Saturday, Aug. 30, the pair will debut the Bay Area premiere of Sarabande Africaine, joined by pianist Thierry Vaton, percussionist David Donatien, and special guest Sinkane. The program illuminates centuries of musical interplay between African traditions and Western classical forms, using the Baroque sarabande dance, and its African ancestor, the Congolese spirit dance Zarabanda, as a gateway to exploring the deep, interconnected roots of global music.

Published

10 months ago

August 25, 2025

Oakland Post

Angelique Kidjo and Yo-Yo Ma. Wikimedia photos.

By Carla Thomas

On Labor Day weekend two of the world’s most celebrated musicians and cultural ambassadors, Grammy Award–winning vocalist Angélique Kidjo and legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma join forces for an evening of music, history, and cultural dialogue at UC Berkeley’s historic Hearst Greek Theatre.

Both Kidjo and Ma have built careers not only as great performers but as passionate advocates for cultural understanding. Sarabande Africaine is as much a conversation about shared heritage as it is a musical performance, blending genres, geographies, and histories.

“Every day there are moments when all of us can feel we are on the inside of something and also when we feel we are on the outside of something,” said Yo-Yo Ma. “To be able to understand both at the same time and oscillate between the two gives us a larger perspective on the world.”

“If your mind is open, and there is no fear, it’s easier to listen, and to question yourself,” said Kidjo.

The upcoming performance is presented within Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Exile & Sanctuary” series for the 2025–26 season. The production explores exile as more than just physical displacement, but a disruption in identity and belonging, while sanctuary represents both refuge and the creative space where new connections and communities can take shape.

Cal Performances’ Illuminations bridges performances with UC Berkeley’s academic research, pairing the arts with conversations about urgent global issues.

Kidjo’s continued partnership with Cal Performances includes her 2021–22 artist-in-residence, premiering her music-theater work Yemandja, set in 19th-century West Africa during the transatlantic slave trade.

She also participated in the Bias in Our Algorithms and Society panel alongside campus leaders like Jennifer Chayes, and joined the Black Studies Collaboratory for a dialogue on music, diaspora, and the world.

She has since returned to Berkeley for multiple performances, most recently in 2024 at Zellerbach Hall.

Yo-Yo Ma’s history with Cal Performances spans decades, beginning in 1997. One notable project includes the 2018 performance of Bach’s complete cello suites at the Greek Theatre, a testament to his devotion to creating “transformative concert experiences in iconic spaces.”

For tickets and more information, visit calperformances.org.