LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Robert 'Say' McIntosh was a well-known community leader and political activist in Little Rock who passed away in June— but his name still lives on.
You’ve heard the phrase 'it's not what you say it’s what you do', but in Say's case, everything he did seemed to get people talking.
Say was known as many things, from a political activist, community provider, the Black Santa during Christmas, a leader in stopping the violence, and more notably, Sweet Potato Pie King.
But he was affectionately known to his grandbabies as, “Papa Say.”
After Say’s death in June, Chris and Robby McIntosh said that their papa’s legacy will live on forever.
“It's kind of like losing the hero," Chris explained.
The two worked alongside Say since they were little boys. Robby, who proclaimed he was the favorite grandchild, started at age 11 in his grandfather’s restaurant on 12th Street right across the street from Big Daddy's Pawn Shop.
“My first job was wiping tables and I worked the cash register. But the grill is right there and I'm watching the grill man all day," Robby said.
Robby said that one day he tried cooking a burger and his papa caught him. Say tried the burger and ever since, he's been on the grill.
As for Chris, who's six years younger, he spent most of his days playing around the restaurant and making grocery store runs.
The pair said that their grandfather was hard on them and that at times they had to use the excuse of band and basketball practice to escape work!
“Don't get me wrong. He's spoiled us. He was a sweetheart. He was hard though. We worked for it," Robby said.
They all bonded over work and getting things done. Though they didn't learn measurements, sight and taste were their guide, especially for Say's famous sweet potato pie formula.
“If the recipe did get out, I doubt somebody would be able to recreate the pie. I think I can give somebody the recipe and they still couldn’t do it, it’s more of the process," Robby said.
They explained that the process has love, patience, and hard work behind it. Carrying their last name is not only an honor, it’s a task.
The two are still serving their community through their food truck McIntosh Pies Grill on Wheels.
“Every day we're on a food truck, we hear a different story every day, 'I remember your grandfather did this, he gave me my first bike, he fed my family when we didn't have any food, you know. So, I get to know my grandfather through the people in the community and their stories," Robby said.
Robby and Chris said that Say was proud of them, and when it came to business, he had to know "how much money they made on a day and how many pies sold?"
According to them, he just wanted the best for the ones he loved.
“My grandfather was really big on family and I think that's why people gravitated towards him because he had a way to make everybody feel like family," Chris said.
Now ahead of the 10th annual 'Say It Ain't Say's Sweet Potato Pie' contest, named in honor of 'Say' McIntosh, the men said the heat is on.
“I’ve had some good pies at the Say It Says Pie contest, but it ain't Say's," Chris said.
While history has been made for Robert ‘Say' McIntosh, Robby and Chris McIntosh's stores are still being written.
“The restaurant, the sweet potato pie, all the recipes, I would like for it to make it to another level where it'd be easy to just hand it down to our children," Robby added.
The 10th Annual "Say It Ain't Say's Sweet Potato Pie" contest will be held on Thursday, October 19 at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. The event is free and open to the public and starts at 5:30 p.m.