Olympic Gold Winner Preps Her LA Bakery for 2028 Games

The same determination that carried Jeanette Bolden-Pickens to Olympic gold is now fueling her family's 68-year-old bakery as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Summer Games.

Bolden-Pickens, 66, won gold in the 4x100-meter relay at the 1984 LA Olympics, sprinting to victory in front of her mother, sister, and husband at the Memorial Coliseum. Now she's bringing that same championship mindset to 27th Street Bakery, the South LA pie shop her grandparents opened in 1956 after moving west from Louisiana with 10 tin cans full of family recipes.

"Understanding as an athlete that the Olympics comes around every four years, you do your best," she told reporters. "Now I'm trying to put my products into a position where it's the best that it could possibly be for 2028."

The timing couldn't be better. A new analysis reveals the LA28 Games could generate between $20.5 and $40.6 billion in economic output for Greater Los Angeles while supporting up to 224,000 jobs. The LA28 Organizing Committee pledged to spend 75 percent of contract dollars locally, with 25 percent specifically for small businesses.

Last week, LA28 opened applications for food vendors to serve at competition venues and the Olympic Village. Hundreds of spots are available, and Bolden-Pickens is urging fellow small business owners to apply.

"Why not us?" she said. "Why can't we be featured in the Olympic Games? Why can't my products be right there in the Olympic Village?"

Her connection to both worlds runs deep. Growing up in Compton, teenage Bolden-Pickens would make bakery deliveries in the family car before track practice, pies rolling around in the backseat. Her grandfather Harry Patterson taught all his grandchildren that nothing replaces honest hard work and self-belief—lessons she carried onto the track.

At the 1984 Games, she walked through the stadium tunnel to deafening chants of "USA! USA!" The wave of emotion nearly overwhelmed her until her coach's voice snapped her back. "I'm here for a job," she told herself.

After 27 years coaching at UCLA and the University of Central Florida, she returned to her true anchor. The bakery has remained in continuous operation since her grandparents first opened their doors on Central Avenue, their homemade pies becoming an instant hit.

The Ripple Effect

Small businesses across LA are preparing for the Olympic spotlight, and Bolden-Pickens represents what's possible when hometown pride meets global opportunity. Her story shows how the Games can create pathways for legacy businesses that have served their communities for generations.

"The best thing LA28 can do is make small businesses feel worthy," she said. "Just give us an opportunity."

For Bolden-Pickens, 2028 will complete a remarkable full-circle journey—from Olympic champion to champion of South LA's sweetest traditions.