Numerous Years of Persistence Pay Off for Talented Baker -- NITA BEES TASTYS® Presents Desserts at North America's Largest Specialty Food &#

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) December 8, 2008 -- Moving on from Internet-based sales to individual retail customers, Nita Bee's Tastys -- the producer of renowned gourmet cookies and down home desserts -- now targets retail grocery and specialty food store customers. She is taking a major step in that direction by showcasing and distributing her desserts to wholesale food buyers at the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade's (NASFT) 34th Winter Fancy Food Show, January 18-20, 2009 at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

A small business owner who describes her entrepreneurial endeavor as having "rolled up carpet to roll out dough," Nita Willis had been a carpet sales representative for 18 years when she decided she had had enough. Friends to whom she had given her Oatmeal Surprise cookies as Christmas gifts convinced Willis that her recipe was good enough to sell. Taking them at their word, she began to peddle the cookies to local small businesses.

After experiencing moderate success, she went on to eventually develop eight additional winning cookie formulas, as well as sweet potato pie, peach, apple and cherry cobbler, and banana pudding recipes. She took her culinary show on the road to fairs and festivals throughout Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, and later established a thriving Internet-based outlet. Willis has transitioned from baking her delicious cookies and pies in her apartment kitchen to production in rented bakery space in Campbell, CA. "I hope to be more famous than Amos," said the baking professional, referring to the originator of Famous Amos Cookies.

Following desert tastings at Monterey and San Jose Jazz Festivals, Dubbheads.com/news and San Jose Mercury News respectfully awarded Nita Bees Tastys rave reviews.

CELEBRITY PRAISE FOR NITA BEES TASTYS:

- Gerald Albright: "… This is really good peach cobbler!"

- Etta James: "I love your sweet potato pie. It's the best!"

- B.B. King: "Thank you for making my sugar-free sweet potato pie."

- Donny Osmond: "Your banana pudding reminds me of home."

- Sista Monica: "Oh, your banana pudding is to die for!"

- Nancy Wilson: "… Your sweet potato pie is smooth to my tummy and your cobbler is pretty tasty, too."

ABOUT NITA BEES TASTYS:

In 1995 Nita Willis founded Nita Bees Tastys in San Jose, CA with a single oatmeal cookie recipe. Now a successful baker of several critically-acclaimed desserts, Willis makes homemade banana pudding, peach, apple and cherry cobblers, and sweet potato pies (including sugar free). Her repertoire of sweets also includes eight different mouth-watering cookies with names like Oatmeal Surprise, Plain Jane Chocolate Chip, Lemon Drop Kids Shortbread and Shorty Toffee/Pecan Shortbread cookies.

Nita Bees Tastys may be purchased in stores in San Jose at Sam's Bar-B-Que (1110 So. Bascom Ave.), Zanotto's Downtown Market (38 So. 2nd St.), and Zanotto's Family Market (1970 Naglee Ave.) Willis prepares gift baskets and party trays for caterers, company and private events, cafeterias and restaurants. Some Nita Bees Tastys may be purchased frozen -- directly from her -- for customers to bake at home. All goodies may be ordered for shipment nationwide. For more information, please visit www.nitabeestastys.com.

ABOUT NASFT Fancy Food Shows®

The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade's (NASFT) Fancy Food Shows is North America's premier marketplace for specialty foods … where retailers, restaurateurs, distributors and others discover innovative, new food and beverage products.

Recent Fancy Food Shows have attracted up to 24,000 attendees from every major food buying channel, influential members of the trade, and consumer press and other related businesses. These attendees come to see thousands of exhibitors from around the world; most are passionate entrepreneurs who created their recipes and started their companies. These trend-setting businesses showcase more than 250,000 innovative products at the annual Shows. www.specialtyfood.com

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