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Takila Nuss, owner of Essential Dipped Delights withher daughter Saige.
Essential Dipped Delights Owner Brings Happiness ‘One Bite at a Time’
This Valentine’s Day, get locally-made sweets for your sweetie from dessert
artist, Takila Nuss.
By Carmen Addison
Interview by Walid Jaffal
Previous ZipsGuide stories about Essential Dipped Delights appear archived beneath this update.
For Valentine's Day Orders, call 330-459-9688 to pre-order by February 10, 2025.
Are you ready to try Essential Dipped Delights now? Mention ZipsGuide.com for 10% off your order. University of Akron students and faculty will also receive 10% off their purchase anytime they bring their Zip card.
First and foremost, Takila Nuss is a proud mom.
It was her desire to model an entrepreneurial mindset for her children that led her to launch Essential Dipped Delights, providing chocolate covered, cheesecake stuffed, parfait layered goodness to Downtown Akron.
“Really, the motivation behind starting a business was to create something that I wanted to teach my children how to be an entrepreneur and give them hope they could do anything that they put their minds to,” Nuss said.
She wanted to be an example of that success for her family.
“We often spend so much time working for somebody else, and I was tired of working for someone else. I wanted to create something for myself and my family. My children are definitely my reason why,” Nuss said.
Nuss launched her Black Female-owned business in 2015. At that time in her life, she was busy bartending and being a mother. In addition to her children, she was motivated by having control over her own days and destiny.
“My favorite part about my business is that I get to create the narrative. I get to create my hours. I can work for myself. I don’t have to answer to anyone.”
Essential Dipped Delights started with Nuss making treats like sweet chocolate covered strawberries for friends and family in her home kitchen. The overwhelmingly positive feedback on her early treats was all the confirmation she needed. Nuss quickly got to work, opening her first shop in January 2020.
As you can imagine, that was not the most fortuitous timing. Luckily, Nuss found a way to persevere. After surviving the pandemic (no easy feat for a new venture), she moved her shop to Northside Marketplace, where Akronites can now stop in and grab their treats daily.
Takila Nuss is pleased that her current location allows her to serve her longtime customers, meet new customers and be open to the public. For Nuss, that means that she can serve her community and put smiles on people’s faces. She sees her desserts as more than just expert blends of delicious ingredients.
“I create happiness,” she said. “I say I create happiness one bite a time.”
Those bites include unique desserts that you won’t find anywhere else. Though being mom always comes first, Nuss has another calling: dessert artist.
In addition to some of the best chocolate “dipped” strawberries you’ll find in the 330, Takila Nuss has devised a one-of-a-kind dessert menu with items like cheesecake stuffed apples, chocolate dipped banana pudding cheesecake bowls, Oreo stacked strawberries, chocolate dipped pineapples and a line of treats for kids created by her daughter Saige under the name “Saige’s Tummy Yummys.”
The shop also offers parfaits, ice cream sundaes, beverages and more. When asked about her menu favorites, Nuss was quick to mention the cheesecake stuffed strawberries, the strawberry cheesecake parfait, and the strawberry banana pudding.
Nuss doesn’t rest on her laurels. She’s currently busy making sure that every customer can find the dessert of their dreams. New vegan options such as a vegan pineapple upside down cake are now available, and more are on the way.
The treats are a great finish to a meal at Nomz, Northside Marketplace’s restaurant café, but can also be ordered catering-style for events or as corporate gifts. Need something very specific for a food allergy or dietary need? Nuss has you covered.
“We do custom orders for our customers, so if we have any dietary restrictions, we can accommodate them with some advanced notice,” she said. “If we don’t have something, we make sure we can get it.”
Excited to see what the future will bring, Nuss hopes to expand to a second location and maybe franchise the business in the future.
Are you ready to try Essential Dipped Delights? Mention ZipsGuide.com for 10% off your order. University of Akron students and faculty will also receive 10% off their purchase anytime they bring their Zip card.
Essential Dipped Delights is located inside the Northside Marketplace at 21 Furnace St., in Akron. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., but their cooler case has freshly made treats available anytime the marketplace is open (while supplies last).
Clearly, with Saige's Tummy Yummys, her hard work has paid off when it comes to her goal of passing that entrepreneurial mindset along to her children.
“I love for my kids to be able to come down and make treats or help me,” said Nuss. “I just love doing what I do.”
We here at ZipsGuide love what you do too, and we encourage our readers to head over and put a smile on their faces with a dessert from Essential Dipped Delights.
Follow Essential Dipped Delights on Instagram to see what’s new and learn more about Takila and Saige. A recent clip shows her daughter Saige cooking her own, gourmet, birthday dinner.
Essential Dipped Delights (top) and a young man enjoying one of Nuss' creations outside of NOMZ. Photos by Julie Cajigas.
Takila Nuss' daughter Saige dipping strawberries at Essential Dipped Delights. Image courtesy of instagram.com/essentialdippeddelights
The logo for Saige's Tummy Yummys, Takila Nuss' daughter's business that specializes in treats for kids. Image via Saige's tummy Yummys on Facebook.
To reach content author Carmen Addison, email her here.
Guide Update: Essential Dipped Delights Offers Edible Canvas Class
Whether for a birthday, graduation party, bachelorette or shower, Essential Dipped Delights is branching out with its Edible Canvas class.
By Julie Cajigas
Essential Dipped Delights is hosting a Mother's Day Edible Canvas Class on Weds., May 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Northside Marketplace. Get tickets today, seats are limited.
Since last we visited Takila Nuss, owner of Essential Dipped Delights, she has been busy coming up with new creations and new ways to allow others to experience the joy of confectionary creation.
On Wednesday, April 17, she held her first Edible Canvas Class. "It won't be a guided painting," she said. Instead, she wanted to allow the partcipants in the class to be as creative as they wanted. Her teaching was more in various techniques for making and afixing sugary decorations.
The group that came in was part of a grant that provides activities for women in the community. They all crowded around the table with the supplies and engaged in lively conversation until the session started.
The edible canvases came out, and they were - well, cakes. They were rectangular, thinner cakes that definitely evoked the idea of a canvas.
The decorations included icing, with small color mixing palettes, and then a variety of other materials that could be pressed into or afixed onto the cake.
Nuss started by explaining what was on the table of "art supplies," and then spent the remainder of the session walking table by table checking in on her artists.
Some of the participants took the experience quite seriously and put a lot of energy into creating a beautiful canvas. Others just seemed to be having fun playing with the icing and various food decorations.
One person, Nuss' daughter Saige, was already eating her creation before most others were even halfway through their creation.
While they were creating, voices were filled with laughter and excited chatter. Everyone in the Northside Marketplace dining area seemed to be having a fantastic time. People sitting at the bar who weren't part of the party looked on curiously at the canvases and the participants.
By the end of the evening, women were taking photos in front of the Essential Dipped Delights signs and glancing around at the Marketplace. Takila Nuss and her daughter Saige were busy cleaning up the space.
"I think it went very well," Nuss said, after the last participant left. So well, in fact, that Nuss plans to make edible canvas parties part of her regular offering. She's kicking that off with a class the week after Mother's Day, geared toward being a gift for mom.
Come paint your edible canvas with mom on Wednesday, May 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Northside Marketplace.
Get your tickets ASAP, because if you look around you will have a hard time finding a more affordable version, as this class is just $30/person for two hours of sweet fun with mom.
To learn more about the event or to book your own Edible Canvas Party, reach out to Essential Dipped Delights at 330-459-9688 or at the Essential Dipped Delights Instagram.
(Title Image) One participant's edible canvas decorated. Photo by Essential Dipped Delights. Saige started eating her creation before decorating was done. Photos by Julie Cajigas. (Center) The massive bar filled with goodies. Photo by Essential Dipped Delights. ( Bottom) Takila Nuss and her daughter Saige are exhausted after a busy night running their first party. Photo by Julie Cajigas.
Downtown Akron Partnership Announces Downtown Dollars E-Gift Card Program > read more here.
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