AZ Central.com:
New York City transplants will soon be able to get their Tasti D-Lite fixes right here in metro Phoenix.
The first of an eventual string of 40 Arizona stores will begin dispensing more than 100 flavors of the popular frozen dessert this summer.
The stores are coming into a market that has been hit by recession and increased competition, especially from frozen-coffee products.
Made mostly from water, non-fat milk, sugar and corn syrup, the frozen non-yogurt dessert has developed a cult following in New York City, where it first appeared in 1987.
It has been parodied on “Seinfeld” and featured in episodes of HBO’s “Sex and the City” and NBC’s “The Apprentice.”
“I love this joint,” wrote New York blogger Andy H. on his Web site, thebrooklynnomad .com. “They beat the crap out of those other 2,352 fro-yo chains.”
The company is hoping the stores will also develop such fanatical fans in Arizona. Recently opened stores in Houston have quickly developed a following.
Tasti D-Lite was founded by Celeste Carlesimo and her father, Louis Carlesimo. It was acquired in 2007 by New York private-equity investor SPG Partners, which started franchising the concept.
