Born in Louisiana, the birthplace of Jazz and home to wonderful Creole and Cajun food, Lita Davis is known for her culinary creations and has been recognized by Southern Living. While strongly impacted by the Caribbean/Latin influence of her Cuban father and the soul food leanings of her African American mother, Lita credits her maternal grandmother's cooking prowess as her greatest inspiration. Many of the recipes Lita uses today are derived from the invaluable experience she gained while observing and assisting her grandmother as a young girl. One such recipe, her Lucky 7 Coconut-Lemon Cake, appeared in the Southern Living Cook-off Cookbook (Birmingham: Oxmoor House, Inc., 2004).
Patrons of Desserts Plus, her small home-based business, as well as family and friends will attest to Lita's gift for whipping up a great dish. I have tasted several of her desserts, and my favorite is her Ada's Peach Cobbler . . . which is also one of the site's most popular recipes. I love the story behind it, and I think it's great that Lita is not only embracing an important aspect of her heritage, but she is also carrying on a wonderful legacy. Even here in the nostalgic, sentimental South, that's becoming less and less common.