Success Story
SIMPLY BLISS BBQ AND BAKERY PROVIDES UNIQUE ORIGINALS
Leslie and Doug Webb, of Stansbury Park in Tooele County, have always had a passion for good food. Their philosophy is that good food equals a good life.
Simply Bliss BBQ and Bakery began humbly in the summer of 2015 as a bakery. Leslie recalls making the long drive to the small commercial kitchen she rented in Bountiful to bake her goods for the next farmers market.
“Back then, you couldn’t bake commercially in a residential kitchen by state regulation, so I’d have to make the drive to do it,” she said.
At each market, Simply Bliss Bakery would sell out, and the popularity of Leslie’s baked goods began to spread. By 2017, pit master Doug added daily fresh smoked BBQ to the offerings, and Simply Bliss evolved into a full catering service as well as a mobile trailer that served lunch.
In June of 2018, Leslie and Doug met with the SBDC. With their help, Simply Bliss was awarded the food vending contract at Tooele Technical College, placing them in a fully equipped commercial kitchen with a steady flow of hungry staff and students. It was here that Doug began to develop and expand their menu.
“Doug is the creative one on the team,” said Leslie. “He is always coming up with something new and awesome.”
“Doug is the creative one on the team,” said Leslie. “He is always coming up with something new and awesome.”
Customers rave about the unique Simply Bliss originals such as the Skirt Burger, smoked pork and mash, or the Fat-Boy Taco, recently declared on K-Bull 93 as “possibly the best taco in Utah.”
Their American boot-strap story of ups and downs, hard work and tenacity in making their passion their life is an interesting one, but their journey has not been without hardships. Location was often a challenge, and Simply Bliss has weathered other storms such as much larger competition, juggling family life, and working two to three side jobs when things got tight during the COVID 19 pandemic. But in working closely with Jess Clifford at the SBDC in Tooele Valley over the past 3 years to work though growth challenges and secure funding, each challenge has only served to make their business stronger.
“It’s not easy building a food business that’s not ‘on Main Street,’” Leslie said. “We’ve always had to build our traffic from scratch and make sure we had something for people that was worth the drive…again and again. We couldn’t have come this far without our friends at Tooele Tech and the SBDC! We are grateful for their support and are so happy to be where we are. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Business Assisted by The SBDC At: