Sweet Success tells a story, a vivid narrative of a California company town - Crockett - as it evolved in the 20th century. It weaves a rich tapestry of Italian immigrants, women, and industry, forging a vital community. Crockett succeeded more than most, leaving a legacy of stories and vintage cake recipes.

Growing up in a family of storytellers eager to share their tales of the Old Country and their emigration and assimilation experiences, Barbara grasped early on the importance of a well-crafted, well-told story to inform, teach, and entertain. Continuing this ancient tradition, she shares her intimate knowledge of growing up in Crockett, California, a unique San Francisco Bay Area factory town. Barbara also shares stories of working women at the C&H Sugar refinery, whose stories have yet to be written. She writes about her experiences living in this small company town in the mid-twentieth century and working in this Bay Area industrial icon in the late 1960s. Barbara lived most of her life in Crockett and worked at the factory for two summers as a temporary summer hire while attending the University of California at Berkeley.

Pagni Denton lives in Crockett, California, with her husband, Ed, in a century-old cottage that offers a picturesque view of the Carquinez Straits, steep cattle pasture lands, and the rural, winding, narrow two-lane road to Port Costa. She is a retired healthcare environmental designer passionate about baking, making chocolates, writing, and gardening. In her free time, she enjoys her morning walks through the hilly Crockett neighborhoods and chatting with her neighbors in her colorful flower-filled front garden.