It's Delicious, a gourmet food and gift shop that opened in May in downtown Sunnyvale, features many gourmet food items for everyday use or entertaining.

With his background as a hotel food and beverage manager, Thalberg, 38, has the experience in menu planning to help customers plan simple, delicious meals.

He takes pride in teaching customers creative ways to prepare food. His cinnamon pear syrup can top pancakes, or it can be used as a glaze for pork tenderloin. His peach salsa can be combined with tortilla chips or chicken.

"I feel qualified to help people think outside the box," Thalberg says. "People need to enjoy life, especially in this day and age, and they can do so by taking time to make delicious food."

Thalberg distinguishes his store from the other delicatessens and upscale houseware stores in Sunnyvale, noting that his store has many unique products that appeal to gourmets and chefs—specialty pastas, dessert sauces, bread mixes, barbecue sauces, spices, dip mixes and biscotti.

In addition to food, the store has colorful ceramic items, wooden serving utensils, table linens, candlestick holders and handmade glass plates by Peggy Karr.

Colleen Stahl, a medical practice consultant, has shopped at It's Delicious since its opening week, seeking out both personal and business gifts.

"I tell Jonathan, 'I want a gift for a CEO' or 'someone who did a little favor for me' and he knows how to find the gift for that specific person," Stahl says. "He doesn't overdo it but makes it special. And he goes out of his way to find what I'm looking for."

The former location of a flower shop, the store has been completely renovated, with hardwood floors, colorful walls and a mural of a Tuscan sunset by Bay Area artist Kim Domino.

"When people come into the store I want them to be taken away to a beautiful place with a lake and sunset," says Thalberg, who worked for a high-tech company for 15 years prior to opening his store.

The wide variety of oils, vinegars and sauces is what draws Sunnyvale residents Graham and Lesley Etchells to the store. As a trained chef, Graham typically prefers to make his own sauces but, he says, "the stuff here is fabulous and it is high quality—the most extensive collection I've seen anywhere."

Thalberg finds food for his store from trade shows and referrals from caterer friends and customers. So far business has been good, despite the slow economy. Thalberg credits the high level of business to the fact that "people still need to eat, give gifts, enjoy life and cook delicious foods."

Once an item is purchased, it is boxed and tied with colorful raffia or a ribbon of burgundy, green or copper. As Thalberg says, "small accents make things that much more delicious."

It's Delicious is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 408.746.9711 or email itsdelicious@sbc global.net. The store is located at 127 S. Murphy Ave.