"A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose," Gertrude Stein wrote.

But roses made by baker Diane Fritz, a 10-year employee of Bethel Bakery, seem special.

"People say mine look real," said Ms. Fritz, of Finleyville.

And, boy, do they rant about their yummy taste.

	Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette Diane Fritz decorates a wedding cake at Bethel Bakery. After winning a state competition in Pittsburgh, she competed last month in the national Creative Decorating competition against 16 other competitors at the American Bakery Expo in Atlantic City. N.J. Click photo for larger image.

Ms. Fritz, 46, competed last month in the sixth annual Creative Decorating competition, sponsored by the Retail Bakers of America, a not-for-profit trade association in McLean, Va.

Ms. Fritz didn't win or place in the contest, which had 17 competitors from such places as California, North Dakota and Texas, but, she said, she learned from her mistakes. Judges said her icing colors were too dark and that she had to vary the borders on the cakes.

"I learned and I would like to try again," she said.

Ms. Fritz qualified by winning a state competition in Pittsburgh.

Last month's competition was held in front of an audience on a trade show floor at the American Bakery Expo in Atlantic City, N.J.

It was her second try on the national level. She competed in the contest in New York last year.

She said the contest was intense, but that she "has nothing to lose" by trying.

The winner, Sunnie Guraedy, of Cold Stone Bakery in Cold Stone, Minn., got a Pillsbury grand championship trophy and runners-up received gold, silver and bronze medals.

Ms. Fritz conducted a cake decorating demonstration last week at the Good Taste of Pittsburgh Food and Cooking Expo at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

That's pretty good for someone who says she didn't have much confidence in her ability when she applied for her first baker's job 10 years ago.

John Walsh, owner of Bethel Bakery, interviewed her, asked her to make an icing rose and, impressed, hired her.

He accompanied her to the Atlantic City competition and said that, even though Ms. Fritz didn't win, she is "the best in Western Pennsylvania.''

She said making flowers from icing is the easiest part of any cake decorating competition.

She did plenty of that in Atlantic City, where she had to make a wedding cake, a custom cake with a holiday theme and a rolled fondant.

Mr. Walsh "taught me everything I know," said Ms. Fritz, a divorced, former homemaker who now decorates 30 cakes on an average day.

"I never thought I was good," she said, but her children, Kenny, 23; Dana, 21; and Shawn, 15, told her otherwise.

She made borders on cakes for three months before she was allowed to write on them.

Now she supervises shifts at the bakery in addition to her decorating duties.

Ms. Fritz said she was somewhat intimidated by competing with "the best people out there," but said, "I gave it my best shot."