What it took to save the Twinkie

In 2012, the end appeared nigh for the humble Twinkie, the yellow sponge cake and American icon: A trend toward healthy eating and a bitter union brawl had forced its baker into bankruptcy.

Now, Hostess Brands is back with a vengeance, with new plans to become a publicly listed company and return to a market that had once left it for dead. The deal, announced Tuesday, would give the maker of Twinkies, CupCakes and Ding Dongs a market value of roughly $2.3 billion.