Although she has always been a devout chocolate lover, running a restaurant devoted to delicious cookies and cakes was not Ciocolat owner Kate Hutchison's original life plan. "I just sort of fell into it," says Kate about her decision to purchase the restaurant with husband Tony Villanueva two years ago. Ciocolat was already in existence when the couple decided to purchase it, and had been run for many years by a woman named Mary Lou Hedriana.

Mary Lou was a pastry chef, who had always dreamed of running a dessert shop. "It was her dream job," says Kate. After she died, her husband, Herman, kept the business running for a short time, but eventually decided to sell it in 2005. This coincided perfectly with Kate's decision to make a rather drastic career change. She had been working for a community mental health program called the Yolo Community Care Continuum for 12 years, and found herself "looking for something else to do." She has never regretted her decision.

"Its good for people to change," Kate says. "I like that every day is different, and the customers are really fun." She also likes the creative process of trying out new recipes and products. Most of the dessert recipes originally came from Mary Lou, but Kate and her team love experimenting in the kitchen or at home to discover new recipes as well. "I love learning about the industry. It's a good match for me."