"I just love to cook. I’m domestic to fault.” That’s how Kristine Mongillo describes herself when telling how and why she began her business, Sweet Kristine’s, two years ago.

“I’ve always loved to cook ever since I can remember,” Kris confides. “I’m from California; grew up there. My sister would be the one helping my mother in the kitchen and I was the one helping my father pick and pack avocados. To be in the kitchen I would bribe my sister to change jobs with me. That’s where I learned to cook with my mom. When I was in the third or fourth grade, I decided to make macaroni and cheese for everyone. Not knowing any better, I put the Corningware dish on top of the stove and of course you know what happened—it exploded. I think that was the first thing I ever tried to cook alone. My mother was of the Jewish faith and my father was German Lutheran. We grew up with the best of both worlds.”

Kri...