Tell us about yourself and your business:

At a young age I knew I wanted to own a restaurant and everyone I knew was aware of it. I was always cooking something. At about 20 I had to get my younger sister’s school transcripts. The school psychologist had written horrible things about my family.

The one thing he wrote that burned in my brain was that because I was a young single parent I was going to be a statistic. I wasn’t anyone’s statistic. I worked more jobs than I care to remember.

I was a CNA, a rec-night coordinator, and climbed John Deer tractors in the rain and mud to get the serial numbers off the humongous tires. Finally I drove a school bus, while simultaneously working at at family owned restaurant

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What inspired you to start your business?

In 1990 I started Sweet Ambrosia Desserts and Catering, while working full time at a local restaurant. The sole purpose of working there was to gain hands-on knowledge of how to run a restaurant. In 2007, 17 years later, while looking for a storefront for Sweet Ambrosia, a Realtor told me that Zammuto’s was available. I knew nothing about granita but had a willingness to learn. Joe Zammuto, the original owner, heard of me, came to Zammuto’s and not only gave me his family’s famous recipe but showed me how to make it. Joe passed away, and 15 years later the recipe lives on.

Zammuto’s Drive-In and Carry-Out, has served the Winnebago County, Rockford, Illinois, community in the same place 725 Kent St. since 1925. I’m inspired by the fact that for many people, Zammuto’s has become an anchor to home.

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It’s an experience that gives individuals a sense of pride that they are excited to share with friends and coworkers. It’s a tradition that they want their children to carry on. During a time when things are ever changing, it’s a testament to the fact that some things will never change. The granita, a delicious cross between Italian ice and sorbet, has had the same great flavor year after year, batch after batch. We’ve added our hand-battered chicken wings, farm-raised catfish, and seasoned fries to become fan-favorites.

What’s it like being a female business owner here in the Stateline?

I have owned and operated Zammuto’s Drive-In and Carry-Out in the Stateline for a little over 15 years and Sweet Ambrosia Desserts and Catering business for 31 years. As a female business owner I have had my expertise, credibility and worthiness called into question too many times to count.

However, with my focus solely on Zammuto’s it has come from being popular not just in Rockford, Illinois, but in the surrounding region. You can walk into four different grocery stores: Woodman’s in Rockford and Beloit, Wisconsin, Chiquita Grocery, and Valli Produce, to purchase our product right off the store shelf and that gives me pride.

When you look on the back of the product label to see where it’s manufactured, it has our local address, not some big manufacturer. However, one of my biggest accomplishments is being recognized and awarded the 2020 Torch Award from the Better Business Bureau for marketplace ethics. I am the first to be honored in the new category of minority owned and operated business.

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Who or what has been your biggest support system as a female business owner in the community?

I wish I could give a name of a specific person or entity however there are numerous people who have shown their support down through the years. In addition to the aforementioned Torch Award, I have done several newspaper interviews from the start of Sweet Ambrosia in 1990 until now. In 2008 we were voted Family of Distinction for Winnebago and Boone County. In 2014, I was one of 40 businesses that were featured In Good Company, in 2018 I was one of Rockford’s 75 People You Should Know and had featured a story on the internet called Our City Our Story: The Unusual in 2018.

What advice would you give to a woman wanting to start her own business?

First, owning your own business is hard but rewarding. Don’t try to be the smartest person at your company, be smart enough to hire people smarter than you. You may not know everything but gather a team of people that will, for example if you have never done payroll hire a good payroll company.