Fans of the Food Network show Cupcake Wars have probably heard the name Arleen Scavone or been told about her namesake bakery, Sweet Arleen's, a few times. This three-peat Cupcake Wars winner (she won twice and her baking assistant won once) began her baking business in the sunny state of California, but is now looking to spread her franchise to another large state, Texas. She is working on opening a storefront in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and has announced that she will be opening a bakery in Houston as well.

While many of you probably think Houston is pretty well covered in the cupcake shop department, with a multitude of bakeries such as CRAVE, Sprinkles, Celebrity Cupcakes, Petite Sweets and so on, Scavone believes Houston is a great market for her brand. As a banker, she spent many years in Texas and considers it her second home.

"When I look at the Houston market, along with the Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth area, those three markets within Texas I believe are very key to our brand," Scavone says. "We see some of the best chefs coming into the Texas area. We see the right economic phase. We also look at the ability to do fundraising in those cities that are inclined to support their community because we do a lot of fundraising and a lot of giving back to the community."