Sweet Boutique owner Sue George with Kevin Youkilis, holding gift boxes from Harvard Sweet Boutique, and Enza Sambataro, his fiancée and president of “Kevin Youkilis Hits for Kids." (Courtesy photo by Michael Blanchard)

As elegant in person as the exquisite and crisply tailored boxes of treats she sends around the globe, baker and businesswoman Sue George, of West Bare Hill Road, is still astonished by the success of the Harvard Sweet Boutique, the online gourmet baking business she launched just over a year ago. Stylishly clad in graduating shades of green with sparkling earrings, George modestly related stories of her success during the last year, from fielding a request for party favors from Qatar to making special gift boxes for the VIP table at a recent charity auction. From using the highest-quality ingredients to finding the perfect ribbon to complement a box, the intent is to present something very special, George said, as though it was hand-picked from a small boutique. That small boutique is making a big name for itself: recently, chocolate chip cookies from the Harvard Sweet Boutique were chosen for first place in the third annual Red Sox Cookie Bake-Off.

The “Cookie-Off,” as it’s called, takes place during spring training, and pits players’ favorite cookies against one another to compete for the top honor. While she walked away with the blue ribbon, the lighthearted competition isn’t George’s only Red Sox connection: at the special request of Boston Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis and his fiancée, Enza Sambataro, George has teamed up with their Hits for Kids charitable organization and created special cookie packages that include a Youkilis-signed baseball. The special connection to Boston’s beloved team came about through an event dear to George’s heart: the annual “High Hopes Gala,” a fundraiser for Type 1 diabetes, sponsored by the Joslin Diabetes Center. A regular attendee, George offered to create special party favors for each guest—an ambitious project that involved baking and packing cookie boxes for more than 700 people.

Just by chance, Youkilis and Sambataro also attended the gala. Having recently formed Hits for Kids, both were on the lookout for partnerships to benefit the three children’s charities their organization is designed to benefit. The first, Christopher’s Haven, provides housing for children going through specialized cancer treatment at Mass General Hospital, while the Italian Home for Children provides a “home of last resort” for abused and neglected children. The third organization they sponsor is the Joslin Diabetes Center’s Pediatric Health Services, which cares for children with that disease. Sambataro was immediately attracted to the possibilities she saw in the Sweet Boutique’s products, and together she and George created the “Grand Slam Tower” and “Home Run Cookies” packages that feature a metallic silver gift box tied with a burgundy bow. For George, the venture has provided an unexpected gift: the chance to make a significant contribution to better the lives of children. With Sambataro, George has become very involved in all three charities, and describes their work as amazing.

“You can see a purpose other than just selling cookies,” she said.

The higher purpose George finds in supporting such worthy causes is well supported by her love of baking and creativity in marketing. A former software engineer at Digital, she left the corporate world to start a family. As the years went by and children Nick and Katrina got older, however, she started to feel the need to create something of her own that was family-friendly.

“I always loved the food industry, and I always loved baking,” she said. “I felt like there was a hole in the [food] industry that I might be able to accommodate, which was gourmet gift packaging in lieu of flowers for special occasions.”

Mostly self-taught, George bakes in a commercial kitchen in Hudson. She bakes in marathon sessions, she said, then spends the other half of her time managing customers, creating the website, and thinking up new ways to grow the business. When things get really busy, the kids and husband Peter pitch in.

The whole family might be busy baking for George’s next venture, the Tuesday, April 1 “Taste of Ginger” fundraiser at the State House, which also benefits the Joslin Diabetes Center. The event is wonderful, George said, with 20 high-profile Boston restaurants offering tastings of their best fare to more than 400 people. She has not yet decided what to make, but enjoys dreaming up just the perfect thing for every event.

Looking back over the events of the last year, George is both astonished and pleased. Following the business venture down pathways both expected and anything but, the future of Sue George and the Harvard Sweet Boutique looks sweet indeed.

Harvard Sweet Boutique products are available at Idylwilde Farms in Acton, by phone at 1-888-5SWEETS, or online at www.harvardsweetboutique.com. For more information on Hits for Kids, visit www.youkskids.org.