Michael Pettenato has worked for celebrity chef Mario Batali, performed on Broadway and entertained crowds as a stand-up comic, but he is just now gaining some unexpected nationwide attention — with his cupcake and frozen yogurt shop in Roswell.

Google has thrown its support behind Cloud 9 Frozen Yogurt and Cupcakes by giving it one of five official endorsements for exceptional small businesses in the country.

Pettenato, along with his mother and brother, opened the business last July after deciding to get entrepreneurial with two fast-growing, fun dessert trends.

“We have a unique business of cupcakes and frozen yogurt, and there’s a lot of buzz around both of those right now,” Pettenato said. “Cupcakes are huge on the West Coast, and we’re going to see cupcake shops popping up here. But we’re the first business to do both cupcakes and frozen yogurt.”

Six months after the store’s opening, Pettenato got an unexpected phone call from a Google representative, who said the company just wanted to see how business was going for research.

Soon after, 15 executives from Google arrived to present Cloud 9 with new laptops, cell phones, accounting services and $100,000 for marketing.

The surprise was caught on film and used for a commercial, which can be viewed on Cloud 9’s website.

“That’s when we found out they were endorsing us. They wanted to be affiliated with us and use the Google name to help us gain recognition,” Pettenato said. “With the economy being in the state that it is and with small businesses being the backbone of America, they wanted to promote a few select small, family-owned businesses.”

Cloud 9 is the only restaurant and only business in the Southeast chosen for the endorsement, and Pettenato said the store stands out because of its quality products.

“You wouldn’t think this is a world-class store because we’re a small business in a Target shopping center in the middle of Roswell. But there’s a real difference,” he said. “Everything is more flavorful, and we put a lot of effort into everything and use all-natural ingredients. You can’t get these cupcakes anywhere else.”

For the cupcakes, Pettenato uses only real fruits, real fruit juices, real butter and real vanilla.

“My background is the highest end New York cuisine; I just brought that to Georgia,” he said.

With Google’s help, Cloud 9 is going to begin delivering cupcakes nationwide, and Pettenato said he plans to branch out to two more locations by the end of the year.

The store currently delivers locally and hosts parties.

“We’re so thrilled with our success,” Pettenato said. “This community has really embraced us, and we’re so thankful.”

Cloud 9 Frozen Yogurt and Cupcakes is at 1195 Woodstock Road, Suite 900, in Roswell.

Information: (770) 645-0999 or www.cloud9 roswell.com.