Meet Jackie Reyes | Pastry Chef and Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jackie Reyes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jackie, how do you think about risk?
Fear is an interesting thing. Fear can either make you freeze and recoil to what is comfortable or fear can push you somewhere you’ve never been before. For me, I’ve always wanted life to be comfortable and know what I was getting myself into, but soon that state of comfort became tiring and lifeless and I started resenting my career choices. I had so many opportunities on the other side of fear that I was too scared to pursue until one day everything clicked. I decided to start my own business at 28 years old with no comfort of having a stable paycheck and sure employment, but I had excitement and dreams again that fear kept from me for so long. Taking a risk and making a huge change is helping me shape my career into what I want it to be and who I want to be.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started baking very young. I had an internship at a bakery when I was 15 and have never left the industry since. It has always been my passion and what makes me happiest. Creating food for people to enjoy is extraordinary, but when it’s a baked good and you create details for a celebration and everything is crafted by hand with hours of work it turns into something magical. Being a pastry chef is hard. I know a lot of people think I sit and bake cookies all day and play with sugar, but there is so much dedication, passion, and late nights that go into everything I do. I currently run my business on my own. That means every single step in the process is touched by me and only me. From the bag of flour, to the baked cake, buttercream, and beyond I have crafted with my own hands. Starting off a business like this is extremely difficult and results in constant fatigue, late nights, and working days that your family or friends have off. What keeps me passionate and excited about all of this besides the constant snacking on extra desserts? My devotion and the light in someone’s eye when I show them their final product. Nothing is sweeter than that!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were visiting we’d have a full list of to-do’s! First and foremost, you can’t come to Cowtown without going to the stockyards! The the stockyards a stop at Provender Hall is a must for a drink and dinner. Next, we would stop at Montgomery Street Antique Mall to peruse and enjoy high tea at their secret garden restaurant. Also on the list is Clearfork for not only the trails, but also the shopping! Clearfork is also home to one of my favorites: B&B butchers and restaurant. For something less food related, we’d go downtown for an event at Bass Hall, Pete’s dueling piano bar, and Four Day Weekend! It would be a very busy week!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In the story of my career so far, I have always had the support of my parents for which I am forever grateful. From the early moments of being young and having a play kitchen in our basement that served as my own restaurant, to supporting me throughout culinary school and beyond my parents have always been on my side.

Website: Pinkpetuniabaking.com

Instagram: @pinkpetuniabakingco

Facebook: Pink Petunia Baking Co.

Image Credits
Maya Crawford Photography