local spotlight: Jamie's Just Baked
I'm so happy to introduce a local baker on the blog today, Jamie Weed Hessel, of Jamie's Just Baked. I'm always on the look-out for new places to grab a yummy treat & I'm excited that Jamie will soon be located so close to us! Aimey of Diamond Oak Photography took beautiful pictures of the yummy creations and Jamie herself answered a few questions for me about what we can expect to see from Jamie's Just Baked.
B: What inspired you to start Jamie's Just Baked?
J: I started baking with my grandmother, when I was little. I really fell in love with baking, when Granny taught me how to make my great-grandmother's blue ribbon chocolate angel cake. It wasn't until I started working at a donut shop though, in college, that I realized I wanted to make a career out of culinary arts. I was so ecstatic to roll out of bed at 3am, to exclaim "Good morning", and make people smile with pastries! I promptly switched my major, and I graduated from Texas State Technical College, with an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts.
B: What would you consider to be your speciality?
J: It is so hard for me to name my specialty! I've worked in every area of baking and pastry over the past ten years. I love plating desserts, and trying new flavor combinations. My best sellers are Texas Beer Bundts, and Cranberry-Orange Scones.
B: What are your hours of operation and where are you located?
J: Jamie's Just Baked does not have a store front. I have been operating as a Cottage Baker, but there are just too many restrictions on my creativity while baking from home! I actually just paid the deposit to start renting a commissary kitchen in Old Town Spring, so that I can legally sell online, and for resale. I just finished the paperwork for the health department, so I am expecting to get the green light from them in the next 2-4 weeks! After that, I plan to do a Friday dessert special, as that's going to be my designated day in the commissary.
B: Your bundt cakes look delicious! What flavors do you offer?
J: Thank you! Chocolate Stout (made with Independence Brewery's oatmeal stout) , strawberry Velvet (made with strawberry ale), Red Velvet (made with Real Ale's triple brew), The Gim (made with Buffalo Bayou's gingerbread beer, and named for my dad - Jim), Pina Colada (made with Treaty Oak rum), Bloody Mary (made with Dog Trot vodka) and I am currently working on a Margarita Cake!
B: What do you think separates Jamie's Just Baked from other bakeries in the area?
J: My pastries are all made with organic flours, sugars, and oils. I feel strongly about the taste and quality of organic foods, and I have check everything I bake for quality control! If it doesn't taste great, why make it? In addition to organics, I have not seen many bakeries that bake with Texas beer and liquor.
