Today we’d like to introduce you to Genesis Krystal Rodriguez Perfume.
Hi Genesis Krystal, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Since I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed being in a kitchen preparing food. As a child, my mother used to walk me through the steps so I would be able to do it alone. I began around 5 years of age. Later on, my mother saw my passion and started feeding into it by letting me bake my own birthday cakes and such. At age 15 we moved from Puerto Rico to Houston and in search of authentic flavors of my culture, I began my baking journey. Gens Teahouse was established in the middle of the 2020 Pandemic because I kept craving the sweet foods that would bring me back home during those uncertain times. My friends started purchasing, and my family and little by little the word started spreading to where I had a solid customer base. At the beginning of the year 2022, I decided to go full time as a Home-Baker and my vision is to have my very own store front Bakery.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
From the creative perspective, it has been very stable because I have always thought about new ideas or items to confection. However, I did have a full time job a family and later on a newborn baby, so it wasn’t and is not always easy. Educating myself requires effort and self-discipline. Being a home baker may look easy but, there is a lot that happens behind the scenes. I am certified in food safety and the learning in my industry is continuous. This gives my customers the confidence to know their food is safe in my hands. With that being said, adversities happen, sometimes things don’t work as they should and the trusted recipe can fail and we must scratch everything off and start again. But, I don’t mind going through it all if it means my customers have a quality product and a good experience.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My industry is in Food& Beverage/Hospitality.
I have extensive experience working in restaurants, front of the house as well as back of the house. I was given the opportunity to work as the Head Server, who has the responsibility at the end of the night to turn in the shift’s cash. I was also a bartender and that gave me experience and confidence working with a diverse customer base and also a leadership position to work as a teammate.
When Gens Teahouse was established, customer service was the backbone and of course, the product that I bring is unique to the area that I’m at. I am Puerto Rican born and raised and my specialty is Puerto-Rican pastries. Flavors such as Guava, Dulce de Leche and Coconut along with a special cream cheese blend are my staples. The pastries are known as “Pastelillos de Guayaba”, “Quesitos”, “Panetelas”. Over the years, I have taken workshops and intensely practiced other pastries that have become staples as well, such as the Macarons. Macarons are a classic French dessert that can have many flavors and techniques at the time of execution. I specialize in Italian Meringue Macarons and I also confection custom Macarons for my customers’ special occasion orders. Another big part of Gens Teahouse is drinks. We specialize in teas such as Matcha, Thai Tea, Chai and others. We do coffee as well, from cold brew to double-shot espressos and frappes.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
The Industry that shaped me to be a great customer service person, to solve problems and to safely manage food is Pappasitos Cantina and my mentors and managers there at the time. I worked there for 5 years, from age 18 to age 23 and it helped me tremendously in my current position as the Pastry Chef and Owner of Gens Teahouse, LLC.
I worked as a police dispatcher for 2 years and that industry taught me to be empathetic and thoughtful. It also supported me and made me realize that while I loved helping others, I really should pursue my dreams despite my fears.
My close family members and friends have also supported me in my endeavors. From helping me set up in pop up shops to recommending me to others.
My mother, Aisha Perfume for believing in me and seeing the talent since I was a very young child. To my supportive husband, Jonathan Cruz who has always been my number one critic and the person to push me to go the extra mile and encourage me when I doubt myself. And now to my child Zander Cruz who I love and most importantly who I want to teach to follow his dreams whatever they may be!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/gensteahouse?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gensteahouse
