Meet Jessica Chicago of Jessica Chicago Creative

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Chicago.

Jessica, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always loved creating beautiful things for friends and clients. Before I had my first child, I was a full-time photographer in the Nashville, TN area. Shooting weddings, portraits, and events were so much fun for me, but after I became a mom, I booked less and less, because I didn’t want to spend too much time away from my young son.

Around that time, the show Cake Boss started airing on TLC. I watched it in amazement, and began thinking, maybe I could make cakes like that! I decided to give it a try. The first custom cake I ever made was 9 years ago, in Tennessee, for a friend’s daughter’s 1st birthday. I told her I would make a castle cake. I worked on it all night long, until sunrise.

At the time, it was my masterpiece. Looking back, all I can think is how much better I could do it now! But that was the beginning. I had been bitten by the bug. For the next year or so, I continued making that friend’s cakes, and also cakes for other friends and family. I only charged what I spent on materials, if that. It wasn’t about money. It was a creative outlet for me, and I loved the challenge of every cake is different.

As I became better and more confident, I started charging a bit more, and also booking cakes for friends of friends. From there, it all started to take off. Friends of friends referred me to their friends, and so on. I had another child, and then another, and I kept working. I loved that I could do this work from home, while my kids were at school or sleeping, and still do something I loved and also bring in income for my family.

In early 2016, when I had started staying consistently busy with orders, my husband and I decided to move to Houston for him to take an amazing radio job. I figured it would take at least a year or so to build up my business here, but I was wrong! I posted a Facebook ad, and within a few months, the orders started coming in.

Now, two years later, I have developed a wonderful client base and get to make multiple cakes each week. I love being able to be a part of people’s special events, and every cake I make is a unique project and an honor. Serving the Houston area for the past 2 years has been wonderful!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Pricing, designing and creating custom cakes can be challenging because they are almost all different. Most of the cakes I do are something I have never done before and might never do again. I’ve gotten better at estimating how long a cake will take, but I’m not always right. There have been all-nighters. There is lots of coffee consumed. I never quit until it’s done right because my clients deserve the best.

Please tell us about Jessica Chicago Creative.
I am Jessica Chicago, the owner and sole employee at Jessica Chicago Creative. I am a self-taught baker and cake designer/decorator who sees each cake order as a unique project.

It’s like a puzzle – how do you make sushi that looks real but tastes like candy? How do you make a white wedding cake stands out from the rest? How do you use chocolate and fondant to build a cigar box? How do you come up with a cake that not only looks amazing enough to be the centerpiece for your event but tastes delicious and can be enjoyed by everyone? My clients want to make a statement and I absolutely love working with them to come up with something truly memorable and great.

While I do work with fondant for details and cover cakes with fondant upon request, my specialty is buttercream. How can you go wrong with butter and sugar? It tastes amazing and can be used to do beautifully smooth cakes, as well as unique textures and detail. I have many tried and true buttercream recipes that do not disappoint. My most popular is my chocolate buttercream, a recipe that was handed down from my grandmother, and it is to die for.

I am also wife to an amazing, supportive husband, and stay at home mom to three crazy wonderful kids. When someone hires me to create a cake for themselves or someone they love, I think about what I would want to present to my own family, and that love and passion goes into the cake I make for my client. I don’t take it lightly that my cakes are the centerpieces for some of the most important events of a person’s life. Family is #1, and I believe that makes me even better at what I do.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Honestly, I would change nothing. Even my mistakes have been an opportunity to learn. I want to always remain teachable and always have an excitement for growing my skills and becoming even better.

Pricing:

• Base prices for cake depend on serving size, shape, and design. Most cakes start around $4 a serving.

Contact Info:

• Email: jessicachicagocreative@gmail.com
• Instagram: jessicachicagocreative
• Facebook: facebook.com/jessicachicagocreative

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