Meet Jessica Lusk of Red Dessert Dive in The Heights

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

Jessica, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.

Red is an actual dream come true. I literally eat desserts for a living! I won’t disguise the fact that there is actual blood, sweat, and tears that occur when chasing your passion but, there’s nothing like making your dream a reality; I highly recommend it.

Once I decided to make Red happen, I traveled the world to perform totally pertinent “sugar research”. I learned that:

You must bake fresh daily, you must use the highest quality ingredients (and freshest fruit) available and, that a made-from-scratch dessert is best when paired with a perfectly poured latte, craft beer, or Pinot Noir.

Why the Name?
My Mammaw was a fiery red-head whom my Pappaw lovingly referred to as Red. I decided to honor her in the naming of this business because she made desserts like nobody I know, and I ate them like nobody I know!

Red is filled with goodness, fun, love, and lots of passion. This little shop is made possible with my loving family and kickass staff. Especially my long-lost baking-sister, pastry chef, Ashley Leonard. Ash is a born and raised country girl from Brenham, TX so you can only image the kind of down-home goodness that comes out of our kitchen!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Relatively speaking yes, it’s been smooth. My dad is a builder… specifically of bars and restaurants. I worked with him for 7 years prior to opening Red. Due to that experience and managing several projects myself I know the extreme “hazards” involved with getting started. So, in general, I didn’t have any major issues getting the ball rolling. I worked my butt off that first year! One thing I never expected was how often things break! Equipment, tables, plates, equipment, equipment, equipment! I feel like more of a handy-woman most days.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Red Dessert Dive – what should we know?
We sell award winning desserts, coffee, beer + wine. We’re slowly expanding our menu too. I’m most proud of winning the best Chocolate Chip Cookie in Houston in 2016. My chef and I created that recipe together and we’re very proud of it. We bake fresh every day and whatever is left over at the end of each day goes into our “Yesterday’s Treats” boxes that we sell for $10. People love them! I’m also proud of our community involvement and being involved with several local charities. Having a business gives you a much larger platform to highlight certain causes and raise money… that’s a nice perk to this business!

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Authenticity. Kindness.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1045 Studewood St
  Houston, TX 77008
• Website: reddessertdive.com
• Phone: 8326492977
• Email: info@reddessertdive.com
• Instagram: red_houston
• Facebook: redhousotn
• Twitter: Red-HoustonTX

Image Credit:
Maigen Sawyer LLC

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