Jenne Vailoces had a long journey to open her bakery, Jennivee’s, in Boystown. Always passionate about baking, Jenne had to become a physical therapist to immigrate to the United States a decade ago. As a member of the transgender community, Jenne set out to create a space that welcomed all identities, as well as a creative source of innovative baked goods. As she says best herself, “Everyone deserves good cake.”
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| Jenne Vailoces, founder of Jennivee's Bakery |
Vailoces went through several challenges in her life that pushed her in the direction of pursuing her love of baking. As noted in DNA Chicago, Vailoces “said news of bakeries refusing to serve wedding cakes to same-sex couples first inspired her idea to open a bakery designed to welcome those who would be shunned elsewhere.” This concept is a creative expansion on the typical idea of a business. Rather than being merely a capitalistic venture to create revenue, Vailoces’ vision for Jennivee’s to be a safe haven for Chicago’s LGBTQ population merges the ideas of a business and a welcoming gathering space for a specific community. Furthermore, Vailoces explains to Out that a huge inspiration to open Jennivee’s was the tragic suicide of her best friend Daktoa. Openly gay but not accepted by his family, Dakota took his own life a few years ago. “Dakota always encouraged her to pursue her bakery dreams, so she named Jennivee’s after the nickname he called her.”
The fact that these injustices to the LGBTQ community and to Jenne’s best friend pushed Jenne to open her bakery reflects a concept by Teresa Amabile. Amabile notes that intrinsic motivation is important to creativity, which is highest when creators are “motivated primarily by the interest, challenge, and enjoyment of the work itself.” Rather than opening a bakery to achieve financial gain, Vailoces sought out the challenge of creating a welcoming space for LGBTQ Chicagoans. She is also clearly intrinsically motivated by a love of baking, which was nurtured and encouraged by her late friend Dakota.
This love of baking that Jenne has is evident in the unique products produced at Jennivee’s. The format of the bakery itself is not the only creative aspect about it. One of the most popular products of the bakery is “Purple Velvet Cake,” which is as beautiful and decadent as it sounds. This uses the tropical fruit Ube to achieve the rich purple color. Vailoces considers it to be “A loving tribute to her native country.” (DNA Chicago) By incorporating references and inspiration from The Philippines, Jenne displays the extent of her intrinsic motivation for baking, a love based on her past, her friends and family, and the love of good cake.
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| Jenne's famous Purple Velvet Cake |
What an inspirational story! Her intrinsic motivation is clear while also wanting to make the world a better, more welcoming place for everyone. I hope to make a trip to her bakery sometime.
ReplyDeleteI definitely want to check out her bakery! When I was younger I also aspired to open a bakery because there is something about sugar and carbs that is really good at bringing people together and Jenne definitely gets that!
ReplyDeleteI love that she was able to make her mark and incorporate different communities she identifies with into her work. I would love to visit and see if she has other flavors to reflect her Filipinx heritage
ReplyDeleteThese cakes and cupcakes look so good! I love how she is not motivated by making a profit but by creating a safe haven for the LGBTQ community.
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