Meet Denisse Jerez | Cake Artist & Senior Paralegal

We had the good fortune of connecting with Denisse Jerez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Denisse, why did you pursue a creative career?
Funny enough, I used to never consider myself a creative person and now I’m making cakes and all sorts of sweet creations. I sometimes still catch myself saying “I’m not creative” and quickly correcting myself. As a kid, of course I used to draw and play, (I even played the violin for 4 years). I think as I got older, my idea of creativity was pigeonholed into someone who was an artist, or a designer, or things of that nature. Since I wasn’t those things, I never labeled myself as such. I’ve also always been someone who was sort of a “straight arrow”, and so after college I went to work at a law firm and thought I wanted to go to law school. However, I quickly came to find out I didn’t want that for myself despite thinking that it’s what I should’ve done because I would’ve been good at it. I’ve always loved cooking and the kitchen is my favorite place to be. Had you told me I’d focus so much of my time making cakes, I’d think you were crazy. It has taught me so much about myself and patience. It allows me to be creative and really hone in on that. I’ve learned that creativity is so much more than what we immediately assign to that word. I can make anything I want and make it look beautiful apart from tasty. I’m really happy to be doing this!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been a paralegal for eight years now and have been running my baking business called Flourie from home for the last three. It’s been a long and tiresome journey, but I have loved every second of it! Right before the pandemic I started a little cookie business for the holidays. I thought it would be silly because I had never sold anything to anyone before, but it just took off! I found myself consistently shipping cookies to people I had never met before all over the U.S. I was going to bed every night between 3-4am and getting up and going to work my 9-5 the next day for like a month. Once the pandemic hit, I had to come to a halt. I decided for Mother’s Day of that year that I would make mini cakes and decorate them with flowers as something people could buy and gift their moms. At this point I had never sold or really ventured into cakes outside of my home. It went really well and I thought that would be the end of it, but slowly I kept getting more requests for cakes. I was hesitant especially as the designs got more intricate, but I just went with it. Over the years I have learned from a lot of trial and error. Any time I ran into an issue I would obsessively read over it and watch videos. But the best teacher has been time and repetition. Three years later I have my own studio in my apartment!I can’t believe how much I’ve grown and have learned from being self taught. It hasn’t been easy, especially creating a work-life balance. I work *A LOT* and sometimes find myself sacrificing spending time with loved ones to be able to complete a project. This year especially it’s taken a physical toll on me, where I’m like, “okay Denisse we need to prioritize our mental and physical health”. I love what I do as it brings me so much joy to create something that people think is too beautiful to eat or cut into. Most of my clients give me creative liberty, and that means the world to me because it lets me know that they trust me and my work. As a child of Dominican immigrants, to have the privilege to do something that I love and don’t consider work has been an absolute blessing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a hard question as I live in New York City and the possibilities are endless! What I love about New York City is that it is so culturally diverse, you can find almost any kind of cuisine there is. For breakfast, Clinton Street Baking Co. is a great option for breakfast and their pancakes. I would definitely take them to have lunch over in Little Italy in the Bronx and hit one of the Italian markets for a hearty sandwich. For an educational experience we’d walk the “Museum Mile” as it offers the most diverse art-viewing opportunities on any given mile in the country. We’d definitely cross right on over to Central Park! In terms of nightlife, if we want to just have the most random night I’d definitely go to the East Village, or I’d stay local to Washington Heights and head on over to Dyckman Street for a more local Dominican experience. Before my friend departs, they’re having dinner in my house as I make an oxtail dish that’s probably my winning plate on a cooking show.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve been immensely lucky to have always had such a strong support system in all of the phases in my life for as long as I can remember. All of the teachers, mentors, friends, and family have always shown me unwavering support. I have had the same group of friends for almost two decades and still keep in touch with teachers from 9th grade who have treated me like a daughter. Thank you all so much!

Instagram: @cinnared11

Image Credits
Photo by Natives