Jess Baker is the
Awkward Pastry Chef

It’s me! Hello, hi, YOU FOUND ME! I don’t know where to start when talking about myself, so I’ll give you some CliffsNotes™️.

• First thing: I’m a Ventura native! I’ve been baking as Awkward Pastry in Ventura for about 5 years now, and finally have a storefront!!! WOOOOHOO!

• I’m a visual artist, dog lady, queer-socialist-workaholic with anxiety, hence, the “Awkward” in Awkward Pastry.

• I started baking not long after getting my Masters in Fine Arts. I found working with cake gave me all of the satisfaction of being an artist without the pretension and bullshit. I get to be creative, work with my hands, and make something unique and delicious.

• By 2018, I was decorating cakes, running weekly dessert specials, and slinging babka at the occasional pop-up. Cut to late 2020, I’d quit my day job and was been hustling to build Awkward Pastry into a thriving small business.

• I starting working as pastry chef to Chef Ruffinelli (Ruffhouse BBQ), floated between a few industrial/commercial kitchens, and consulted on recipe development before finally finding my new home in Midtown Ventura. AP now lives at the former home of Native Pizza!

• I identify as a “cake florist”, working with seasonal blooms to create sculptural, textured, edible works of art. My work is perfectly imperfect, and if you send me a very tight crisp reference image, we’ll first give you a little spiel about my style being loose and artistic.

• I am a leftist political being who is passionate about social justice issues. You’ll often find me hosting cake raffles, bake sales, and fundraisers in support of the causes I care about. If you care about abortion rights, Black liberation, support for queer and trans youth etc, and would like to help me run my next thang, please reach out!

  
  I’m excited to work with you, and every day I feel so deeply lucky that this is my job!