Meet The Member - Jade of Petite Boulangerie
We caught up with our member Jade of Petite Boulangerie to discover the story behind this creative local business, specialising in bespoke cakes, desserts and sweet treats for weddings, celebrations, corporate events and more.
we’d love to know about your journey, what you did before Petite Boulangerie, and what inspired you to turn your passion for baking and culinary creativity into your own business?
My journey into food has been anything but straightforward!
I studied Events Management at Coventry University and went straight into the events industry, working across both public and private sectors, including the energy industry and with members of the Royal Family and high-net-worth individuals. I also grew up around events because my mum had her own events company, so from around the age of eight I was involved in birthdays, weddings, engagements and all sorts of celebrations.
But food had always been my real passion. I was making food and cakes from a very young age and entering cooking competitions at school, so eventually I decided it was time to stop putting my passion on the back burner.
At around 26, I left my final role in events - helping to put together Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding - and moved into professional kitchens. I went on to work at The Kia Oval, Chelsea FC and Wimbledon before continuing my culinary education at Leith’s School of Food and Wine.
Eventually, I decided I wanted to build something for myself. I was tired of working long hours for other people and not always feeling appreciated, and I wanted to create something I genuinely cared about.
Petite Boulangerie started as a cake business, but has naturally grown into catering, dessert tables and live event work too. I think my background in both food and events has shaped the business into what it is today.
Petite Boulangerie specialises in completely bespoke cakes, desserts and sweet treats, with every creation designed around the individual client. What do you find most rewarding about taking someone’s idea and turning it into something they can actually see, taste and share with their guests?
The reaction. Without a doubt. I've had clients cry, scream, do little excited stomps and say, “This is exactly what I wanted — how did you manage to create this?!” And honestly, you can't beat that.
I love clients who have an idea but are also happy to give me some creative freedom. I don't want to simply copy and paste somebody else's design. I want to take their idea and turn it into something that feels completely personal to them.
I also love the problem-solving involved. Sometimes the challenge is creative, sometimes it's technical, and sometimes it's simply figuring out how you're going to transport a huge cake 40 miles in 38-degree heat!
Some of my favourite creations have been the really realistic cakes I've made recently, including a Rolex watch, a Dungeons & Dragons handbook, a Louis Vuitton bag and some of our more adult-themed creations. They're completely different from traditional birthday and wedding cakes, and that's what makes them so much fun.
Your work ranges from birthday cakes and cupcakes to wedding cakes, corporate events and large dessert tables. What do you enjoy most about working on such a variety of occasions and celebrations?
The variety is one of the things I love most, but I particularly enjoy anything that allows me to interact with people.
Corporate events, live food stations and event work are probably my favourites. I'm a real people person and I'm incredibly passionate about food, so I love talking to guests, educating people about what they're eating and sharing tips and tricks with aspiring bakers.
Dessert tables are another great example of what Petite Boulangerie can do because you get a little bit of everything — and still have room to come back for more!
There is something incredibly satisfying about standing back and watching people enjoy something you've created, especially when they're asking questions, giving compliments and generally stuffing their faces with a huge smile!
My events background definitely helps with the people side of the business. I love finding out what people like and listening to feedback. I'm just not particularly keen on huge crowds — I'm slightly claustrophobic, so please don't put me in a mob!
You have a background in Culinary Arts from Leith’s School of Food and Wine. How has your professional training influenced the way you approach your baking, and how important is it to you that your creations taste as good as they look?
By the time I went to Leith’s, I was already a working chef. I started my culinary career in the VIP section at The Kia Oval, before being scouted to Chelsea FC and then moving on to Wimbledon.
I was learning a huge amount, but eventually I found myself craving more variety. The same menus, routines and environments were starting to feel repetitive, so I wanted to broaden my knowledge and develop a stronger understanding of food and classical techniques.
That was the main reason I went to Leith’s. Interestingly, I wouldn't say it had a huge direct impact on my knowledge of cakes or pastry, as the diploma was about food and being a chef as a whole rather than specialising in pastry. I also found the course quite traditional, and I had hoped for more exploration of newer techniques and cuisines.
However, that experience taught me something valuable: learning doesn't stop when you finish a course. It pushed me to seek out different chefs, cuisines and environments through agency work and varied roles, and that desire to keep learning is something I still have today.
For me, a cake has to taste as good as it looks. The design might get the initial “Wow!”, but I want the next reaction to be, “That tastes even better.”
There is a huge amount of creativity and attention to detail involved in creating a truly bespoke cake. How do you work with clients to understand their personality, ideas, theme and vision before turning them into the finished design?
It starts with listening. For weddings and larger events, I normally have a consultation so I can understand not just what the client wants, but why. I also offer tasting boxes and tasting sessions for people who haven't tried my cakes before.
I'll usually hand-sketch designs or create mood boards, and I'm happy to give clients as much or as little creative control as they want.
Some clients have been coming to me for more than six years and now simply say, “It's X's birthday in two weeks, the budget is £120, the flavour is lemon — do whatever you want.” That's a lovely level of trust.
And sometimes the briefs are... unusual.
One of the strangest was an X-rated cake for a 90-year-young lady with a wonderfully naughty sense of humour. She wanted a rather specific piece of male anatomy as her cake, with a mechanism that would cover her in fresh cream when she blew out her candle.
I genuinely didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I think I did both!
Weddings are a particularly personal part of the business, with everything from the initial design and consultation through to tastings and delivery being tailored to each couple. What do you think makes a wedding cake truly special, and what do you enjoy most about being part of someone’s big day?
For me, it's about understanding what matters most to the couple. Is it the flavour? The design? The handmade figurine of their dog carrying the rings? The overall wow factor?
A great wedding cake doesn't necessarily have to be the biggest or most elaborate. It needs to feel like them.
I also offer paid tastings because there is a lot of time, preparation and expertise involved in creating samples and helping couples choose their flavours. I believe my time and ingredients have value, so I'm very transparent about that. Couples who don't want a private tasting can also try my flavours at fairs and markets.
I'm happy to be as involved as a couple wants me to be. As a former event planner, I can also offer a little extra reassurance when the wedding planning gets stressful. Some couples love having that support, while others prefer to keep everything strictly professional.
But my favourite part is always the reaction.
Delivering a wedding cake is nerve-racking because you're hoping you've got every detail right — the design, the colour, everything. Then you see the smile, the sigh of relief and the “Wow, this is the vision!” and all the stress disappears.
My most memorable wedding cake was a seven-tier, six-foot-tall white pillow cake. The bottom tier was one metre by one metre and the whole cake weighed more than 120kg. It was an absolute monster to design, bake, decorate, transport and assemble!
But once it was finally standing there, it was one of the most beautiful cakes I'd ever made. The clients were completely in awe, and I was incredibly proud of myself.
Petite Boulangerie has also worked with some impressive corporate clients and venues, creating everything from branded cupcakes to dessert tables and event catering. What are some of the more unusual or memorable requests you’ve received, and are there any creations that have particularly challenged your creativity?
I've worked with companies including Warner Bros., Warner Music, Disney and FX Studios, as well as publishers, high-net-worth concierge companies and private clients whose identities I can't disclose.
One of my favourite unusual briefs was a Britney Spears perfume bottle from the 1990s. The challenge was essentially: make this cake look like glass.
I remember thinking, how exactly am I supposed to make cake look like glass?!
But I figured it out — and it looked EPIC.
The most technically challenging cake was definitely the seven-tier pillow cake, although increasingly our biggest challenge is actually the weather. Huge wedding cakes and hot summer temperatures aren't exactly best friends!
For summer weddings, I now recommend ganache rather than buttercream where appropriate. It costs more because of the amount of chocolate involved, but it dramatically reduces the risk of your beautiful wedding cake turning into a puddle before you've even cut it!
With bespoke orders, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. How do you balance a client’s creative ideas with practical considerations such as flavours, budget, dietary requirements and what will work best for the occasion?
I think the key is being honest.
Bespoke means bespoke, and that comes with a price. I get clients asking for ideas that are beyond their budget all the time, but I don't believe in compromising the quality of the ingredients or the finished product just to hit a particular price point.
I use locally sourced and organic ingredients wherever I can, and sometimes that means paying significantly more than supermarket prices. But it's something I believe in, so it's an area where I'm not prepared to compromise.
The same applies to dietary requirements. I only offer alternatives where I'm confident, I can produce something that still tastes and feels good. For example, I offer a gluten-free chocolate cake, but I don't offer every flavour as gluten-free because I don't think the result is good enough.
Sometimes the technically possible option isn't necessarily the best option. My job is to find the best solution for the client while protecting the quality of the final product.
Looking ahead, are there any exciting ideas, new creations, events or plans for Petite Boulangerie that you’re particularly looking forward to?
My big long-term dream is to open a cooking school with its own farmland and event space.
I'd love to create somewhere that brings together food, education, creativity and events — a place where people can learn, cook, eat and enjoy themselves all in one environment.
In the meantime, Petite Boulangerie is continuing to grow beyond cakes, particularly into catering, dessert tables and live-event experiences.
I don't want to simply make the same cakes over and over again. I want to keep learning, experimenting and taking on projects that make people ask, “How did you even make that?”
When you’re not busy baking, decorating or creating something delicious, where are your favourite places in St Albans to enjoy a coffee, grab a bite to eat, or simply relax and unwind?
I'm actually very close to St Albans rather than living directly in the city, but I spend a lot of time there.
I'm not a coffee drinker — or really a caffeine person at all — and when you own a cake and dessert company, there is already more than enough sugar in your life!
For food, I absolutely love Locanda Bagutta. It's owned by the sweetest Italian grandad, the food is sublime, the portions are perfect and the service is genuinely 10/10.
Little Marrakech is another favourite. It's an older restaurant, but the food is fantastic, the service is lovely and the soups are absolutely to die for.
I also really enjoy supporting independent businesses. Blessed Bakes, the gluten-free market stall, is fantastic, and Hatch and Bakers & Baristas are lovely too.
When I want to unwind, I like walking along the river and through the park — preferably somewhere away from noisy schoolchildren!
I'm also a big fan of Pots of Art. Their Sip & Paint evenings are great, and I'd love to collaborate with them in the future because I think there are some really fun possibilities combining art, food, cakes and desserts.
Finally, please tell us a fun fact about yourself.
There are probably far too many to choose from!
I've swum with great white sharks, I'm double-jointed across pretty much my entire body, and I'm actually an introvert - although most people assume I'm extroverted because I talk so much!
I can also flip chapatis and pancakes directly on a hot pan using my fingers without burning myself, which is a completely useless skill until you're standing in a kitchen trying to impress someone.
But my favourite fact is probably where the name Petite Boulangerie came from.
When I first started working in professional kitchens, I was nicknamed “Little Chef” because I'm usually the shortest person in the room. When I started my own business, “Little Chef” didn't exactly sound particularly sophisticated — and there was already a certain low-end restaurant chain with that name!
So, I thought: Little Baker... let's make it French, because everything sounds better in French.
And that's how Petite Boulangerie was born.
The only downside? People occasionally phone me and immediately start speaking French to me, assuming that because my business name is French, I must be fluent!