A jazzy new bakery has opened in downtown Mesquite: Called The Jazz Patisserie & Baking Co., it's named for its founder Jasmine Buschbacher, who opened the bakery with her husband Jonathan in Downtown Mesquite Square.
The bakery, which is located in the historic Carroll Place building at 217 W. Main St., is the latest step in a slow-but-steady journey for the couple, who first began selling baked goods two years at the Downtown Mesquite Farmers Market, coincidentally located behind their store -- long before they knew they would end up in this location.
Starting off selling sweets at the market gave them a feel for the neighborhood and what customers wanted, and helped dictate the items they offer today.
They took over a charming brick storefront that was most recently home to a boutique called It's a Bling Thing. They're still working on the space, and are currently open Fridays 10 am-3 pm and Saturdays 9 am-5 pm. If customers aren't able to make it in on Saturday, they'll open for two hours on Sunday from 12-2 pm for extra pickups.
Insiders know that towards the end of the day, if they still have items in the case, they'll offer happy hour specials, taking 20 or 30 percent off.
Macarons are the star of their menu, along with eclairs and tarts. They also sell muffins, financiers, and scones, and they bake cakes for weddings and other special events, for which they also offer catering featuring their sweet menu.
Jasmine Buschbacher and a stunning cake.Jasmine Buschbacher
Jasmine has no formal culinary education, but learned from the best: her mom.
Growing up in a matriarchal family in Chicago, her mother and grandmother hosted frequent family get-togethers, with lot of communal cooking. The baton was passed to Jasmine after her family saw that she was talented and passionate about it.
"Once I started, I couldn't stop," she says. "I invested some time to perfect my craft. In Chicago, I helped run some bakeries. I went to small bakeries that needed help, so I could learn from them."
After relocating to Dallas, she worked for Omni Hotels for three years, not in the kitchen, but in an office where she shared a wall with chefs.
"One of the sous chefs saw that I had interest and took me under his wing," she says. "Any time it wasn't super busy, he would let me come shadow and see how they ran their kitchen. Learning the restaurant operations and food production side was a crucial leap to getting my own business started."
Currently at The Jazz, everything is sold to go, but her plans include creating a dining area where people can sit and enjoy not only their parfaits, lemon blueberry scones, financiers, vanilla & chocolate eclairs, macarons, and fruit tarts but also coffee from Bear Cave Coffee, a neighboring vendor. They envision the space becoming a hub for community engagement and fellowship.
"Bear Cave is across the street from us," she says. "They're vital to the downtown community and have been awesome neighbors, sharing feedback on their trials and tribulations and how they got where they are now."
"Only one successful business is not going to be enough," she says. "Lifting other businesses is what we are about."
