Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jahqyad Austin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jahqyad, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
My cookie company Jahqyad’s Twist started with me being a Sous Chef at a bakery in 2022, and feeling frustrated, overworked and ready to answer the burning, gut wrenching, passionate feeling of working for myself…
It started with me figuring out how to leave restaurants and become freelance full time.
At the time I was blessed enough to have a life partner and my rent was not so high, so that was one barrier that was a bit lower; cost of living…
I had also become a James Beard Fellow which offered a stipend at the completion of the program,
and I had savings from my year plus of being a Sous Chef and my time working in the industry when I was younger.
The fellowship bought me through a series of classes; financial literacy training with Capital One bank, social media training, and much more preparing us for many avenues in the food world, we also cooked at the James Beard House and developed a nationwide meal kit designed by each JBF fellow… this process taught me a lot… it mainly got me thinking about what product I could sell, something easy to ship, how to go about packaging, flavors that are easy to get across in a couple bites, cost effective for production and scaling.
Cookies!!!
Why NOT Cookies!?
I used to make them all the time (throughout high school it was my main item I sold and before that I used to sell out at my art shows I was apart of when attending Harlem School Art (HSA) which I was basically the Face of the Visual Arts department), and most importantly it fit all my criteria of product I wanted to make.
I set aside all my savings and the stipend then planned out jobs, events and collaborations for the next 6 months. Jobs like food styling which at that time I had already done as an assistant for 6+ years, private dining with a company that hired me to be a Sous Chef for different one off events, my business; doing pop ups, classes and selling my cookies online, direct shipping, nationwide.
I was able to use my new JBF connections and many of my old connections to pull together work each and every month, and it was stressful, because there were many times with being freelance when it seemed like nothing was coming through, there were also just as many moments that I thrived, and lots of moments where I saw people try my cookies and get immediately transported back to the first time they tasted those flavor profiles; Birthday cake, Strawberry Shortcake (think good humor ice cream bars), Orange Creamsicle, Hazelnut Crunch, and Brownie Batter.
The idea and mission of Jahqyad’s Twist from the start was To unlock the great flavors of your childhood while creating new moments and experiences through fun desserts.
I have created moments when teaching classes and kids say “I think I want to change professions of what I want to be” which for me is high praise, having that moment just after trying the dulce de leche cookies I taught them how to make moments before.
I wear every hat in my business; marketing, accountant, baker, owner, pop up shop desk worker, social media, and that’s that part that if you don’t eventually build a team for can be overwhelming.
I’ve had many of my Culinary peers say my cookies are some of their favorites they’ve ever had and there’s no better feeling than being reminded your product is loved, these are the moments that keep me going.
Jahqyad, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Some of my work history:
The Grill, by Major Food Group where I worked service and prep as a pastry cook, 2017.
Food Network (FN for short) as a test kitchen Intern, 2018, and I had then done freelance work with FN for 2 ½ years.
This is also when I was first introduced to Professional food styling.
1 Michelin star restaurant Cafe Boulud, as a pastry cook in the summer of 2018 before college, with multiple specials I made, being on the menu.
Food styling as an assistant since 2018 to the current year for various brands such as PepsiCo, Baskin Robins, Le Labo, Weight watchers, Bud light, Cheetos and many more.
While attending the CIA I interned at 3 Michelin star restaurant Eleven Madison Park (EMP) on 23rd street in Manhattan NY, honing the skills of what it takes to be a great Pastry Cook.
Coming from an 8+ year career in fine dining, gave me a love for classic French cuisine,
growing up in Flushing Queens gave me a love for asian flavors and being Caribbean American gave me the love of Caribbean/ American comfort food, which is reflected in my cooking style and desserts I make.
After leaving fine dining I was a Sous Chef for a little over a year for a bakery in Bushwick where I lead production and specialized in cakes, cookies, breads, and more… I was then part of a James Beard Fellowship in a cohort of 3 Chefs; himself, Chef Adji Jalloh and Tonii Hicks in 2021-2022 here he created a 3 course at home meal kit menu/recipes (produced and distributed) in collaboration with Great Performance’s Georgette Farkas, the JBF team and sponsorship from Capital One. Jahqyad also cooked a 45 person Dinner with Chef Adji, Chef Tonii and his JBF Mentor Chef Raymond Mohan and Chef Skai at the James Beard house.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I have been in the business of food unofficially since 12,
doing bakes sale tables at my art school /shows, then getting my first restaurant job officially at 16.
Primarily in fine dining, and always in pastry (even though I can still make you a perfect medium rare stake, with pomme puree and vegetables; cause growing up I learned both sides of cooking: savory and pastry, in order to make sure I was a well rounded chef and able to provide for myself outside of work as a young man and Now grown Man)
So I would say my Longstanding passion and the knowledge I show in conversation when talking about my work and pastries has earned me the respect and encouragement from my peers, mentors and overall the culinary communities I’m part of.
Another strong aspect of how I’ve built my reputation is by tapping in to my connections in the industry.
Collaboration and going to many events has been a huge proponent of how people find and support my brand from Collaborations with the James Beard foundation at The platform: their new location pier 57 to having my cookies in ice cream pints at Caffe panna by Hallie Meyers. I’ve made sure to build IRL connections… I don’t have a super huge amount of time to show off my product on social media and you run out of angles to show the same products, so the best way to keep connections and make new ones has been events… showing up and sharing… hosting pop up’s and creating new moments of Nostalgia for people.
Have you ever had to pivot?
After 3 plus years of surviving and thriving in the freelance lifestyle, I hit a couple rough months, months where my collaborations weren’t able to happen because the person was not honest about their restaurant facing hardship and closing soon and left me under the illusion that our collaboration was still possible… it was going to be a big deal, a week in New Mexico of me preparing for a 3 day pop up diner with a chef meet at an important event… things were set up at first very well, good communication, an exciting menu, recipes developed… but the Chef was promising more than they could deliver and as the dates got closer to the pop up they didn’t pay for the deposit or recipes i develop as previously arranged and I had moved so much around for the job that it messed me up financially and my planning of months ahead was thrown out of whack… so a few month after that i had to end my time freelancing and doing my business as my primary incomes and went back to restaurants…
The idea was I go back to a 9-5, that would allow me to do my business part time as I save money.
Cut to almost a year into me working at this restaurant…
and I’m reminded why I left the psychical jobs of the industry being…
being underpaid, over worked and my talents stretched to great limits, continuously pushing to see how much products I can make myself instead of hiring more staff to make up and actual Pastry department…
all while not calling me by the title that I signed up for the job under; “Pastry Chef de partie” but still expecting Pastry Chef amounts of work…
I have No spare time, and the little bit I do is spent resting to get ready on my weekends to go back to work…
I’ve done a couple pop ups here and there, but not NEARLY as much as I wanted to do!
I’m currently doing the work to get out of this position and finding one that’s more fitting.
I love going above and beyond and working hard, and making great products… (in someways I am a perfectionist and very neat person) and my employers realized that early on… and has Capitalized on this.
But I know the workload was not meant for one person (Heck I was a sous Chef and built out /lead my own restaurant staff before, so I know what management is supposed to be like and how the share of my workload should be dispersed, amonst 2-3 people)… for now I am the Pastry Department where I work.
and I cant wait to move on…
Planning for the next year has me considering how to get back to freelance life or if i want to be a Pastry Sous Chef again… and all I can say, is only time will tell but I’m setting myself up for both currently! and open to everything the world may have for me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jahqyadaustin.wixsite.com/jahqyadstwist
- Instagram: @jahqyad
- Linkedin: Jahqyad Austin
Image Credits
Pictures of me in my black Chef jacket with the plated dessert are credited to : Jeffrey Gurwin
All other photo credits can be listed under my name ; Jahqyad Austin