We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jayde Marie Villeroel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jayde Marie below.

Alright, Jayde Marie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Naming a business is so hard, and my business name wasn’t always Happy Place Cookiery.

In fact, I started with two other names before landing on this one. The first was Jayde’s Sweets, which I used for only a few months. The second, Lunar Love Cookie Co., lasted a little longer—about two years—but, despite both names being perfectly fine, they never felt quite right. They never really stuck.

When people would ask about the name back then, my answer was usually something like, “My name is Jayde, and I make sweets,” or “I love the moon, and I bake cookies.” While those answers seemed completely justifiable when I was 17 and just starting out—especially with my mom’s loving encouragement—they didn’t feel truly representative of what I wanted my business to be.

Then, I turned 21 and returned to baking after almost a two-year hiatus, I knew it was time for a change. That time away from my business gave me the space to reflect on my path. I worked in different jobs, tried various career directions, but nothing fulfilled me the way baking did. I realized that I’d been longing for a “happy place” in my professional life—a place where I felt seen, appreciated, and excited about my work every day.

Instead of continuing to long for that place, I decided to create it. I built a space where I could give myself grace, celebrate my wins, and embrace the journey—without shame or hesitation. A place where I could do what I love every single day.
Happy Place Cookiery isn’t just a name; it represents the environment I’ve created for myself—and for my cookies. The custom cookies I craft are made from my happy place, and I get to share that joy with my customers on their special days—whether it’s milestone birthdays, engagement parties, weddings, baby showers, retirements, or any other celebration. I love that my cookies are part of someone else’s happiest moments.

As for Cookiery—it’s just a playful spin on “bakery.” I love the whimsical sound of it, and it perfectly highlights that my focus is on cookies. No cupcakes, no cakes, just cookies.

So that’s the story behind Happy Place Cookiery: cookies from my happy place to yours.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a home baker specializing in custom-decorated sugar cookies, and I’m proudly registered under New York State’s Cottage Food Law. But my journey to this point wasn’t straightforward, and it certainly wasn’t always focused on cookies!
I started baking at 17, fresh out of high school, with absolutely no baking experience. At the time, I had dreams of heading off to college, book in hand, with a writing career ahead of me. But those plans were halted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many others, I found myself adjusting to a new reality: attending Zoom classes while paying the same high tuition as if I were sitting in a classroom, and losing my waitressing job due to the restaurant closures. Suddenly, I had a lot of free time.

That time led me to explore the world of baking. Instead of jumping on the trendy whipped coffee or perfecting sourdough, I dove into watching Instagram and YouTube tutorials on baking and decorating. What started as a hobby quickly became something much bigger. I baked cupcakes, dipped all sorts of treats in chocolate, and made custom cakes for friends and family—all while attending Zoom classes with my camera off! One day, I posted a picture of sunflower cupcakes I had made in a local Facebook group called Staten Island Food. The post got 400 likes—which, when you consider that they were from people in my community, felt like a huge validation. Soon after, I started getting requests for custom cakes and treats, and that’s when my business officially began in 2020.

My next challenge came when a customer requested custom cookies. At the time, I had never made cookies that required such intricate designs, and it was the hardest thing I had ever attempted. Most people would have walked away, but I saw it as an opportunity to grow. I made it my mission to perfect custom cookies, and eventually, I decided to focus entirely on them. Custom cookies became my true passion, and nothing else I baked brought me as much joy.
But with that passion came burnout. I had pushed myself to the limit, working around the clock with no time to step back or recharge. By June of 2022, I hit a wall—I suddenly stepped away from my business completely. I didn’t allow myself to even think about cookies for a year.

The burnout taught me a hard lesson: when you don’t give yourself a break, your body and mind will force one on you. But when I was ready, I took several months to carefully plan my return. I reflected on my experience and set clear boundaries for myself as a small business owner—learning the importance of self-care and balance. I came back stronger, in March of 2024, with a renewed focus on the joy I get from my work and a clearer sense of what I want my business to be.

Today, I’m most proud of the resilience I’ve shown. I’m proud of building a brand that reflects my love for baking and my commitment to making custom cookies that bring happiness to others. I’ve learned that what sets me apart is not just my skill in cookie decorating but the personal care I put into each order. I even custom sketch each order out on my iPad with the proper color palettes, shapes, and details. It’s that personal touch that I believe makes my work stand out.

I am also so happy to be able to teach decorating custom cookies to people of all ages! I teach private classes where I bring all of the cookies, icing and supplies with me to wherever needed, like the most recent event being a halloween cookie class for a girl scouts troop. I also rent out an event space to teach larger classes during the holiday season, these are ticketed events for kids/teens/adults. My favorite way to share my love for baking is during these in person, hands-on classes.

For potential clients and followers, I want them to know that Happy Place Cookiery isn’t just a business—it’s my livelihood. It’s about more than just cookies; it’s about creating something special for each person who orders.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

At any chance I get, I will direct people to listen to Taylor Swift’s NYU Commencement speech. As the powerful business woman that she is, she is a huge inspiration to me as a small business owner. I listen to that speech whenever I feel doubtful in my choices or need a pick-me-up.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Funnily enough, everyone jokes about facebook being the worst of the social media platforms, but I have always gotten my best sales from local facebook food groups, neighborhood groups, mom groups, etc. I will always recommend small businesses to try and advertise in any local facebook group to get the word out about your business and products!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.happyplacecookiery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happyplacecookiery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HappyPlaceCookiery/