Sweet by Design

Jessica Reinhardtsen ’10, ‘16

Growing up in the subdivision right behind the Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee Campus, alumna Jessica Reinhardtsen ’10, ’16 drove past WCTC every day. She wasn’t interested in attending a four-year university, so shorter program options, the College’s solid reputation and its proximity to home made it a perfect choice.

She earned her first associate degree in Interior Design in 2010 and spent the next few years working in retail management and personal banking roles. She soon realized an office job wasn’t for her, and she craved something more creative.

“I thought, ‘I cannot sit at a desk for the rest of my life; this is not me,’” she said, so she returned to WCTC and earned her second associate degree in 2016, this time, in Baking and Pastry Management.

Watch Jessica's Video

 

Building her own Space

Reinhardtsen worked as a cake decorator at a hometown bakery, followed by a stint as a pastry chef at a downtown hotel, but she knew she was destined to become an entrepreneur – it was in her blood.

“I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. My grandpa started his own business as a young man, and my dad started working there in his teen years and shortly became an owner of the business,” she said.

Greige Patisserie offers French-inspired treats ranging from scones and macarons to custom wedding cakes, along with a variety of espresso, coffee and tea drinks. The bakery also offers bottles of wine available to go. A signature item is the “Sweet ‘N Salty” cookie, which features a combination of pretzels, potato chips and chocolate chips topped with sea salt, caramel and a chocolate-covered potato chip.

Her father also ventured into other businesses, and many of her parents’ friends were entrepreneurs. Plus, her sister owns a hair salon. “So that was really all I knew,” she said.  While studying interior design, Reinhardtsen considered opening her own residential design firm after interning at a small, woman-owned kitchen and bath remodeling company.

In 2018, Reinhardtsen made business ownership a reality. She opened Greige Patisserie, a French-inspired bakery, in the heart of Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood. The bake shop’s name, which reflects a perfect blend of gray and beige, and in French, an elegant raw silk, is a nod to her interior design beginnings.

Although she initially planned to gain a few years of industry experience before striking out on her own, negative kitchen culture prompted her to launch Greige sooner than expected.

“I wanted to have my own kitchen that created a positive work environment, supporting and motivating my employees, rather than the toxic environment that a lot of kitchens maintain,” she said.

Learning By Doing

Reinhardtsen’s path to refining her pastry skills involved a lot of trial and error, but the fundamentals she learned in her WCTC classes were crucial to her success.

“This is a field that you can keep experimenting and keep learning, but the basics of baking, ingredients and their function don’t change. They were great building blocks to start a career,” she said. “With both degrees, I found hands-on learning was incredibly important.”

From creating visual design boards to spending time in the baking labs, Reinhardtsen said learning by doing reinforced the skills taught by faculty. “Specifically, for pastry [classes] we were able to experience the array of avenues we could pursue, such as production, chocolatier, cake decorating, breads, etc. That was what really showed me what I enjoyed -- and didn’t -- which helped direct my career path,” she said.

Supporting the Next Generation of Bakers

Reinhardtsen’s ties to WCTC didn’t end when she graduated. She stayed in touch with her instructors and sought their advice about becoming a business owner. Today, she gives back to her alma mater by speaking to classes, welcoming students to Greige for field trips and hiring interns. One former intern is now on staff full time.

While Reinhardtsen said there are some unique challenges to running a food business in the current economy, there are also many rewards. Chief among them includes operating the bakery on her terms, planning the menu, flexibility in scheduling to allow for more family time and being her own boss.

“The pride and sense of accomplishment I feel with building a business from the ground up is amazing. I love seeing people enjoy my food or their facial expressions when they see a cake I’ve created for them. I love being able to call it my own.”