Today we’d like to introduce you to Esmeralda Jimenez.
Hi Esmeralda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
This is a long story, long story short. My sister which was my guardian when I was a teenager was trying to put me into different hobbies so I can stay focused and succeed in life. One day we saw cake decorating classes at Michaels store, I ended up loving it, and did all the 4 courses they offered and got certificates. Back then I still lived in Tijuana and would commute every day to come to school in San Diego. I started baking cheesecakes from home just for family and friends celebrations, until one day a friend wanted to buy a cheesecake from me which came as a surprised because I had never sold any of my baked goods, I did not know what to charge or anything.
That is how it all started, i started selling custom cakes, cookies and cupcakes. I was doing some business in Tijuana, but mainly in San Diego, I would cross over big cakes and had so many accidents during transportation, that gave me the experience on how to secure and properly build tier cakes.
I stopped baking for about two years, during that time I was moving to San Diego and finishing my Bachelors degree at SDSU, I also got a corporate job, since I had moved out on my own and had to find a way to pay my rent and bills. A year after I graduated I wanted to go back to baking, but was not interested in doing custom cakes, because they are a lot of work and very often the clients I had did not want to pay for that.
I love pan dulce, I used to walk everyday with my grandmother to the closest bakery we had when we lived in Tijuana. When I moved to San Diego it was hard for me to find a really good Mexican bakery that sell bread that I liked or similar to the one I grew up eating. That is when I started baking Mexican inspired bread, and now doing a wide variety of breads, from conchas to croissants and recently sourdough.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Sometimes I forget all that I have been through with my baking career, but when I talk about it I realize all the things I have been through and all the people that have help me along the way.
The many times I dropped cakes, I had cakes melted while crossing the border and did not have all the proper utensils to build it again or fix it.
The times when the equipment in the kitchen I rented broke down in the middle of me working in a large order, and not being able to fix it and having to knead dough by hand or bring my small kitchen aids to mix 20 lbs. of dough.
Also, how hard it was for me to find a new commissary kitchen in San Diego that met my needs, specifically, cleanliness.
When I first started selling and making dessert tables, I did not know anything about planning ahead, and will work for 36 hours non stop without eating and/or sleeping, and still had to cross the border, most of those times I would always be late to the events which was embarrassing. I did learn my lesson, ever since I plan ahead and use planners to write my weekly to do list, that has helped me a lot to be more organized and be on time to my events.
I can go on and on about the struggles I have been through, like any other small business owner.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Clementina’s Sweets?
Clementina’s Sweets is a small bakery business that works out of a commissary kitchen and does weekly pop ups, catering events, custom cakes, and does wholesale for local coffee/ restaurants.
We are focused on Mexican cuisine inspired pastries, seasonal pastries using produce from local farmers in San Diego. I still want to learn more about the Mexican cuisine and get inspired with unique ingredients to make explosive flavors and incorporate it in my pastries.
I currently recreate Mexican pastries that I remember enjoying as a kid with my grandmother and add my own twist, still keeping the traditional look of it.
Our main focus is to reduce food waste and be a sustainable business. Also, we want to offer high quality pastries by using produce that are not sprayed with pesticides and have been locally grown to ensure freshness and flavor.
We source other main ingredients like flour from California, a non conventional flour to offer healthier pastries.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I grew up crossing the border from Tijuana to San Diego, and has been living in San Diego for the last 10 years. I do not have much to compare it to, but I am very familiar with San Diego and I love the community, the people is so nice and supportive to all small business owners.
I would say one of the things I do not like is all the amount of house less people there is, and the the rate that is increasing, not being able to provide a space for all of them to cover them from the rain or provide them with healthy food. Also, I do not like how expensive it has become to be living in San Diego, the rent prices are out of this world.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: /clementinasweets
Image Credits
I am currently not using my computer, I can provide photos via email at another time. Photo credits will be Nanzi Muro.
