Joy Is Not a Side Effect: How Jess Custom Cakes Is Building Community One Bite at a Time in Charlotte, NC

April 28, 2026

The Latino Business Gap — Article 5 of an ongoing series.

Jess started baking in high school to make extra money. She had no business plan, no roadmap, and no idea what she was building. What she had was love — for her family, her cultura, and her craft. Today Jess Custom Cakes is one of the most optimistic Latino-owned businesses in our survey. And she is just getting started.

 

In our first article in this series, we documented the federal policy changes cutting off SBA loans to legal permanent residents. In Article 2, we spotlighted Natalia and Flor de Chile — a Latina entrepreneur in San Francisco building a food brand from her kitchen against real economic headwinds. In Article 3, we laid out the full picture — four doors closing simultaneously on Latino and Latina entrepreneurs across America. In Article 4, we sat down with David Salazar of Reclamación Wines — a Mexican American vintner reclaiming space in an industry built on Latino labor.

Today we travel to Charlotte, North Carolina — and we meet Jess.

In a survey where most Latino business owners described a difficult 2025 — declining sales, policy headwinds, economic uncertainty — Jess stood out immediately. Much stronger performance. Growing sales. And a 5 out of 5 optimism for 2026. The highest in the entire survey.

That kind of joy, in this kind of climate, is not accidental. It is earned. And it is contagious.

It started with a phone call and a kitchen

Jess did not set out to build a business. She set out to bake. The foundation was laid long before any business license or social media account — in a family kitchen, as a little girl, helping her mom cook.

“My grandpa and my mom were my biggest inspirations. Every day, I would help my mom cook when I was a kid, and my grandpa would call and ask what I would be helping her with and he encouraged me to keep going. It was a way my entire family connected with each other.” — Jessica Gonzalez, Founder of Jess Custom Cakes LLC

Jess Custom Cakes started in high school — not from a business plan, but from a teenager who loved to bake and wanted to share that love with her peers. She had no idea how to run a business. What she had was instinct, passion, and a family that believed in her.

Years later, that same girl is running one of the most beloved custom cake businesses in Charlotte, NC. And she carries every one of those kitchen memories into every order she fulfills.

The education nobody teaches you

Building Jess Custom Cakes was not a straight line. There were no investors, no mentors handing over a roadmap, no safety net. Just Jess, her savings, and a relentless determination to figure it out.

“Starting a small business is not for the faint of heart. You start with whatever savings you had, and run with it… or at least that’s how I started. Everything I learned, I learned because I genuinely wanted and needed to in order to grow and scale my business. Endless days of me watching YouTube videos, researching, and praying to God.” — Jessica Gonzalez, Founder of Jess Custom Cakes LLC

That story — personal savings, YouTube, prayer, and sheer will — is the origin story of more Latino-owned businesses than any report will ever capture. Nearly 70% of Latino entrepreneurs rely on personal savings to start. Not venture capital. Not SBA loans. Themselves.

But Jess did not let the hard moments define the journey. She let her corazón lead.

“No matter how many times I wanted to give up and throw in the towel, my heart wouldn’t let me. It always went back to baking. I then learned that by continuing your passion and following your heart, good things will always follow. I put my faith in myself, but most importantly in God.” — Jessica Gonzalez, Founder of Jess Custom Cakes LLC

2025 — the year everything changed

While much of the Latino business community navigated a difficult 2025 — rising costs, shrinking consumer confidence, federal policy changes cutting off access to capital — Jess had her best year yet. Not because the environment was easy. Because she decided it was time.

“2025 was the year that everything changed for me. It was the year that I knew I had somewhat of a clientele, and it was the year I could scale it into something so much more. I have this belief that I have no plan B. This is the only thing that I want to do in life, and to have people enjoy my baking.” — Jessica Gonzalez, Founder of Jess Custom Cakes LLC

No plan B. That is not recklessness. That is the kind of commitment that turns a high school baking hobby into a thriving custom cake business a decade later.

She signed up for markets. She showed up. She put herself and her business in front of her community for the first time — and her community responded.

“Receiving so much wonderful feedback, it just added fuel to the fire in my heart. My customers come back because my baked goods are always consistent with great flavors. I truly believe they can taste the love I incorporate into my desserts.” — Jessica Gonzalez, Founder of Jess Custom Cakes LLC

Cultura on every plate

Jess is Puerto Rican and Italian — and in Charlotte, NC, that is a story not yet fully told in the food scene. She intends to change that.

“I always try to incorporate my culture into my baking, so introducing flavors and desserts that have some Puerto Rican and Italian influence is huge to me. I noticed that there isn’t much representation of either here in Charlotte’s food scene, so I would love to help open the eyes and palates of the community.” — Jessica Gonzalez, Founder of Jess Custom Cakes LLC

This is what cultural representation looks like in practice — not a flag on a wall but flavors on a plate. Puerto Rican and Italian influences baked into desserts served at birthdays, weddings, and markets in a Southern city still discovering the full richness of its Latino community.

Every bite is a conversation. Every order is an introduction.

Something big is coming

Jess did not end her responses with a thank you and a social media handle. She ended them with a declaration.

“2026 I am working on something HUGE for Jess Custom Cakes. It’s a transition into not just custom cakes, but more of a panadería. Just be on the lookout for some important announcements.” — Jessica Gonzalez, Founder of Jess Custom Cakes LLC

A panadería. In Charlotte, NC. With Puerto Rican and Italian flavors. Built by a Latina entrepreneur who started with no plan, no roadmap, and no savings — just a love of baking passed down from her mom and the steady encouragement of her grandfather on the other end of a phone call.

When the ladder gets cut, we build our own.

Jess is not waiting for the system to make room for her. She is creating her own table — and filling it with flavors her community has never tasted before.

That is defiance with dignity. That is joy as resistance. That is Jess Custom Cakes.

Support Jess Custom Cakes LLC

Follow: Find Jess Custom Cakes on Instagram and Facebook at @jesscustomcakes — follow, like, share, and show up. Every interaction helps her grow.

Show up: Keep an eye on her social media for upcoming market dates in Charlotte, NC. When you see her — go. Bring your familia.

Stay tuned: Something big is coming from Jess Custom Cakes in 2026. Follow along so you don’t miss the announcement.

Discover more: Find and support Latino-owned businesses like Jess Custom Cakes at ShopLatino.Market — because every purchase is an act of solidarity.

 

Sources

Jessica Gonzalez, Founder of Jess Custom Cakes LLC — original interview responses, April 2026

SVL Latino Business Survey — November–December 2025

Stanford GSB / Latino Business Action Network — 2025 State of Latino Entrepreneurship Report (SOLE)

This is Article 5 in our ongoing series The Latino Business Gap. Read Article 1: They Cut the Ladder, Article 2: Flor de Chile, Article 3: The Fourth Largest Economy Nobody Is Talking About, and Article 4: We Are the Reason This Industry Exists at svlatino.com.

#JessCustomCakes #LatinoBusinessGap #ShopLatinoMarket #SVLVoices #LatinaOwned #JuntosAdelante #CreoEnTi #CharlotteNC #Panaderia #JoyIsResistance #SupportLatinaBusinesses

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