Jenny Bakes rises up in Norwalk

NORWALK — Personally, she's baked her entire life. So it only made sense for Jennifer Sullivan to morph her passion into a profession. Sullivan, a 2003 St. Paul High School graduate, recently opened up Jenny Bakes at 49 Benedict Ave. Suite C. It's located in a plaza across the street from Charlie's Bar. "I used to bake with my mom all the time. She is a fantastic baker," said Sullivan, referring to her mother, Pat Hipp. "We used the same recipe my grandmother, Agnes Riley, created. They are so soft and delicious and have amazing buttercream frosting. We try to recreate that here." In addition to sugar cookies, Sullivan also makes cakes, cookies, croissants, cruffins — a mix of a croissant and muffin — bagels and more. Sullivan prides herself on her homemade items. She notes they're "made-from-scratch" baked goods. "That's the reason why I wanted to start this business. I wanted to fill that hole here," said Sullivan, who lives in Norwalk with her husband, Bob. "People appreciate when everything is made from scratch," she said. "We aren't keeping a bunch of stuff in the freezer. What I make gets whipped up that week or even that morning I sell something. Something that is mass-produced just doesn't taste as good." Sullivan then explained the origins of how she started her business. "In this area, we do have a lot of cottage bakers, which means they bake out of their houses, and that is how I started," Sullivan said. "I started working out of my kitchen, and it was two Christmases ago that we had so many orders, and I just outgrew the space, and that's what led to this." Beginning at 9 a.m., Jenny Bakes opens to the public on Saturday mornings. People can also place orders outside of those hours by searching for her business on Instagram, jennybakes44857. "This is my labor of love," Sullivan said. "I'm flattered that people even show up to pay money for my treats."