About Cocoa Bakery — A Chef-Driven Bakery in Jersey City Heights

The Story Behind Cocoa Bakery

Jessie didn’t start out planning to become a pastry chef. She studied fashion design in college, looking for a way to express herself creatively. An internship quickly convinced her that fashion wasn’t quite the right fit. Then her aunt made her sister’s wedding cake, and something clicked. Food as art. Food as a way to make people happy.

She enrolled in culinary school at the Art Institute of New York and knew immediately she was in the right place. An internship at Nobu led to a full-time role on the pastry team. She stayed for years, worked her way up, and eventually became Executive Pastry Chef - building her craft under some of the most demanding kitchens in the world.

When she was ready for a new challenge, she went to Italy and studied at the Italian Culinary Institute and landed an apprenticeship at Le Calandre, a restaurant that has held three Michelin stars for over two decades. She returned to the US, and went back to Nobu when they called.

Chef Jessica had been living in Jersey City for years when she decided to open Cocoa Bakery. A neighbor needed a birthday cake. Then another. Then another. She realized the community she’d built her life in was exactly where she wanted to build her business.

In 2013 — after Hurricane Sandy delayed the opening by a year and filled the original Grand Street space downtown with six feet of water — Cocoa Bakery opened it's doors. It became a neighborhood fixture: a place where people stopped in after school, planned weddings, celebrated anniversaries, and kept coming back. Five years later, looking for more space for the baking operations, Cocoa found a new home in the Heights neighborhood of Jersey City. After battling some major health issues and looking to reduce stress, the team consolidated operations and closed the Grand Street location.