Jenna Park and her husband Mark Sopchak hit the ground running in April 2008 and founded Whimsy & Spice, a line of handmade sweets with a distinctive twist—savory herbs and spices in the recipes.
Mark, a former pastry chef at popular New York City restaurants and Jenna, a talented art director and designer decided to do something they’d dreamed about and start a business together. The timing was unexpected and the transition, naturally a little scary.
As the parents of two little girls, the decision was influenced by their desire to have more time together as a family (restaurant hours didn’t provide a very family-friendly schedule). Jenna has been able to continue doing freelance work for clients the likes of Daily Candy and the Smithsonian. And while the family business has provided them a flexible lifestyle, it’s certainly a busy one.
Mark does all the baking and Jenna does the branding, design and web work. Each day’s surprises from their life in Brooklyn and the ups and downs of the business are captured on sweet fine day, a blog full of stories and photos going all the way back to the beginning.
We were thrilled to catch up with Jenna as things heat up for Whimsy & Spice again this fall. And we were even lucky enough to snag a delicious hot cocoa recipe from Mark.
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