Meet Jenna Kranzberg

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jenna Kranzberg a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jenna, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

It actually has always been there just under the surface.

My purpose has always been helping others enjoy the moments in their lives. Savoring the time spent with ourselves, with others and the memories of peace and calm we tend to forget are there in the chaos of life. And it wasn’t until I was in the middle of juggling my own chaos of being an “older” mom with toddlers, working from home and doing all of the things for others that I realized I wasn’t tapping into my passion and purpose to feed myself and my soul. So in one pivotal moment in the middle of my own chaos I decided I wanted to do that for myself and run with it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I have a 9 to 5 which I enjoy but once I acknowledged the joy of finding my purpose and allowing myself to embrace it I went full tilt and never looked back.

So a few summers ago with my 3 and 1 yr old in tow I decided to go berry picking for the first time at Blase Family Farm and let me tell you that is no easy feat to do with little ones in a wagon eating all of the berries you were working so hard to pick. We came home and I started to play in the kitchen with our harvest or what was left of it. I dove into family recipes, cookbooks from all over and watched many many videos online on how to make jam, cakes and all sorts of sweet things.

One treat I always wanted to try was my grandmother’s shortbread recipe. I tried and tried but couldn’t seem to get the right balance and texture I wanted so I pivoted. I patted my mixture into a square cake pan and baked until the very first batch was golden brown. I cut it up, took a quick bite and was instantly transported to this quiet reading nook in my grandmother’s old sewing room. I remembered the giggles and stories as I watched her sewing matching dresses for me and my dolls. I quickly packed up some samples in my Tupperware for dear friends and had them try it as well. Then I watched my best friend’s father devour his entire container as we stood chatting, I knew without a shadow of a doubt; I nailed it! Now all I needed to do was build from that traditional base and that’s what I did. I created some amazing flavors and mixes and definitely had my misses.

Once I felt confident with shortbread I wanted to take on a traditional southern style biscuit. And I will tell you that after living in the south for over 15 years biscuits here are a very personal thing. It’s hallowed ground. But I was up for the challenge. I baked so much and so often I was giving it away. I loved hearing from my friends rave about my shortbread and biscuits and how much they enjoyed them. Then my very dear friend Katie pulled me aside and said I should be selling my shortbread and biscuits. I laughed and said people wouldn’t pay for this and she reminded me that her very own family had been asking for my baked goods almost daily since she brought home the first box of treats. But she said only do it if it continues to bring me joy. She saw it. Even in the very beginning she saw the joy I was experiencing.

From there we can just say everything quickly spiraled in such an awesome way! I came up with a name for my small business and registered with the county and state and made sure that all of my ducks were in the proverbial row. I did a few small events and gave away a LOT of samples. Always received great feedback but couldn’t get into a groove. So I went social and out to the people. I signed up with farmers markets and events and was bound and determined to make a go of it. And slowly it happened.

I had more folks coming back each week to my booth asking for more. Telling me how my biscuits and shortbread melted in their mouths. How most of the time what they picked up didn’t even make it home let alone through the week. So I challenged myself to tackle more baked goods. Croissants was the next piece of the puzzle and although the first batch was just “okay” I can fully appreciate the labor of love that they are and why I enjoy them so much. All of the butter and flaky layers just like biscuits!!!

I would love for everyone that takes that first bite of my shortbread, biscuits or croissants that they are transported to somewhere wonderful. But honestly just watching them take a sample at my booth, stepping back as they take it all in brings me so much joy that even during the chaos of life I show up each weekend. It’s because of them, my customers and the look on their faces that I love. How the line forms at my booth each week as they scan my pastry case and extras on my tables to see what I have each week and will they be lucky enough to snag something. That brings me joy. I am changing lives with one sweet moment at a time.

I would love to have a storefront where I can get my home kitchen back for my family and for trying new recipes and cooking but for now that is a dream down the line. For now I am just relishing in the kind words, the memories my pastries and treats invoke and that I can be even a part of that for each person who stops at my booth curious about a business named Sweet Buttered Biscuits.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Determination to make it work even when I struggled to learn new skills and things. I prided myself in being a good cook but there was so much I had to learn by trial and error and watching a lot of videos online about baking.
Having a little fear in the new but to not let that fear stop you from trying something new or giving up on what wasn’t working for me. I don’t have a traditional bakery or training in baking. I am a cottage baker and there are only so many things I can do under the law. But I am always up to a new challenge clearly as I am building this small business while balancing two little ones, pets, my marriage and keeping a calm space for my family in all of it.
Be patient with yourself. You won’t be perfect the first, second or even the third time. If you are that is awesome and I’m proud of you but don’t beat yourself up if the next time you do what you nailed the first time and it bombs. I once made Kouign-Amann and nailed it the first time I made it. That was it just the one time. I haven’t been able to do it since but I know it will happen again it will just take some time.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

They let me make a quiche. I know what you are thinking. How is letting me make a quiche something that is so impactful from my parents?

Well they didn’t blow their tops when they saw this little girl who was determined to make a cake for her family walk bravely across the kitchen floor with a cake pan in hand and a pile of ingredients on the floor trailing behind me.

They thankfully stopped me before reaching the oven, asked curious questions about what I was doing, why I was doing it and what I wanted to do with all of the stuff spilling over the edge.

They were curious and let me be curious too. Now that cake was an epic disaster and we ended up salvaging it into a very interesting quiche. But their reaction in the moment and right after is ended up being the most impactful thing in my life. They were curious and let me be curious as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sweetbutteredbiscuits.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetbuttered_biscuits
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetbutteredbiscuits

Image Credits

I took the images myself.