Walk into Joli B’s Bakery on Emory Road and you’re not just walking into a bakery filled with scrumptious aromas and delicious treats. You’re walking into one woman’s dream. But it’s not just a dream; it’s a mission…”a mission to support and enrich the special needs community with every treat we create.” In other words, Joli B’s Bakery is all about baking with a purpose.
Jennifer Buckner: A Mom with a Mission
Most moms will do almost anything to make sure their children are in an environment where they can thrive, but Jennifer Buckner has gone above and beyond that. After years of tirelessly working to make sure that her daughter Joli (who is on the autism spectrum) was in the very best environment, Jennifer wanted to do more. So, she opened a bakery named after her daughter, where Joli and others in the special needs community can experience a sense of belonging.
Jennifer envisions Joli B’s as a business that will employ individuals with intellectual disabilities. She eventually wants to work with Knox County High School’s work-based learning.
It’s Just the Beginning
But there’s a lot to be done before that can happen. While Jennifer has been baking at home since she was a child helping her mom, this former paralegal, then stay-at-home grandma, is just trying to get used to baking in a larger commercial kitchen. Everyone told her that she should open her own place, but having her own place is a big adjustment.
As far as Jennifer knows, Joli B’s is the only brick and mortar bakery in Powell. And it might not be here if it hadn’t been for Jennifer’s husband John. One day, while passing the construction of their current location on Emory Road, John told her if she didn’t talk to the owner, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
That was the push Jennifer needed. She talked to the builder and after a lot of time and work, and some delays, Joli B’s opened on Friday, April 25. It’s been a whirlwind of activity since. Jennifer admits it has been a huge leap from stay-at-home grandma to business owner and baker.
Because she’s trying to get accustomed to the new kitchen and new schedule, currently Jennifer offers a limited menu and limited hours. They are open from 11-6 on Tuesday through Friday, Saturday from 11-4pm and closed on Sundays. They are only open on Mondays for pick-up orders.
The Biggest Challenge
The current menu includes cupcakes, thumbprint cookies, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and cakelets. Jennifer also offers a sampler box for business owners which includes thumbprint cookies, brownies and chocolate chip cookies. This box would be the perfect choice for a small meeting or for treats for your office staff.
But that limited menu won’t be limited for long. Jennifer’s mind is constantly racing with new ideas for the bakery. In fact, that is probably her biggest challenge – to stay on task while managing all those ideas.
She talked about trying to add a new menu item every week. But most importantly, her goal is to get into a workable rhythm before she tries to add in too much.
But to give you some ideas of what she has planned…One of her upcoming ventures is a “Grab and Go” breakfast. As she told me about it, Jennifer’s ideas were flowing so fast I couldn’t keep up. She lost me after telling me about Mini Monkey Bread, Breakfast Burritos, Blueberry Muffins, and Sausage, Egg and Cheese Muffin Cups.
A Serious Baker with Seriously Good Treats
There is no doubt in my mind that she will accomplish all that and more. In fact, you have only to look around her kitchen to see that this is one serious baker. When I was there, I was immediately struck by the four Kitchen Aid mixers lined up along one counter. She’s even thrown in a Smeg (an Italian mixer) although that one has proven to be a little bit of a challenge. And it looked like all of them had recently been in use.
I tried one of her vanilla cupcakes with strawberry icing. The cupcake was moist and flavorful, but it was the icing that blew me away. Most strawberry icings come off sickeningly sweet and grainy, and only vaguely tasting like strawberries. Jennifer’s strawberry icing tasted like strawberries and was silky smooth.
One of my favorites is the banana cakelet. It’s like a muffin top covered in the creamiest buttercream frosting. This was the moistest cupcake with little flecks of banana spread throughout. This thing literally melted in my mouth.
In addition to the items on the menu, Jennifer also bakes and decorates cakes for special order. She makes birthday cakes, smash cakes and all kinds of cupcakes. Just don’t ask her to make a wedding cake; that’s just too stressful.
As busy as she is, Jennifer is still taking time to learn more. She just finished a cake piping class on Saturday before opening her shop. You can see the results below. She plans on offering selections similar to this as a special order.
It’s All About Family
When I first walked into Joli B’s, I was just doing some preliminary research for my blog to decide if this was a business I wanted to write about. But after meeting Jennifer and her family, I knew not only did I want to write about them; I had to. I wanted you to be as inspired by them as I was.
You see, Joli B’s is a family business. Husband John, who is a firefighter, jokes that he is the dishwasher but it sounds like he steps in wherever Jennifer needs him.
Middle daughter Jenna has been invaluable to her mom as she runs the register and helps out in the kitchen. A student at UTC, Jenna is transferring to UTK where she will be pursuing a marketing degree, possibly in social media. And she is getting plenty of real-world experience as she runs her mother’s social media campaign for Joli B’s.
Saturday, I went back to Joli B’s. I had a few more questions to ask, I needed one more picture, and I wanted some more cupcakes. As I walked through the door, I saw a family at work. John was helping Joli with a customer at the register. Jennifer, her 81-year-old mother, and Jenna were working in the kitchen, and oldest daughter Jordan was chasing around her adorable almost three-year-old son.
As they gathered around the display cases for a picture, and good naturedly jostled and kidded with each other, it struck me that this was an entire family focused on one dream…to make the world a better place for not only Joli but for others like her. As they welcomed me into their shop on Saturday, they drew me into their circle….they made me feel like I was a part of this thing they were doing.
I’m Coming Back to Joli B’s: I Want to be Part of the Mission
Sometimes if you’re lucky you find a few shops where you’re valued and respected, you’re not just a number. Sometimes you find a shop where you feel like you’re welcomed as more than just a customer. When you find that place, it’s priceless. And when you return, it’s not just the product you return for…it’s the feeling you get when you go there.
To put it another way, I guess you could say you get more than baked goods at Joli B’s…you get baked goods with a purpose. And you’re included in that purpose.
But don’t just take my word for it. Stop by Joli B’s. Keep up with their current hours and be the first to find out their new menu items by following them on Facebook and Instagram. The shop is located across the street from Powell High School at 2109 West Emory Road.
How about you? Have you been to Joli B’s? What is your favorite treat?
