Jatee Kearsley is introducing Brooklynites to the delectable realm of French pastries through her bustling bakery, Je T’aime Pâtisserie.
On April 18, the East New York resident shared her origin tale on the Righteous Eats Instagram page. Her passion stems from a desire to introduce a diverse array of foods to her community, particularly those facing financial constraints, ensuring everyone can savor a variety of culinary experiences.
Jatee offers her delectable desserts at affordable price points for members of the community, even serving those who may use EBT food stamp cards. Patrons can sink their teeth into a variety of specialty croissants like the ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie-infused croissant or the shop’s decadent and rich seasonal cheesecakes.
“I want to make sure my people are able to have access to amazing food, and if their budget is food stamps, why the fuck not?” Jatee told Jaeki Cho of Righteous Eats.
The French pastry chef fondly remembered a moment when she had the opportunity to introduce a neighbor to quiche for the very first time. Quiche, a savory French tart filled with eggs, cheese and flavorful toppings, was a new culinary adventure for the community resident. Driven by generosity, Jatee offered the treat free of charge, simply so he could experience its flavors and decide if it appealed to him.
“He was like, ‘Yo, this is mad good’ and all his friends was like, ‘Yo, yo, yo, let me get one!’ There’s no such thing as white people food. They just have access to these different types of food that Black and brown people don’t have access to.”
Je T’aime Pâtisserie, which opened in Bedstuy in 2022, was born out of Jatee’s love for baking. She began cultivating her passion for the art at 14, holding a bake sale every week for members of her community as a way to give back and hone her culinary skills. At the time, Jatee had no roadmap for launching her own culinary business, as nobody in her family or close circle had ventured into entrepreneurship before.
“No one owns a business. No one graduated college. I’m the first in my family to do everything.”
When Cho inquired whether she viewed herself as a “cycle breaker,” Jatee confidently asserted that she saw herself as a “cycle starter.”
The pastry chef added during her Righteous Eats interview, “You cannot break generations of curses, but what you can do is be the one to start new generations. Don’t be a generational curse breaker. Be a generational starter.”
According to Brooklyn Mag, Jatee is a student of the David Burke Kitchen culinary school and self-taught in the art of lamination, the process of layering butter between dough and folding it repeatedly to create multiple thin layers. This technique results in a flaky, tender pastry with distinct layers when baked and is often used to give croissants their unique honeycomb interior structure.
“When I become obsessed with something, I’m like I have to know every single thing about it,” the star chef told the outlet in 2023. “So I YouTubed it, I read books, I made so many croissants at home. And I failed a lot.”
Jatee added, “I say there’s a ‘Black girl spin’ to my pastries because I’m Black, and I got flavor. So I just don’t make your average croissant.” The base version nails the flaky, chewy, buttery balance with that perfect honeycomb thing going on inside.”
If you’re in Bedstuy, Brooklyn, pull up to Je T’aime Pâtisserie for a bite to eat at 471 Marcus Garvey Blvd, Brooklyn, NY 11216.
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