Meet Jai Duque | Humanitarian & Self Taught Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jai Duque and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jai, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am inspired by the strong and powerful women in my life. Women such as my mom, Lolas(grandmas), sister, aunts and all other influential women that i look up to and taught me to become who I am today. These are all real life makers, shakers and creatives that has influenced me to aim high. Last but not the least, I am also inspired by the Filipino culture and tradition that i grew up with.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a part time self taught baker/enterpreneur. And being both is not easy. It involves a lot of trial and error and all nighters to fulfill orders or create a new product. It also takes a whole village for a small business to get on the market out there. It definitely requires a lot of patience and diligence in perfecting your craft, given that i do not have any formal culinary background. But amidst that, as long as you have faith in yourself, nothing is impossible.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shout out to my real life partner and Ube Co. HTX co owner, Lawrence Indefenso. He has been my rock from the get go. Our baby(Ube Co. HTX) will not reach this far with out him. We both bake but let’s be honest, this business requires a lot of man power. I am able to switch into other roles for this business because of him. He also keeps me on my feet whenever i feel like things are not going as how i planned it to be. I am super fortunate to have a partner not only in this business but also in life.

Website: Www.ubecohtx.com

Instagram: @ubecohtx

Facebook: Ube Co. HTX