Meet Jessica Freda | Co-owner

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

Hi Jessica, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
Going into business with my best friend. This can be a tricky situation to navigate for some people and it wasn’t 100% seamless in the beginning for us either, but Cece Loessin and I are an incredible team and I truly don’t believe that we’d be anywhere near as successful if we weren’t in this together. Cece and I had been best friends, band mates and chosen sisters for about 3 years before we went into business together with Zucchini Kill. All of those relationships are distinct and adding business partner on top did create a new element but it’s only brought us closer.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Zucchini Kill was first and foremost built on compassion. Cece and I both have been vegan for much more than a decade and we believe veganism goes hand in hand with ethics, which spills into our business. Of course our bakery is vegan (and gluten-free) but it’s also a place of intersectionality and inclusivity where we try our best to stock our tiny shop (which is unfortunately closed to the public during this global pandemic) of wares from other womyn, BIPOC, musicians, LGBTQ+ community makers.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Possum Park, where ZK’s shop is located, definitely! It’s a cute vegan oasis with amazing food trucks, such as Sundaze (chik’n nugs!), Wasota (delicious african food!), Bistro Vonish (elevated fancy food), and Cosmos (tacos!). After getting stuffed with all the food, we love going to Town Lake and hopping in one of the swan boats to paddle around in. Then head to Cheer Up Charlie’s for a kombucha cocktail and lots of dancing.

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?
Zucchini Kill was a three piece in the beginning with MT Gibbs, myself and Cece. Although she’s no longer part of ZK, her support in the beginning was monumental and has left a permanent imprint. She went on to move to PA and pursue other beautiful opportunities, but we miss her and love her!

Website: zucchinikill.com
Instagram: @zucchinikillbakery
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZucchiniKillBakery
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/zucchini-kill-bakery-austin
Other: https://www.happycow.net/reviews/zucchini-kill-austin-101368