Meet Jocqueline Middleton | Bakery Chef

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

Hi Jocqueline, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Over the years, I’ve always felt confident and comfortable when I started baking for my family and friends for the holidays, but I never imagined that this could be the start of a very successful business venture. For Christmas 2023, I created a turtle pecan cheesecake for my coworkers at my regular job, and the feedback was amazing. Many of my coworkers had no idea that baking was my thing; the cheesecake was demolished within 15 minutes of being on the break room table. Once everyone got a taste of my desserts, the rest was history. I’ve received multiple requests to bake for others, but I always said no, mainly because of how precious baking is for me—it’s a breath of fresh air, especially when I want to clear my mind. It’s just something I enjoy doing. Then, the following week, I made my very first sale, and for me, I was confident but scared out of my mind because this is something so precious to me, but to the world, it was something so scrumptious and amazing. I was just afraid to share something so delicate with the world. According to my husband, he already had plans for me to be a successful baker/cook lol , so one night we were having dinner and he just told me” baby girl its time to start the business up”, and from that moment on that’s when I created MIDDLESWEETS.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Currently, I’m working in the public safety field as a 911 telecommunicator (Dispatcher), and I’ve been working in this field for almost 7 years. Originally, I attended Texas Southern University and pursued my bachelor’s degree in emergency management homeland security. Once I graduated college, my main focus was to find a job so I could start my career immediately. But the problem with that is, even if you have a degree, a lot of the career opportunities do not come to you as soon as possible. So, instead of me stressing about not using my degree, I started working for the city, and everything kind of took off from there. So, how did I get here today? By taking a leap of faith. I’m an overthinker and will talk myself out of every new opportunity because I’m afraid of failure. Getting to where I am today was not easy, but the journey was rewarding, so I’m grateful for everything thus far. I overcame a lot of my challenges by just believing. If others had so much faith in me, I had to start seeing the same that they saw. Once I started believing I could be great, then stepping out of my comfort zone no longer felt like a task; I just did it. A couple of lessons I’ve learned along the way were to trust your gut, take the chance even if it’s uncomfortable, and believe in yourself. If you don’t have faith in yourself, then no one else will. One thing I would like to share with the world about my brand/story is that we may never have all the pieces together, life may never be perfect, but if it’s something you believe in and you continue to give it your all, your goals will no longer be goals, and your dreams will turn into your everyday life. Keep going; the sky is the limit, and you don’t have to live to please others. If that business is important to you, make every moment count. Now, I’m transitioning from being a full time dispatcher to becoming a full time baker in due time, i have the faith that god will make a way.

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.
Believe me when I say, I am truly a homebody. My home brings me peace and serenity, so I was never really a going-out type of person until recently when I found a new love for traveling. The ideal itinerary for me would be brunch downtown, visiting a winery, or even sightseeing around town. Since I live on the outskirts of Houston, I never really took the time to explore Houston, but that is definitely something I’m planning to change. So far, my favorite places have been Dona Leti’s Restaurant & Rouxpour for oysters, Two classic places that I enjoy

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?
Yes, the person that I would like to dedicate my shoutout to is my husband Damond, From the beginning, that man has always known that life would be different for us, everything he spoke about would always come to existence, he’s truly the man with the plan and that’s what makes me appreciate him so much, he seen the potential of a great life before I did… so Damond, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for your unwavering support and encouragement on this incredible journey of building MiddleSWEETS. Your ability to see my business in a different light, to envision its potential even when I couldn’t, has been an invaluable gift. Thank you for always believing in me, for pushing me to reach higher, and for cheering me on every step of the way. Your belief in my abilities has been a guiding light, propelling me forward even in the face of challenges. You’ve not only been my partner in life but also my greatest cheerleader and confidant in business. Your words of encouragement, your unwavering faith in my dreams, and your endless love have given me the strength and courage to pursue my passion and strive for success. Thanks baby boy!

Website: Www.MiddleSWEETS.com

Instagram: MiddleSweetss

Facebook: MiddleSweets

Image Credits
jocqueline Middleton