Meet Antonio Lau of The Jenny Layne Bakery in Argyle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio Lau.

Antonio, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I graduated from Texas A&M University with a major in Architecture and a double minor in Philosophy and Creative Studies. Being very visually stimulated, I’ve always loved anything to do with design or creativity from graphic design to modifying cars as one of my favorite hobbies. One medium I’ve never touched was food. Growing up, watching nothing but the Food Network and loving food, I’ve always wanted to try my hand in something food related. I googled the area for the best bakery around, and The Jenny Layne Bakery popped up. I immediately sent an e-mail and applied with absolutely 0 experience. Several e-mails were exchanged back and forth. After finally convincing Jenny to give me just one shot, I came in for the interview. I was asked to make a monkey out of fondant during my interview (which to this day, I thought was terrible). Jenny saw potential in me and hired me to start the very next day. I’ve been working at the bakery for ~seven years now and the rest is history.

Has it been a smooth road?
For the most part, it’s been quite smooth. I’m a very quick study, so, fortunately, I was able to adapt fairly well. Building structures and building cakes aren’t exactly the same. One of the biggest struggles along the way would be trying to make something soft and fluffy structurally sound and rigid enough to transport without it completely toppling over along the way. Oh, and also trying to deal with the Texas heat when summer rolls around. Keeping cakes cool during deliveries can be difficult.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Jenny Layne Bakery – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I am the manager/head decorator at The Jenny Layne Bakery. We specialize in the sweets department. We mainly focus on custom cakes for any occasion, but we also offer a great variety of dessert options because not everybody likes cake. I would say one of the main things we are known for are hanging cakes. Hanging cakes always make a great focal point at any event.

Among the many accolades The Jenny Layne Bakery has received, I would probably say the proudest moment(s) of my career would be being cast to be on television shows. We were on two episodes of Cooking Channel’s Cake Hunters and two episodes of Food Network’s Dallas Cakes. Though, not the biggest fan of being in front of a camera, it was definitely a fun experience.

I would say what sets us apart (besides our structurally challenging cakes) is the absolute best bang for your buck! From clients everywhere, we hear that our price-to-quality ratio is shocking. Other’s products may look amazing but taste terrible or taste great but may not look the greatest. We bring both to the table at a very competitive price. Not only do our cakes look great, but they taste great too!

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I was born in Hong Kong, a coastal city, so I’m accustomed to fresh and delicious foods. I absolutely love food. Food is life! Moving to Dallas after college made me realize just how many different cultures there are. I really like diversity and trying new things. Dallas offers so many different cuisines that will satisfy anybody’s hunger.

The one thing I don’t like about Dallas and have to get used to is the traffic/drive time. I grew up in East Texas and went to college at A&M. A 15-minute drive was considered “far” from one end of town to the other. Transitioning to a metropolitan area, a 15-minute drive is now considered “close.” Traffic is the worst with so much construction. Finish I-35 already!

Pricing:

• Cake Prices: Start at $5.50/slice
• Dessert Prices: Range from $1.50-$5
• Wedding Tastings: $25

Contact Info:

• Address: The Jenny Layne Bakery
  815 Stonecrest Rd,
  Argyle, TX 76226
• Website: www.thejennylaynebakery.com
• Phone: (972) 691-2253
• Email: thejennylaynebakery@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/spikez1222
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thejennylaynebakery
• Other: www.instagram.com/thejennylaynebakery

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.