Jen Vailoces of Jennivee's Bakery on Her Favorite Spots in the City

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Every month, people from Chicago's hospitality industry will share recommendations for food, drink, ingredients, and more as part of our Chef Picks series.

Jen Vailoces – a.k.a. Jennivee – opened her tiny, eponymous bakery at the corner of Sheffield and Aldine Avenues in Lakeview in 2017. It quickly became known as the place to get super cute, super tasty cakes and cupcakes in a rainbow of colors and flavors. When she moved to a new space nearby on Halsted Street last fall, she expanded her offerings to include more beverages and breakfast items, including many that reflect her Filipino heritage, like ensaimadas (sweet buns) and longanisa (Filipino sausage) cheddar scones. She also launched a bright array of freshly churned ice creams in tropical flavors like mango and pandan to enjoy by the scoop. For Pride Month, along with cupcakes with rainbow swirl buttercream and a rainbow layer cake, Vailoces offers a “Trans Girl Magic” lemon and strawberry cupcake with a dusting of edible glitter. 

Where else but Jennivee's can you get a matching purple velvet trio of a latte, cupcake, and gelato all in the same enticing shade? Vailoces makes Chicago’s ube dreams come true.

Here are her picks for favorite Chicago spots.

Favorite Restaurant

Bavette’s

Favorite Dish

Bavette’s bone-in ribeye

Favorite Place to Drink

Soloway Coffee

Favorite Place to Shop or Buy Ingredients

Sur la Table

Favorite Local Chicago Brand

Gibson’s

Favorite Place to Bring an Out-of-Town Guest

Pizzeria Portofino

People in the Industry You Admire

Bill and Giuliana Rancic of RPM Italian