Conversations with Jennie Nguyenly Hee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennie Nguyenly Hee.

Hi Jennie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I Love Brûlée started from my love for crème brûlée then came the idea that we could turn something classic into something more fun and easy to share then it was time to test the waters.

I started the business in 2016, making brûlée for friends and family events and experimenting with different flavors. At the time, I didn’t have some huge business plan or imagine where it would eventually take me. I was just creating something I already loved and wanted to see how people responded to it and to my surprise, there were so many people who haven’t even tried crème brûlée yet.

Then Mother’s Day happened. We sold over 100 dozen, and I remember thinking, “Ok, there could really be something here…” From there, I Love Brûlée grew mostly through word of mouth, Instagram, and customers continuing to bring us along for their celebrations.

Over the years, those celebrations have grown from birthdays and family gatherings to weddings, occasional pop-ups, and corporate catering. Today, we’ve had the opportunity to bring I Love Brûlée to events for some of the biggest companies in Silicon Valley while still getting just as excited to be part of someone’s birthday or special celebration.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road and we are still learning something new every day. One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to grow a business while wearing so many different hats. You quickly realize that you’re not just making the product, you are answering emails, taking orders, creating content, and working events. Doing all of this while wearing my Mom hat 24/7 and working a full time job, I really had to learn how to balance it all out.

And then there were things you could never plan like the pandemic when ingredient costs and shortages became a huge challenge. Since crème brûlée is basically built on eggs, you can imagine how fun the egg shortage was for us. At one point, a box of 15 dozen eggs climbed to $95. It was one of those moments where you either laughed or cried and I think I did both. lol.

I now see every challenge as a learning opportunity, a problem just waiting to be solved and thank goodness there hasn’t been another egg shortage since.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We specialize in handcrafted mini crème brûlées for corporate events, weddings, and celebrations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. When we first started, crème brûlée was typically something you enjoyed at the end of a restaurant meal and not something available in fun flavors, beautifully packaged, and delivered to help people celebrate life’s special moments. Thats where we changed things up, what sets us apart goes far beyond offering a unique dessert. With I Love Brûlée, the experience begins long before the first bite. From the initial conversation, I want every customer to feel cared for, heard, and genuinely excited about what we are creating together. Whether we are helping someone celebrate a milestone birthday, planning desserts for their wedding, or delivering hundreds of brûlées for a corporate event, every order carries someone’s story and I am grateful to be a part of it.

Over the years, many customers have returned for one celebration after another. I have had the privilege of watching their families grow, celebrating their marriages, birthdays, babies, promotions, and business milestones alongside them. Somewhere along the way, many of those customers even became friends. That is one of the things I am most proud of. I may have started this business because I loved making crème brûlée, but the relationships are what have kept my heart in it.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that success doesn’t have to look like constant growth. When I Love Brûlée first started, I think I measured success by how busy we were, how many orders we had, how social media followers we had but my my definition of success has definitely changed.

Now, success is being able to continue doing something I genuinely love, while still having time for my family, friends and other things that are important to me. I’ve learned that bigger isn’t always better, and growth can look different in different seasons of life. Fast forward 10 years and I am incredibly proud that I still love what I do! And I think that says a lot. I’m grateful for the past 10 years and all the relationships we have built along the way and I’m even more excited to see what the next 10 years bring.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ilovebrulee.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilovebrulee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilovebrulee