Inspiring Conversations with Jazlyn Ortiz of Paratrooper’s Chocolate Bar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazlyn Ortiz

Hi Jazlyn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Sampson County and moved to Fayetteville in 2018. In 2020 I moved to a neighborhood called Westgate in Raeford with my boyfriend at the time who was in the military. I received a lot of support from the residents of Westgate as well as others in Fayetteville. My cheesecake-stuffed, chocolate covered strawberries were a huge hit. I also made a lot of cakepops and chocolate covered strawberries for weddings, birthdays, and people’s cravings. I ended up joining the Army in 2021 and got orders to Fort Campbell. It wasn’t easy being a single mother where I was at. I had no choice but to take a break from baking. When I left the military I moved back to Fayetteville, bought a home, and started my baking business again. I am a disabled veteran now and I focus on being a mother and business owner. I love Fayetteville because it has everything that I need. I have my friends and family here. Fayetteville is home to all kinds of ethnicities and because its a melting pot, everyone is open to trying new things from different cultures. I offer typical goods like the chocolate dipped strawberries, marshmallows, pretzels, oreos, cake pops, cakes with buttercream frosting. But I also make Mexican tres leches cakes. My family is from Mexico and the tres leches cake is a very popular dessert. I started my business being home-based but I am working on finishing up a trailer and turning it into my mobile bakery. I can’t wait to visit different places and have people try everything I have to offer.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Some of the struggles of keeping up with my home-based bakery is that I couldn’t really establish in one spot or couldn’t work at all because of the military training that lasted weeks. Having moved so many times while I was in the Army made it difficult for me to settle down in one spot. I would move and couldn’t find what I needed to bake or decorate a cake with. They were all in different boxes that I really never got to unpack because I had to move again.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
It is a Veteran owned and operated business. You are supporting a veteran and single mother. I have years perfecting my baked goods. I also offer different types of treats and Mexican desserts. What sets me apart from others is that my Mexican desserts have that Mexican taste to it. Different nationalities make their desserts differently and come out with a unique taste. I take pride in making tasty tres leches cakes, flans, and jello. I offer my desserts to birthday parties, weddings, military ceremonies, gender reveals, baby showers, and more. You can place an order on my social media pages, primarily Facebook and Instagram.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I am self taught in this baking business. I learned from watching a lot of Youtube videos. Now I watch a lot of reels on Facebook and Instagram to continue learning and keeping up with trends.

Pricing:

• Tres Leches Cake Slices $6
• Tres Leches Mini Cakes $12
• Cake Pops -Dozen starting at $30
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries -Dozen starting at $38
• 8 inch Cake starting at $90

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paratroopers_chocolate_bar/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParatroopersChocolateBar