Growing up in Portland, Maine with a big Italian family, Janessa spent much of her childhood eating and watching her family cook. Janessa has always maintained that she got into the food industry because she loves to eat and continues to feel strongly about that belief to this day. In her own words, “When I’m having breakfast, you can trust I’m thinking about lunch!”
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Janessa’s first job was in Boston at Radius. Initially, she believed that fine dining with plated dessert menus was her calling, but after several years she realized she wanted to do more for guests on a daily basis, not just on special occasions. Janessa moved on from Radius and began working at a Cookie Factory in New Jersey. There she managed a hand-decorated cookie department, which was completely opposite from her experience in Boston and served to be a great opportunity to develop leadership and management skills. After returning to Boston, Janessa began her employment at Sportello as a pastry cook, and has since been promoted to Head Baker for all Congress Street properties (Sportello, Menton, and Drink) and Pastry Chef for Sportello. Janessa’s true passion lies in bread baking, as it is both complex and simple. Janessa’s day-to-day responsibilities at Sportello include overseeing and managing the pastry and bread baking programs and ensuring that the pastry case remains stocked with cupcakes, cookies, tarts, and chocolates.
