Jess grew up in a large Italian family and started her career in the kitchen at Frances Pastry Shop in Connecticut, where she learned to pipe frosting roses, fill donuts, shape bread rolls, and write on cakes before she was even out of high school. The bakery was owned by brothers Domenick and Sal Picarazzi - relatives in true Italian fashion - and their early-morning lessons sparked a lifelong passion for baking. When Jess eventually moved to San Diego 15 years ago, the sunshine was welcome, but the absence of East Coast Italian pastries was not. So she began making them herself, one small batch at a time.
Penny’s Pantry, named for her beloved rescue pup and “chief taste-tester in spirit,” specializes in the Italian classics that are nearly impossible to find fresh in Southern California. Her rainbow cookies - soft almond cake layers sandwiched with raspberry jam and topped with a chocolate shell - are made in small batches and priced at $15 per pound, typically yielding 13 to 18 cookies. Even more coveted are her pignoli cookies, crafted using real almond paste and premium pine nuts, available for $30 per dozen or $20 for a half-dozen. Both sell out quickly, particularly in December, when Italian families and East Coast transplants begin hunting for the holiday treats they grew up with.
The micro-bakery also offers seasonal specials like Sprinkle Sourdough, playfully known as “Finley’s Fave,” and Jess is developing additional pastries for the new year. Her operation remains intentionally small - just her, a home kitchen, and a lifetime of technique cultivated from memories of Connecticut bakeries and the mentors who molded her into the baker she is today.
For Jess, Penny’s Pantry is more than a cottage bakery. It is a love letter to the food that shaped her childhood, a tribute to Domenick and Sal, and a way to share the flavors of East Coast Italian heritage with a community that has embraced her for the past decade and a half. For customers, it’s a rare chance to bring truly authentic Italian holiday cookies into San Diego homes - made fresh, with care, and with the kind of tradition you can taste.
Orders can be placed directly through Instagram at @pennys_pantry_sd, where weekly offerings, specials, and holiday batches are announced. As demand grows, Jess says she’s simply grateful. “Thank you for supporting my little micro-bakery dream,” she writes - and judging by how quickly the cookies disappear, San Diego is grateful right back.
Originally published December 2025.
