From an early age, Jennifer Reed proved a precociously independent cook.  As a child she taught herself to make her own dinners and even birthday cakes—a talent that guaranteed her birthday parties were the delight and envy of her friends.  Augmenting babysitting income as a teenager with stints in the kitchen in a local diner eventually led Jennifer to pursue a career as a chef and Jennifer sought formal training at the Culinary Institute of America.  Being a vegetarian at the time, she enrolled to study pastry rather than culinary arts, and she has never looked back on her switch to the sweeter side of the kitchen. Jennifer joined the restaurant family of Daniel Boulud to work with acclaimed Pastry Chef Remy Fünfrock at Café Boulud New York in 2000. She was named Pastry Chef of Café Boulud Palm Beach in 2005, and garnered much attention for her delicate desserts and especially her wedding and special occasion cakes. In 2008, after eight years working with Daniel, Jennifer left Café Boulud to focus on her new business.

The sugar monkey’s infusion of French training with her playful Midwestern spirit and a distinctly feminine touch bring you modern American pastries, wedding and special occasion cakes and consulting services.  Her use of natural and organic products, fresh fruits, single estate chocolates, and European style butter has created a demand for the sugar monkey’s sweets throughout South Florida. From four star plated desserts for a hundred, to ultra-luxe tiered wedding cakes, to custom designed favors; the sugar monkey is your source for anything your sweet tooth desires. Jennifer and the sugar monkey have been featured in Palm Beach Illustrated, Boca Raton Magazine, Garden and Gun and the Shiny Sheet amongst others. While we don’t “kiss and tell”, we do take pride in servicing some of the most high profile clients in the area with any and all of their ‘sweet’ needs. The sugar monkey is the proud provider of key lime pie for all of Shake Shacks’ Florida locations for their signature Key Lime Pie Oh My Concrete. We also work with the best and brightest event planners in the area,  as well as select local restaurants and shops for their dessert needs.