HUMBOLDT PARK – Window shopping on Division Street, it’s impossible to miss the colorful mural and vibrant storefront announcing Reina’s Cakes.
A warehouse that sat empty for years at 2550 W. Division St. is now home to Humboldt Park’s only Latina-owned bakery and cake shop.
“I said to myself, if I’m going to do it, I’m going to offer everything,” said Reina Marcelle, 53, who’s the founder and owner of Reina’s Cakes. “I want this place to be for everyone.”
Marcelle has certainly remained true to her word. The bakery has only been open for seven months but has quickly become the favorite among many Humboldt Park residents. Even Chicago tourists seek out the store, she said, learning about her elaborate creations and inspiring story from her Facebook page, which has garnered over 1,700 followers.
Reina’s Cakes offers dessert lovers 30 varieties of cake flavors ranging from banana pudding and chocolate coconut to the traditional “bizcocho mojadito” Puerto Rican almond cake. Gluten and sugar-free versions are also available for those with dietary restrictions.
Credit: Claire Murphy
Marcelle moved back to the neighborhood where she grew up in 2020 after raising a family in North Carolina for 25 years. Local customers became familiar with her signature cakes when she sold them from a decorative street cart with her face painted on it. The store catapulted the popularity of the cakes she has been baking since she was a teenager.
“It’s just such an honor. People come from all over the world,” said Marcelle. “I wake up every morning and go, ‘I’m going to make cakes, I’m going to help people today. I know this is my purpose.”
Marcelle first started baking when she was 15 after her mother signed her up for a cake decorating class. Her love of cakes and passion for supporting her Puerto Rican community compelled her to pursue baking full-time.
At the height of the pandemic, she hit a breaking point.
“I was working retail at the time and I was just tired of being a number. I was tired of not doing enough,” she said. “I refused to stay in a job that made me feel inadequate.”
Marcelle quit her cake decorating job at the Jewel with “$25 in my pocket and a heart full of dreams,” she said.
During this time, she leaned on the support of community members and friends to motivate her. One friend gave her $50 to use as a first investment in starting her own business.
“[My friend] said to me, ‘God had to take you out of your comfort zone so you can do what you’re supposed to do,” Marcelle said. “Little by little, I started saving money.”
Marcelle took a job as a cashier at a local restaurant to support herself until she could save enough.
“I was afraid of debt, I was afraid to owe anyone money, especially the bank. So I said what can I do to start a business without being in debt. That’s where the cart came in.”
Convincing the restaurant owner to lend her a merchant cart, she quickly began to use it to sell
cakes in her off hours at the neighborhood’s park. She bought an umbrella imported from India
to decorate the outside and hired a local artist to paint her portrait and logo on the front.
Marcelle sold her first cake out of the cart on Mother’s Day in 2021. From there, she said, the rest was history.
Marcelle soon began selling her treats almost every day, in addition to leading cake decorating classes to make extra money. These pursuits didn’t come without struggle, though.
“There were some days I would go out for hours and not sell anything,” she said. “But I kept telling myself, in any situation I faced, I had to figure it out. There was no excuse.”
She met José López, executive director and co-founder of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) at Humboldt Park’s annual Fiesta Boricua. López manages a number of local businesses in the neighborhood, including the Mercado Del Pueblo, an incubator initiative operating as a storefront for entrepreneurs.
He promised her he had already reserved a space at the mercado. “I want you to be the next Roeser’s Bakery, but on Division,” he told her. “I turned around and said to him, ‘I will,’” Marcelle said.
Flash forward and Reina’s Cakes is the sole cake bakery on Division from Western to California avenue. With the support of PRCC, Marcelle was able to ditch the cart and open her very own store, almost three years to the day she first began selling cakes.
“When I cut that ribbon [at the store opening], I remember I looked at José, and I said, ‘I did it,” Marcelle said. “I used to dream about having a store here, and I believe with all my heart it was waiting for me.”
Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th) spoke at the grand opening, which brought over 400 people to the store. “When we talk about opening businesses [in Humboldt Park], we talk about supporting women like you,” Fuentes said in a recorded video of the event.
Reina’s Cakes celebrates the many faces of the community, with photographs of customers collaged all over the walls and hand-painted drawings of Puerto Rican flags inside hearts.
As a self-run business, Marcelle relies primarily on volunteers for baking support. Without a kitchen inside the store, all orders are hand-prepared in a certified kitchen nearby.
Victoria Perez volunteers with Reina a few times a week, helping to prepare cakes and host decorating classes.
“I see everything she does for the community, with the classes she leads and the people she knows. It’s amazing,” Perez said. “She takes care of all of us.”
Perez’s granddaughter, Mylieniya Torres, also volunteers at the bakery. Learning from Marcelle has inspired her to start baking at home after school.
“[Mylieniya] loves her. She’s learned a lot because of her. I tell my daughter, who’s a single mom, ‘Look, [Reina] did it, and so can you,” said Perez.
Marcelle’s influence on the community matches her motivations.
“I know I’m supposed to make money, we all know that. But [Reina’s Cakes] has nothing to do with the money,” said Marcelle. “[It’s about how I can help these people, how I can influence these people and make a difference in the community that means everything to me,” she said.
Marcelle said her next endeavor is writing a book about her journey and recipes. She believes sharing her story will inspire others to fight for their dreams and pursue their passions.
“It’s almost like magic. [People] come in, they come from all over and they want to hear what I have to say,” said Marcelle. “I used to tell myself when I would struggle, that one day I’m going to tell my story. That’s what I’m doing now with every cake I bake.”
Cover Photo: Reina Marcelle stands outside of her bakery, Reina’s Cakes. Credit: Reina Marcelle/Facebook