Betting on yourself
Fort Worth pastry chef finds her calling
The red brick building on Daggett Avenue would be non-descript if it wasn’t for the smell of confections that greet visitors at the door.
The glass cases filled with cakes, cupcakes and other desserts line the storefront. The ovens and baking areas are in the back.
Confections are created by kind workers and even occasionally the bakers mother.
Loft 22 Cakes is the calling of Tareka Lofton who found herself searching for purpose after she moved to Fort Worth 15 years ago from East Texas.
"I was turning 30, just really unhappy with my life, and I was seeking purpose," Lofton said. "I always worked a job, but I never did anything I was super passionate about."
She said she explored various art forms including murals, painting, sculpture and watercolor.
But her family has a background in cooking. Her father is known as the chef of the family. Her grandmother is a baking master.
Still, it took time for these connections to crystallize in her mind.
"It was always there, but it didn't click until I was 30,” Lofton said. “That was when I realized, this is what I'm meant to do. Baking brought everything together; my art, my creativity, and most importantly my love of food and flavor."
A Light Bulb Moment
"It was always there, but it didn't click until I was 30. That was when I realized, this is what I'm meant to do," she said with a smile.
"Baking brought everything together; my art, my creativity, and most importantly my love of food and flavor."
Lofton said the realization was like a light bulb moment.
Inspired by her love of classic French techniques and her admiration for Julia Child, she set her sights on becoming a professionally trained baker. She immediately began researching culinary schools.
"I knew I could do it from home, but I wanted to be taken seriously. I wanted to be a classically trained chef," she said. "If I'm going to do this, I'm going all the way."
Lofton enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu's pastry program with the desire to be classically trained and taken seriously.
Her entrepreneurial spirit couldn’t wait for graduation as she eagerly was ready to jump in feet first.
Even before completing her program, she began taking orders for wedding cakes and desserts from her home kitchen, eager to put her new skills to work.
"I was just on fire," she said. "I was taking orders and booking weddings before I even graduated. I was so passionate about this new path; it felt like the thing I was born to do."
The highs and lows
For five years, Lofton ran her bakery from home, building a client base through word of mouth and social media. She worked diligently, often putting in long hours to perfect her craft while simultaneously working at other bakeries to gain more experience in the industry.
"We started getting a huge social media following," she said. "I was posting all these artistic cakes, and we started to develop a cult following. We were booking weddings left and right."
With business going steadily it was time to settle down. A breakthrough came in 2012 when she discovered that a space where she had previously interned was available.
With her mother's experience as a salon owner guiding her, Lofton took the leap and expanded Loft 22 to a storefront location, a moment she describes as both terrifying and exhilarating.
The bakery quickly became known for its unique designs and exceptional quality. Loft's artistic background gave her an edge, allowing her to create pastries that were as visually stunning as they were delicious.
Lofton's talents eventually caught the attention of television producers, leading to an opportunity that would further elevate her profile in the culinary world.
"I had been approached by baking shows several times before, but I was never really interested in doing a competition show," she said. "I just like to create, to get into my zone and have fun with it. But when I found out Dr. Seuss was involved in one of the shows, I had to try it."
Her appearance on Prime TV’s "Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge" brought national exposure to her bakery. The experience was described as intense, testing her skills under extreme pressure and tight deadlines.
"The pressure was real," she said. "You see the meltdowns, the tears, the stress, and in the middle of all that, you're thinking, 'I just want to go home.' But then, when things are going well, you feel like you're on top of the world. It's an emotional rollercoaster."
Despite the challenges, the experience broadened her horizons and introduced her work to a national audience.
"But then, when things are going well, you feel like you're on top of the world. It's an emotional rollercoaster."
Lofton competing on the Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge on Prime TV
Lofton competing on the Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge on Prime TV
Business was steady and growing until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic threatened everything, Lofton had worked so hard to build.
"When the pandemic hit, everything changed," she said. "We had weddings booked for the year, but they all started canceling or postponing. Every order we had was wiped out in an instant."
Faced with the possibility of closing her doors, Lofton drew on her creativity once more.
With one final order remaining, she created a cake that would change everything: a toilet paper cake, inspired by the shortage that had gripped the nation during the early days of lockdown.
The cake, designed to look like a roll of toilet paper, was meant as a lighthearted response to a stressful situation that the world was challenged with. Lofton posted it online, hoping to give people a reason to smile during difficult times.
"The orders started coming in, and we got a local blurb on NBC. The next thing we knew, the Today Show picked it up," she said, to this day amazed by the turn of events. "From that five-second mention, we were flooded with orders from across the country. New York, San Francisco, Miami.”
What had started as a creative whim became a lifeline for the bakery.
"We were cranking out 150 to 200 cakes a day at our peak," Lofton said. "It was the best thing that could happen to our business at the worst time."
People weren't just buying the cakes for themselves, but they were sending them to friends, family members and even donating them to frontline workers as a gesture of appreciation and humor during a dark time.
TCU graduation cake created by Tareka (courtesy of Loft 22)
TCU graduation cake created by Tareka (courtesy of Loft 22)
Donut inspired cake (courtesy of Loft 22)
Donut inspired cake (courtesy of Loft 22)
Circus Animal Cookie Cake created at Loft 22 (courtesy of Loft 22)
Circus Animal Cookie Cake created at Loft 22 (courtesy of Loft 22)
Cake showcasing different talents (courtesy of Loft 22)
Cake showcasing different talents (courtesy of Loft 22)
Believe in you
As the pandemic restrictions eased and life began to return to normal, Lofton found herself reflecting on the journey that had brought her to this point.
"Looking back, I know now that betting on myself was the best decision I ever made," she said.
"It's scary not knowing if you'll succeed, but you have to take the risk. Nobody else can create those opportunities for you."
Today, Loft 22 continues to thrive, serving the Fort Worth community with unique, artisanal pastries that blend artistic vision with culinary expertise. For Lofton, the bakery represents more than just a business, it is the fulfillment of a passion.
Her advice to young women considering entrepreneurship reflects her own journey of self-discovery and determination.
"You have to be willing to take a risk and bet on yourself. Don't be afraid of not knowing all the answers. Somebody out there has the answers. If you knock on enough doors, one will open."
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