TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
She was, however, known for singing around town at local churches and events. “The love of baking,” she shared, “was only a hobby I did in my spare time.” When she was 28, Lofton left Texarkana and moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but even now, she reminisces fondly, “Texarkana will always be my home, my foundation. The people, the town charm. I have enough memories to last a lifetime.” After moving, she became laser-focused on her
along behind me and make my hometown of Texarkana proud,” she said. “Creativity for designing the cakes came pretty naturally, as I am a visual artist and have always sold drawings, paintings, and pottery sculptures. As a matter of fact,” she continued, “there is a pottery piece the [Texarkana] Arkansas School District purchased from me my senior year of high school that is still on display.”
When the pandemic hit in 2020, everything began shutting down, and no one was gathering for events. Lofton’s sales were basically gone, and she feared she would have to close her doors. Gathering all the grit and determination within her, she created what she called “tissue paper cakes.” These cakes, intended to be a fun and humorous way to distract and navigate through a very trying time, exploded locally in Fort Worth and made the National Broadcasting Center’s local news. This led to her cakes being picked up by the national news and the Today Show , where they did a brief segment about them. From April to August 2020, Lofton sold cakes to people
future and what she believes is her true purpose. “What could I do with my life that would be fulfilling while bringing joy and inspiration to others?” she wondered. It was then she got serious about her passion and started attending culinary school, aspiring to one day own her own bakery. She enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu Dallas. Eagerly, even before starting school, Lofton began working and planning for her future bakery. She wanted to name it Loft 22 Cakes; Loft would be for her last name and the 22 for her birthday on September 22, which she calls her “purpose day.” She believes wholeheartedly that Loft 22 is her purpose. “Loft 22 is me doing what I was born to do,” she humbly shared. Opening her own business
all over the country. This stroke of luck truly sustained her through those scary times and was indeed an answer to her prayers.
“Over the years of owning Loft 22, I have relied on my faith and God-given gifts to take business to new levels,” Lofton said. She has been a part of many amazing opportunities, including being chosen to be part of the Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge on Amazon Prime Video. She was sent an email about the show, and after some thought, she applied. The producers of the show
came with challenges. It was a long road to open a storefront, but after years of “practice, prayers, butter, sweat, and tears,” in February 2017, Lofton opened the doors of Loft 22 Cakes, her own premier bakery. “I wanted to inspire the generations coming
reached out to her after being intrigued
photo courtesy of Tareka Lofton
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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