Today we’d like to introduce you to LaToya Johnson.
Hi LaToya, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got started baking Cheesecakes in 2017. I never baked one before in my life. I was an unemployed Engineer at the time doing gig work. I had a little extra money left over and I took my niece to Aldt’s to treat ourselves. I wanted Charcuterie and she picked up a Cheesecake sampler. Mind you my mother is a baker and she keeps desserts on deck for my niece. We already had a frozen Oreo Cheesecake in the freezer. Being the auntie I am, I got the Cheesecake. We went back to my mom’s where I was staying and I was berry impresed with the chocolate cheesecake slice. I said to myself. I want to learn to bake Cheesecakes. My mom had everything I needed, she said get in there and figure it out. It was in my Mothers kitchen where I got my start. I began by figuring out a recipe that works for me. I started selling and took the feedback to perfect my product. I began shipping them to my Facebook friends, and they all said it was the best cheesecake they ever had.
In 2023, I opened my bakery. I was so happy and felt like my hard work had paid off. I had a very toxic and abusive landlord. She had a reputation of a crazy B, that liked to “get over” and take advantage of people. Six months into the lease I wanted to cancel it and a new location where i felt safe. I felt due to the aggressive and abusive behavior there was no way I was going to be successful there. My landlord was also stealing electricity from me. She owned four units connected together. Whomever leased the bakery was unknowingly responsible for the energy bill. She had it rigged to share heat and ac with her salon next door., which caused me to have a huge energy bill. Sometimes she would let herself in my bakery without my permission and turn the ac on. I put a stop to it, so she would try to humiliate me in front of people.
By the grace of God, I finished the two year lease and left her bakery. My sister closed her ice cream shop due to low sells and her space was available. Her landlord had a reputation of being shady. After I signed a lease and gave a deposit, which he increased twice before i signed. I hired a contractor for a build out, which he approved of. He called the building inspector on me to get me to shut down. Come to find out, the space that my sister ran an ice cream shop out of was zoned as a “tax office”, and wasn’t supposed to be an ice cream shop in the first place. She ran an illegal operation and prevented me from opening back up. I had to shut down and I placed my equipment in storage. Her landlord then proceeded to dodge me, after I cleaned the place up and refused to return my deposit. It was my intention to stay open and keep running but I took it as sign maybe the Lord wanted me to take a break. I cried every nite for three months straight because i was supposed to still be baking. I took the time to rest and focus on healing and my mental health. So, now I’m resting and looking for my next location to open ‘Toya’s Cheesecakes” back up.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some of the struggles I faced were running a bakery by myself. To run a business, you have to strengthen, endurance and GRIT. Which I have but, it can be a lot. It’s demanding, and you really have to love what you do. I always ran Toya’s Cheesecakes as a kid”1 woman show”. The baking, grocery shopping, the shipping, photography, the creativity, the marketing. It was all me. And I liked it that way, cause no one could take credit for my success even though it can take a toll. Some of the struggles I dealt with were people that wanted to hurt me and take me down because of my success. To be in the spotlight, you have to not only have thick skin but have a strong sense of “self”. You have to know who you are and why you’re doing what you’re doing. The best thing I’ve done for me to combat the haters is, remove the need for outside validation, and be self validated.When you validate yourself, it doesn’t matter who supports you, becasue all you need is. YOU! Even with all the praise and accolades, those can quickly turn to jealousy and resentment. People will withhold support and information in hopes that you fail. Succeed regardless.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m famous for my delicious deep dish Cheesecakes. I considered myself an artist before a baker and a business owner. I treated my Cheesecakes as a “work of art”. I wanted them to be beautiful and delicious. My work is so good, that I’m booked by Celebrities often. I’ve baked for over 20 celebs. My work is beautiful, vibrant and creative. I want to do something with Cheesecake that you’ve never seen before. That is what sets me apart. There is only one Toya……. And im very proud of how coveted my work is. No matter what I make, people will buy and love. It could be my Cheesecake, my cheesecake ice cream, my cheesecake cookies, my peach cobbler, my mother’s pound cake. People go crazy for it! That is a what I’m most proud of.
What’s next?
My future plans is to buy a bakery. I want to own Out right, so I don’t have to deal with crazy landlords and people working against me. I will hire a good, professional staff. My goal is to the Toya’s Cheesecakes brand and go national. I want to set my business up for international shipping. My goal is to have people all over the world to be able to enjoy my products.
Pricing:
- Cheesecakes are sold as 9in, and start at $55.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toyascheesecakes?utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H484BVpx7/?mibextid=wwXIfr
