Tiara Johnson
Tiara Johnson
Made the Honey Way A Gainesville entrepreneur turns her love of baking into a thriving business
Story By:
C. M. Schmidlkofer
A
childhood passion for chocolate chip cookies led Tiara Johnson to become the owner of her own bakery in Gainesville. Growing up, the cookie was her favorite treat sold at a chain bakery in a local mall enjoyed by her family. When it closed, she spent years in her kitchen trying to come up with a recipe ― and others ― of her own to remind her of those happy family times. “My vision is to share the tastes of my childhood with everyone by specializing in the desserts I grew up loving,” she said. Johnson has been baking for her family her entire life and started selling her confections to friends and customers in 2016 when she officially opened Honey, Rose & Company. She comes from a family of bakers. Her maternal and paternal grandmothers were respected and wellknown bakers. Her paternal grandmother had consid-
ered opening a bakery of her own, but ultimately decided to only bake for for family, church, and those who might ask. Johnson said her grandmother didn’t want the responsibility of running a business especially after she retired. It would have taken her away from what she loved most ― her family. “Her joy was family first and then baking. Although I carry the same values, I feel strongly that everything I am doing to establish this business is for my family. I feel like it’s my destiny to carry out what they were unable to do in their time.” Today, her bakery produces cookies, cupcakes, and cheesecakes weekly in her residential kitchen. Home-style desserts and red velvet cakes are her specialties. Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Iced Bourbon Snickerdoodle, Bourbon Chocolate Chunk cookies; Blue Velvet and Red Velvet cakes and cupcakes covered with cream cheese frosting and crushed pecans; cakes covered with frosting roses in a
variety of colors are some of the favorites of her growing customer base. They are all “made the Honey Way” and are exclusive home-style recipes Johnson says she makes with love and attention to detail. A self-professed perfectionist, Johnson says her family tells her appearance doesn’t have to be perfect if her product tastes good. But that’s not good enough for the confectionary artist. “If I don’t like how it looks, I will remake it until I am satisfied.” Johnson’s baked goods are available on social media, made from scratch and baked to order using fresh fruit and other ingredients. Her bakery offers pick-up and delivery service. She has the help of her two daughters, Aubri, 14, and Taliyah, 9, and the support of her entire family in her venture. “All of my family is local and they are my biggest supporters. Part of the reason I started baking in more of a public setting is because of their encour-
SO, MY VISION IS TO SHARE THE TASTES OF MY CHILDHOOD WITH EVERYONE BY SPECIALIZING IN THE DESSERTS I GREW UP LOVING. - Tiara Johnson
agement and support. They help as much as they can.” The fact that her daughters are learning about running a bakery business is an added bonus to the mother-daughter bonding provided by the endeavor. “We spend a lot of time in the kitchen baking, experimenting, and taste-testing together.” Her bakery has given her the freedom to not only develop her own recipes, but to build a legacy and wealth for her children. gainesvilleblackprofessionals.com
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