Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Loomis.
Stephanie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am the owner/CEO of Stefie Cake and Treats. We are a fully licensed and certified home bakery. I want to tell you a little bit about how I got started in my baking journey.
Sometimes you think life has to get better. Seven years ago I thought that all the time. I was working as an accountant for 12 years. My Boss, where I worked, hated me. She made me miserable. I was at that point, I needed a break. I was asking God to give me a vacation. I needed some time off. I was so overwhelmed and stressed out things were not going well. Then I got what I asked for God arranged for me to have a vacation. A very long vacation.
On August 3, 2011, I was in a car accident and my life was changed forever. I could not do my accounting job anymore. I could not stand to sit for long periods of time. I ended up staying home with my babies and trying to think of it as a blessing. I love my kids, but I was always working. I was actually a workaholic I may not have liked my boss, but I did love accounting.
We moved to Ohio in August of 2012. This was just a year after my accident. The pain was not going away, and it kept getting worse. I saw doctors in California most of the year that I was injured, but nothing they did worked. It just kept getting worse. When we moved to Ohio, I started seeing other doctors. Over two years of living there and I finally got a diagnosis. It was doctor after doctor ruling things out. Telling me, we don’t know what is wrong with you. It can do a lot to your head when you are told over and over no, its something else. I was thinking all time just fix me. Why can’t you fix me.
In February of 2015, I finally got a diagnosis. I have a pain condition called CRPS. This is an autoimmune disease. It causes pain in my shoulder and my neck. This pain then affects my left arm by making it weak and making the left side of my face numb. Getting that diagnosis was the best thing to ever happen. It helped me understand what was going on and it helped release me from the bad news every time I went to the doctor. I knew now that I had a decease that was incurable. I knew now that they could not just fix me. I knew that I had to accept that I had to live with this disease. Once I accepted it, my life changed. I decided to live again. I asked God to heal my brain to take away all the bad thoughts and depression. I woke up the next day a new person.
Well, I have always loved to bake. I had baked from scratch since I can remember. I made cookies for the holidays, Cakes just because. Baking was never something I thought I would do as a job. I had never decorated anything before. Then in August of 2014, I made my daughter Madison a birthday cake. She wanted a Sofia the 1st Cupcake Cake. I found a YouTube Video that showed me how to make it. I got all the tools I needed at Walmart and went to work. It came out good, and it was a lot of fun. It got my mind off of things. I then made a cake every chance I could get. My brother, my mom, and the Superbowl.
I posted everything on Facebook shared it with all my friends. I then one day received a message on Facebook from one of my friends asking me if I could make a cake for her daughters birthday. At that moment, Stefie Cakes & Treats was born Feb 12, 2015. I did 70 cakes from April to December 2015.
In August of 2016, my husband moved us to Chino Hills, CA. I moved Stefie Cakes & Treats to Chino Hills. I am so grateful for my Ohio customers and I miss them, but I am now building new relationships with customers in Chino Hills. I love what I do and I love meeting all these great people. My life has completely changed for the better. I still get to do my accounting and do what I love! Not to mention, I get to make people happy for a living. What is better than that!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, starting a business is never a smooth road. There are always bumps such as depression, overexertion, cancellations, consistent marketing, making yourself stand out from the competition. One of my biggest challenges is time management. I am growing and getting bigger and I am at a new point in my business that I need to change my habits. I need to get things done ahead of time so that I cannot be behind later. I also have a hard time with saying no and I take on too much. I want to make everyone cakes and sometimes I realize it is just not feasible being a one-woman show. Another challenge I have is overcoming the pain I have everyday. I ask God for a lot of strength to get through my days.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Stefie Cakes & Treats Inc. story. Tell us more about the business.
Stefie Cakes & Treats Inc. is a custom specialty bakery that I run out of my home. I specialize in details and items that are unique and draw people to them because they taste amazing, but they are a work of art. I am not a cake decorator I am a cake artist. You can’t get my designs anywhere else. One of the biggest things I am known for is my cupcake bouquets. When people see them, they cannot believe they are cupcakes. I make them in an assortment of flavors, colors, & sizes. I have people say they need to make up an excuse to purchase one.
As a company, I am most proud of how far I have come. Last year I was depressed and did not have any motivation to work my business. This year I am a completely different person. I am blowing last year away. In April, I had already surpassed last years numbers. I went from 40 customers at the end of last year to over 150. I am excited about my business and where I want it to go.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t really think that anything that happens has to do with good or bad luck. I believe the things that happen in our lives happen for a reason and I think that when bad things happen, they are meant to teach us a lesson. Good things are happening because of my faith in God and doing his will. When I fall off the path is when things go wrong.
I have thought about the day of my car accident and how I meant to get off at the exit before. I think about where I would be if I had gotten off at the exit before. I was meant to have my world turned upside down. I meant to go through everything I have over the last eight years. I was not a very nice person before my accident. I was career hungry, and all I wanted was more money. I wanted what most people want at the top. Then my life changed in less than 30 seconds. I have a pain condition for the rest of my life and I am thankful everyday for it. I am thankful that I have been given an amazing gift to make people happy. I had never decorated a cake before four years ago. I had no idea I could do it. That is not luck that is divine intervention. I live everyday to the fullest, making others happy. I am hoping to open a shop soon and as luck would have it, I have decided that mentoring young girls with low self-esteem issues is where I am being lead. I have had self-esteem issues my whole life and my business has helped me to overcome that. I hope to pass the confidence that I have gained to others who suffer and I hope to give young girls the confidence they need to make it in this world.
Pricing:
- 12 – Count Cupcake Bouquets $35 – $40
- Packages over $125 in total are always 25% off the total.
Contact Info:
- Address: 14452 Falling Leaf Dr
Chino Hills, CA 91709 - Website: stefiecakesandtreats.com
- Phone: (909) 536-0719
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefiecakes0215/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stefiecakesandtreats/
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
