We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tierra Jackman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tierra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

I started selling my cheesecakes in 2022 at my local farmer’s market. Anyone who has ever sold at or attended a farmer’s market knows that offering samples is the first step to making your first sale. Well on March 5th, 2022 I gave out samples and sold my first official slice of cheesecake. That first day led to my first whole cheesecake order, a Blueberry Bliss cheesecake for a small birthday party.

Blueberry Bliss is my personal favorite flavor so it made this order even more special. It’s our creamy cheesecake swirled with our housemade blueberry compote, baked to perfection on our Biscoff cookie crust, topped with housemade whipped cream and more blueberry compote. I was so happy and honored to be their choice for such a special day that I couldn’t sleep the night before.

The best part of it all was when I saw them a couple of weeks later and they told me how delicious it was and everyone enjoyed it.

Tierra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up in the rural parts of Virginia eating my Nana’s blueberry and cherry cheesecake. If you were to ask anyone, they would all say there was absolutely no one in our family or neighborhood who made better cheesecake than her. But to my young mind, there was no one on the Planet that made better cheesecake than my Nana. It was so creamy and just melted in your mouth with every bite. I still have fond memories of my sister and me going to our Nana’s house, immediately going to her fridge, and being filled with childish delight to see her mini cheesecakes waiting for us to devour.

As I got older, my Nana slowly stopped making her cheesecakes. It was alright with me though because all I had to do was ask for some and I could have a slice of heaven again. When I turned twelve, all of that changed. The January after I turned twelve, my mom and I moved to Georgia for a fresh start. For the next several years I honestly didn’t think about my Nana’s cheesecake too much. It wasn’t until I was in college that my love to eat cheesecake started to come back. So like most people would do, I went to Google to try and find “cheesecake near me”. Other than the local grocery store, the closest options were a big brand cheesecake company and a small bakery. I tried the small bakery first and found myself wishing it tasted like my Nana’s. Filled with a little disappointment and determination, I decided to try the big companies only to find theirs a bit too sweet and not as creamy as my Nana’s.

Of course now the best thing to do I thought, was to ask my Nana to make me some of her cheesecake. To my complete surprise, she told me no. I assumed it was because she was getting older and didn’t really feel up to making one. I respected her wishes but still was craving some good cheesecake. I asked her to give me her recipe and she declined. I wasn’t the first person to ask for her recipe. Many have tried to get it out of her to no success. But surely, I thought, I could get it from her since I’m her grand daughter. She wouldnt budge. Not even for me.

Feeling a little defeated by the lack of creamy cheesecake options available to me, I decided to try and make one for myself. During my research I found out there are different styles of cheesecake. New York style, what most bakeries have chosen to make, and Traditional style, what I discovered to be my favorite. New York style of cheesecake is focused more on cream cheese and results in a dense, heavy, and rich texture and taste. Great if that is what you like and what you are going for. I was on a different mission. Traditional cheesecake relies on more than cream cheese. It requires heavy cream and sour cream to help smooth it out and results in a more creamy and light cheesecake experience.

After multiple attempts I nailed my version of cheesecake in 2016. All that was left was for my Nana to try it. She came to visit us one year and I gave her a slice of the Blueberry Bliss. I held my breath as she tried it and waited for her response. She told me it was good and I started to breath again. She then turned to me and said, “I actually think its better than mine. You have the crown now.” No other compliment on my cheesecake has made me happier since. I am so grateful for anyone who comes up to me and says they love my cheesecake. But nothing can top what my Nana said to me that day.

Since then, I have had people who normally don’t like cheesecake tell me that they actually love mine and I know it’s because it’s not the New York style that many people are accustomed to. I am proud to offer something different to my customers that sets me apart from your average slice of cheesecake.

Now after only two years of being in business, we offer over 20 different flavors of cheesecake in counting and three different cheescake stuffed cookies. Perfect for parties and any special occasion, our cheesecakes are available for order as whole 8 inch cheesecakes or mini cupcake sized cheesecakes by the dozen. If you don’t like cake for your birthday or special occasion, or if you know someone who doesn’t, we are here to be the best option for your dessert needs. For anyone with different dietary needs, we also have gluten free and vegan options available. For our farmer’s market friends, we offer a different “Flavor of the Month” in order to keep things fun for our customers and give them something delicious to look forward to.

I have so much fun coming up with different flavors of cheesecake and experimenting with different ingredients. The flavor I am most proud of is our Banana Pudding cheesecake. It is Not a cheesecake with banana pudding on top. It is a banana cheesecake made with real bananas, on a layer of vanilla pudding, with Golden Oreo cookie pieces, topped with whipped cream and more Golden Oreo cookies. It tastes just like banana pudding but in cheesecake form. It is my love letter to banana pudding.

Thanks to my Nana I started on this cheesecake journey and it’s thanks to her and every person I’ve had the honor to make cheesecake for that I now discovered a love not just to eat cheesecake, but to make it as well. It’s this new found love that keeps me motivated to keep going. If you are someone who loves cheesecake, or even doesn’t love it, I encourage you to try Sweet to the T Cheesecakes and experience the differnce of what a creamy cheesecake can do for you.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Shortly after starting to sell my cheesecakes in 2022, I found out I was pregnant. I had big plans when I first started but all that had to come to a halt. I was no longer able to work as much as I wanted to. Rest and taking it easy took priority over grinding and staying up late to get the job done. This sent me through an array of emotions. I no longer knew what to do.

I am blessed to have a family who has always supported me and during this time was no different. With my mom’s help I scaled back my plan and was able to keep going. My mom went with me to every farmer’s market and made sure I didn’t lift anything too heavy or work too hard. Because of her, my husband, and sister, I was able to have a successful farmer’s market season and ultimately give birth to a healthy baby boy.

This whole experience taught me the inportance of being able to take a step back and know that you can still be successful even if things don’t go according to your plan. It also taught me the importance of having good people around you who have your best interest at heart and want to see you win.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Starting a business around this time can be discouraging, especially if you’re on social media. There are businesses who claim to have made millions of dollars in their first year of business and if you’re only paying attention to this, you will find yourself second guessing everything you do.

Before trying to build a social media presence, I always knew starting a business would take time. But after seeing so many influencers and businesses make these huge claims, I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. After talking to a few of my peers and another baking professional, I realized my initial thought was correct. Building a GOOD business makes all the difference and it takes time to do it right.

I’m not saying anyone who claims they have made millions within their first year is lying, but I am saying that it’s ok if that isn’t the case for me or anyone else. I am still working everyday to improve and grow my business in the best way for my family and my customers and that is what matters the most.

I do believe in the power of social media. Because of this, I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone with a huge social media following made millions within their first year. I look forward to the day when that is the case for me and anyone else who strives to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: sweettothet.com
• Instagram: @sweettothetcheesecakes
• Facebook: @sweettothetcheesecakes
• Other: Tiktok @sweettothetcheesecakes

Image Credits
Pictures of myself and the Brownie cheesecake (cover photo) were taken by Demetrius Williams. All other pictures were taken by Tierra Jackman.