Tired, yet determined, senior Kiara Torres pushes through the process of making cake balls for her mother’s coworker who has placed a large order for her daughter’s prom.

The fragrance of fresh-out-of-the-oven cake wafts through the air. After the cake cools, Torres crumbles the sweet treat and starts forming balls. Each piece will later be dunked in candy melts or chocolate bark after being set in the freezer to firm.

Once the cake balls are set, Torres finishes the works of art with color-coordinated decor of her clients’ choosing.

For this particular order, there are two sets of cake balls: one that is dipped in cream colored icing and topped with gold sprinkles, and another dipped in a gray icing with a drizzle of navy icing and gold stars to adorn it. The design will go perfectly with the teen’s prom dress.

“I made them match the girl’s dress,” said Torres, “as well as the color scheme.”

While one might believe that Torres’ passion started in the kitchen, one look at the meticulously placed chocolate chips and decorations gives a glimpse of where Torres’ true interests start – art. Kiara took to drawing to pass the time as a kid. Art became a passion, and baking became an extension of that passion.

Torres enjoyed baking for her mom’s friends so much that during the summer, she started her own company at her mother’s urging.

“I did it because I always like to bake for my mom’s friends,” Torres said. She sells through her parents’ coworkers, who give out samples and take orders for her.

She has set up both an Instagram and Facebook under her company name, and she even has packaging and cards with her name so that others can find her online.

Kiara hopes that this will grow as she moves through school, and that it will become a career later in life. She dreams to apprentice under a pastry chef to learn about the baking industry.

“I went to the College Fair and met with different art schools” said Kiara, now at this time, Torres is looking at the San Antonio Institute of Art, “where she could learn skills for both her artwork and baking.