CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Not everyone has National Cheesecake Day marked on their calendar, but Gerri Brown, owner of Jazzy Cheesecakes, does. It’s the busiest day of the year for her.
“Last year, the line was out the door! We sold 1,200 cheesecakes that day,” she said.
[ Local black restaurateurs talk challenges amid nationwide protests ]
While she was working full-time at Food Lion, she was spending nights and weekends baking cheesecakes and selling her desserts at farmers markets.
Brown has been making cheesecakes for more than 15 years.
In high school, she was enrolled in the culinary arts program at East Mecklenburg. After graduating from Johnson and Wales University, she spent five years as a district deli/bakery lead trainer for Food Lion.
Once she started selling wholesale to restaurants, she moved the business from her house to a commercial kitchen – a move that allowed her business to grow even more.
In 2015, she noticed a strip of shops being built near Northlake Mall. She liked the location, contacted the landlord and put plans into motion to open her own store.
Despite being seven months pregnant with her first child, Brown opened the store she named in honor of her late uncle, “Jazzy.” It kept her so busy that she only took 10 days off after having her son.
Black-owned business profiles:
- Kaleidoscope Counseling
- Hair's Your Glory
- Queen’s Coffee Bar
- Red Pen Graphics
- Media Arts Collective
- Boundary Street Advisors
- Reggae Central
- Leap of Faith Dance Academy
- Charlotte Youth Broadcasting Camp
- Jazzy Cheesecakes
- Mert's Heart and Soul
- Charlie's Angels Beauty Bar
- Happy Kat Candles and Gifts
- Move Pack Clean
- No Grease Barbershop
- BW Sweets Bakery
- Rapid Tax
- Premier Pharmacy and Wellness Center
Today, Brown makes 75 different flavors of cheesecake, including several seasonal favorites.
Walk-in customers can find about 20-25 flavors available for purchase at the store each day.
Brown says her best-seller is White Chocolate Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake Cake, which features layers of Oreo cheesecake and red velvet cake.
Brown says she enjoys being part of the black business community and is friends with many other black business owners who she sometimes calls for business advice.
“It’s a small community in a big city,” she said.
Jazzy Cheescakes is at 9402 Northlake West Drive, Suite 102. The store is open daily although the shop will be closed Friday through Sunday this week.
On National Cheesecake Day, July 30, Jazzy customers will have the chance to win cheesecake for a year, and cheesecakes will be buy two, get one free. Click here for more details.
For more information, visit jazzycheesecakes.com.
This browser does not support the video element.