Recipes are so secret staff cannot watch them being made and sign confidentiality statement
Mia Stainsby
Sun
Once cheesecake was something to get excited about. Back in the ’70s, anyway. Remember Cheesecake, Etc.? It hasn’t exactly gone down for the count, but it’s largely forgotten on South Granville Street.
Well, marketing is everything. Cheesecake 101 opened last month on Fourth Avenue in a blank, white space that shows off their wares. What’s appealing about the cheesecake is it’s as light as whipped cream and small enough for worry-free eating. You need not ingest a gazillion calories and feel weighed down with fat and guilt as you might with other cheesecakes. (On the other hand, you can if you want.)
The cheesecakes come in two sizes — bite-sized poppers ($1.50 each) or four-inch rounds (enough for one to four people). The poppers come in cartons of six or 17 for $8 and $19.
Dominic Cassettari, who runs the store with wife Katie, says his biggest compliment so far was a When Harry Met Sally vignette between a couple. The woman was reduced to moaning and groaning like Meg Ryan after trying a sample Blackberry Half & Half cheesecake. “That’s the one!” she managed to grunt.
“I was laughing so hard,” Cassettari says. “I wish I had a camera … It was perfect.”
Cheesecake 101 takes its name from the 101 flavours on the roster. Disappointingly, though, only six are on offer each day.
Cassettari’s sister-in-law started Cheesecake 101 in Campbell River four years ago then opened another in Courtenay. The Vancouver store is a template for franchising other stores.
The recipes, he says, are secrets and staff cannot be present when they’re making the cheesecakes daily. They even sign confidentiality agreements.
“My sister-in-law spent years perfecting them to be creamier and fluffier than the stereotypical ones,” Cassettari says. The most popular flavours are the candy bar-based one.
CHEESECAKE 101
1859 West Fourth Ave., 604-738-5253, www.cheesecake101.com. Open noon to 7 p.m. every day except Monday.
© The Vancouver Sun 2007