She never thought her love of baking would get her so far.
For the last couple of years, southside resident Dannielle Bryan has operated When Cheese Met Cake from her Franklin Township home, specializing in fresh, never-frozen New York-style cheesecake. Calling herself a “cheesecake connoisseur,” she’s always loved the dessert.
“I’ve loved (cheesecake) my whole life, but I never could find like a creamy, fresh one,” Bryan said. “I’ve tried all of them, and would always just settle for the best next. And then my husband talked me into opening a bakery.”
The home bakery is now a full-fledged store located at 200 S. Emerson Avenue, Suite B, Greenwood.
Bryan has always loved baking. Before her daughter was born, she always said she was going to make her daughter’s birthday cakes herself.
As each year passed, she wanted to do something more for the cakes, making them more intriguing and challenging. One day her husband suggested she specialize in making her favorite dish: cheesecakes.
“It (then) took me about two years to get my recipe down pat, and once I had it down pat, I opened the bakery,” she said.
As time went on and word spread, When Cheese Met Cake got busier and busier while taking up more and more space inside her home.
Bryan converted half of her garage into storage, putting a bakery fridge inside. Then her kitchen became converted, as her island became prep tables.
“It just started to consume me, and I just felt like if it was going to be that much and I was going to be that busy, the only other option was to either just completely not do it or just grow with it. So I just decided to grow with it,” she said.
Over the last few months, Bryan — with the help of some family and friends — has been working to get the bakery’s storefront ready to open. Saturday, all that effort will pay off with the store’s grand opening.
When Cheese Met Cake will sell a variety of desserts, including cheesecake. Cookies, brownies, cake pops and cake slices will be available for customers who walk into the store, Bryant said.
Cups, mugs and shirts bearing the bakery’s name and other cheesecake-related phrases will also be available for purchase.
However, the central feature of When Cheese Met Cake is the cheesecakes, of which there are more than 60 different flavors, she said. “Ganache It’s Peanut Butter,” “Funfetti” and “Lemon Razz” are just a few of the flavors available.
Walking into the store, customers will be greeted by light blue and pink walls. Wall art includes the bakery’s logo and a neon sign that says “Treat Yo’ Self.” Some seating will be also available for customers to eat inside.
Customers will also be able to see an open kitchen, a deliberate move by Bryan. This allows customers to see the whole process from start to finish, she said.
“It’s great for kids, I think it’s great when you’re sitting here. It’s a conversation piece. There’s just a good feeling about walking in and seeing an open kitchen-style bakery.”
Being able to have an actual storefront means everything to Bryan. It allows her to accommodate more orders and have better hours, she said.
“I can separate my family and the bakery now so I can be a mom first and then I can have my bakery,” Bryan said.
Bryan used to only do evening pickups because of her hours at her other job. This worked great for some people, but not for those who needed something during the day.
“It was just a balance of trying to find the right time for everyone, and it was really hard,” she said.
Having a storefront is also a major shift for Bryan’s returning customers. Instead of ordering items ahead and picking them up from Bryan, now it’s grab-and-go with items in a large display case, she said.
“The influx of having a storefront compared to being a home-based bakery is a big difference,” Bryan said. “I know a lot of people kind of shunned away because I was a home-based bakery, but I also had so many other people that became a regular and spread the word. People were like, ‘You would think she had a storefront the way it’s run.’”
When Cheese Met Cake’s online ordering has been temporarily suspended while Bryan worked on getting the physical store ready. This suspension will continue for a while as she gets used to having the storefront, she said.
“Eventually I’ll turn it back on, but in the beginning, I think I’m gonna have such an influx of people coming in, that in order to keep up with my private orders for weddings and that kind of thing, I’m just going to keep it for more browsing what options I have, and I’ll update it regularly.”
Once Bryan does start taking online orders again, she’ll announce it, she said.
Bryan says most people will have to be aware that there might be times when she doesn’t have what they’re wanting. For now, Bryan is When Cheese Met Cake’s only employee, though she sometimes receives help from friends and family who volunteer their time.
“I have to find a balance as I bake and see how customers come and what days are busy and what people like,” she said. “So it’s gonna be a little trial and error probably the first couple months.”
When Cheese Met Cake will be open Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The only exception to this right now is for Saturday’s grand opening, when the store will only be open for two hours, Bryan said.
People wanting to check out the shop Saturday should prepare to see a lot of people. When she announced the storefront on social media, the post went crazy, she said.
“I would expect a line, definitely for sure,” Bryan said. “I have a lot of people that have wanted cheesecake for several weeks now and they ‘haven’t gotten their fix,’ as they’ve said, since I’ve been closed.”
Bryan plans on having a lot of items available, including a full display case with extras ready to go. But what she is looking forward to now is the people.
“The biggest part about it is not only just a welcoming of being open but just trying to see how many new faces there are,” she said.
IF YOU GO
When Cheese Met Cake Grand Opening
When: 12-2 p.m. Saturday, with ribbon cutting at 11:55 a.m.
Where: 200 S. Emerson Avenue, Suite B, Greenwood
More information: facebook.com/whencheesemetcakebakery
