Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine L. Williams.
Hi Jasmine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Chico’s Cheesecakes has been in business for over four years, but I have made cheesecakes for over 20 years now. The business is named after my maternal grandfather, Maurice “Chico” Harrell. While my parents were at work, my two sisters and I stayed with my grandfather. Every time we were over his house, he was always cooking something in the kitchen, whether it was cakes for friends or cheesecakes for family members. As we watched his favorite stories on tv, All My Children and Guiding Light, we sat at the dining room table prepping the cheesecake. I started as his personal egg cracker, cracking one egg into a separate bowl, making sure there was not any shells before pouring the eggs into the cream cheese mixture. Then I was promoted to the human mixer, mixing each bowl by hand. Later, I learned the entire recipe, and today, I am the only one on this earth that knows Papa’s famous cheesecake recipe.
I took my first shot at creating a cheesecake on my own and entered it into our churches bakeoff one year. Out of all of the dozens of seasoned bakers that submitted their creation, I won 1st place, and I still have my purple ribbon 20 years later. After graduating from undergrad at Central State University, traveling the world for a semester, and later receiving my MBA from Savannah State University, I decided to take Chico’s from a hobby to a legitimate business.
We now have an online bakery where you may place your order for local pickup or delivery. We have continued to grow our customer community worldwide and added over 20 different flavors and variations of our cheesecakes. We’re known for our pie-style cheesecakes and our cute cheesecake jars.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
With any new business, the road is never as smooth as you would like for it to be. We had to navigate legitimizing our business which included:
– Finding a commercial kitchen to use to produce our cheesecakes. We now use Findlay Kitchen to produce all of our orders.
– Applying for wholesale licensing to sale to different grocery store chains and restaurants.
– Finding adequate team members that could pour into our company as we pour into their dreams and aspirations as well.
– Obtaining the proper licensing and certifications. As our business grow, we have to make sure we are keeping up with all new licensing and certifications that we need to keep our business running.
– Financing – Finding new grants and opportunities to fund Chico’s Cheesecakes has been challenging. Maneuvering from using personal funds versus finding investors to pour into our business isn’t the easiest tasks. There are many new bakeries popping up across the world, but conveying why we are the next new cheesecake business that they have yet to encounter has been an uphill battle that we plan to beat.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Chico’s Cheesecakes is a homemade, upscale cheesecake company. We provide a unique alternative to your traditional desserts for weddings and events. We are best known for our pie-style cheesecakes and cheesecake jars. Each cheesecake jar comes with a label that can be personalized and red ribbon; however, the color can be changed upon request. Our cheesecakes give you a perfect balance between rich flavor and fresh ingredients without preservatives. Chico’s currently has over 20 different flavors of cheesecakes, and the list continues to grow.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t believe in luck. My business is blessed! We have been blessed to connect with a multitude of great individuals in many areas that have allowed us to grow in ways we could not imagine. Luck can run out in your life, but when you are predestined for greatness, luck does not compare to the blessings that continues to shine upon us.
Pricing:
- Cheesecake jars $7+
- 9″ Cheesecake $30+
- 10″ Cheesecake 35+
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chicoscheesecakes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicos_cheesecakes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicoscheesecakes/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-l-williams-mba-13045b198
Image Credits
Terrence Shanghai Marshall
Ashley Garland
Kaits Kravings
Nichelle Stokes
