Beloved Cheesecakes-An inspiring slice

If you find yourself waltzing into Beloved Cheesecakes, in Silverton, Oregon you’d be forgiven for thinking you found a generations old cake shop offering baked delights utilizing time worn recipes.

Though while everything Jennifer Jacobson creates is made with passion, purpose, and a quest for perfection, owning a cheesecake shop, or even baking for folks outside her friend group was never something she considered a reality.

What was a reality however, was a difficult childhood, a rough marriage (she called her eventual divorce a 10 on the Richter Scale) and seemingly endless money troubles.

“In 2014 I separated from a violent marriage; I didn’t have any money I didn’t have any family. I was a stay at home mom with 3 boys. So I went back to school to get my bachelor’s degree. While doing that I was working part time at a winery,” Jennifer said.

Though she was making just enough to make ends meet for her and her boys, it wasn’t enough to spread the kind of Christmas joy she wanted to provide.

“I decided I’d give cheesecakes as gifts,” Jennifer said.

Which from the outside looking in seemed an odd decision as her track record baking cheesecakes at that point was less than stellar.

“My very first time ever making a cheesecake was in 2000 and it cracked,” Jennifer said with a laugh.

So with a bushel of black berries she’d received, Jennifer forged ahead with her gift idea.

There was only one problem.

“I had never made a blackberry cheesecake before,” Jennifer confessed.

Actually, there were two problems.

“I had never taken a cheesecake off the pan before,” Jennifer said.

Following a very informative YouTube video, and a tense couple of minutes, Jennifer’s blackberry cheesecake was out of the pan and ready to bring to school. Though she admits she wasn’t overly confident the cake would be well received.

The next day however, her vision of herself, and of her future would begin to change.  

“I posted the cheesecake I made on my personal Facebook page and I had three people reach out to me and say they’d pay me to make one for new year,” Jennifer said. “I felt so guilty taking money from my friends, but they knew my situation, and then it just started word of mouth. People said I should open my own shop and honestly it became therapy for me. It helped my mind stop racing.”

Therapy perhaps, but a fully-fledged business opportunity? Not just yet.

“My ex had his own business; I know what it’s like, you’re married to it. I’m just going to keep going to school. I got accepted into Portland State for the social work program in 2016,” Jennifer explained.

But little did she know, that would only increase her potential client base and put her even further along the road to self-employment.

“When I was going to school, at the end of each term I’d make a cheesecake for my class. Even my classmates would say, Jen you need to open up a shop,” She said.

Although she graduated with honors 2018, Jennifer found it more difficult to secure employment than she had hoped.

“Jobs weren’t coming. Because I had three boys at home I didn’t get to do all the volunteering my younger classmates got to do,” Jennifer explained.

So pretty soon, her stock answer of ‘I’ll never open a shop,’ became ‘Well, maybe I can open a shop.’ Then when a small space in downtown Silverton became available, she decided to take a leap of faith and become a small business owner. 

“I saw a space for rent, and it piqued my curiosity,” Jennifer said.

Lacking experience in both business and baking would be two obstacles that would normally stop most folks in their tracks. But not Jennifer, not after what she’d been through, not after what she’d already overcome.

“Doors just started opening and I thought, ok if I’m going to do this, I’m going to integrate my social work into this,” Jennifer said. “I’ll hire people with records, disabilities, trauma survivors.”

So in August of 2019, with the idea of unlocking doors for others while also serving the best cheesecakes she could dream of, Jennifer Jacobson opened Beloved Cheesecakes. And to say it was a hit would be an understatement.

“I was totally shocked by the success I was having and the support of the community,” Jennifer said, referencing a kickstarter campaign that helped fund the opening of her shop.

Funds from the community based kickstarter campaign helped her to both acquire the space and to purchase much needed equipment. Which as it turns out, presented another challenge Jennifer had to face.

After doing her research and consulting with other bakers, she eventually found and purchased a used Moffatt E32 D5; a full size, electric convection oven.

“I had never used a convection oven before, it was just my biggest stress and fear. How are my cheesecakes going to turn out,” Jennifer remembered.

Rightfully so, this piece of equipment was basically going to make or break her business. But all’s well that ends well right? Yeah, but it didn’t necessarily seem that way at first.

“The oven took me a little bit to get dialed in, the very first cheesecake I tired exploded,” Jennifer said.

Having never baked in convection or commercial oven before, Jennifer set to work re-learning her craft and after some trial and error got her recipes dialed in.

“Everything is different oven to oven,” Jennifer mused. “But I can’t tell you how in love with my oven I am now. I’ll never use another oven, not for my commercial kitchen, no way, I will only use Moffatt. They just run like a champ.”

With the oven and cakes on point, Jennifer hit the ground running.

“It was booming, I was thriving,” Jennifer exclaimed.

Thriving until the Covid-19 virus thew an enormous wrench into the mixing bowl.

With little to no foot traffic outside the shop, and not having the infrastructure in place for shipment or delivery, Jennifer’s businesses was in jeopardy of going under just as it was beginning to float.

“I was terrified. I didn’t think (the lockdowns) would be a two-week thing like they said, I felt it was going to be longer. I just didn’t know how I was going to survive this. I was a single parent with three boys. This was our livelihood,” Jennifer said. “I figured I’d just do special orders. The month of May was terrible, it was really dark and the lockdown was extended longer. I had worked so hard. Making cheesecake was therapy for me, but then it became a source of pain.”

If it were not for the support of her boys, Jennifer is convinced her business would have closed for good.

“I’m a people person and every time I was at the shop it was just dead. My boys, they really carried the shop for me and dealt with customers and special orders. My eighteen and fifteen year old’s know how to make cheesecakes, and the twelve year old likes to do dishes and help with decorating,” Jennifer said.

Though the shop reopened in June of 2020 with normal hours, business wasn’t nearly as steady as it was pre-Covid. A difficult summer made up mainly of special orders gave way to another idea; shipping and delivery. Jennifer figured that if people can’t come to her, she’ll come to them.

With a somewhat revamped business model, her fortunes again began to change when Beloved Cheesecakes was nominated by bestofwillametvalley.com for dessert of the year. And yes, of course she won gold medal.

“That kept me going,” Jennifer admitted. “That’s what showed me I should keep going and not shut down. I couldn’t believe it.”

When we spoke before New Year, she had just finished boxing the 17th cake of the day. Though the holidays tend to skew the numbers a bit, shipping those award-winning cakes has become a major part of her business. 

“I wasn’t planning on this, last year was my first year in business and we didn’t even think about shipping,” Jennifer said. “Actually, I kind of cheated, I ordered a cheesecake from New York just so see how they ship theirs. I was thinking OK maybe one or two here and there”

But then the Kirk Cameron thing happened.

“He and his pastor form his church came up here in September and did an interview with me and shared my story. Now I’ve been shipping like crazy.”

Alright, Lets hit pause. Yes you heard that right, Kirk Cameron came up to her shop. In case you thought maybe it was a local journalist or community leader interested in Jennifer’s story (and there has been plenty of interest) a quick google search will reaffirm there is only one Kirk Cameron of note on the entire planet.

“I think it took me a day to realize it was real, I was so shocked, I mean Kirk Cameron came into my shop!”

To answer your most pressing question; his favorite flavor was pumpkin, though he was a little disappointed that the key lime was all sold out.

“I ended up shipping him a key lime,” Jennifer conceded.

With the holidays over, and Covid-19 still a threat to health and business alike, it remains a precarious time in the life of Jennifer and her shop. But if the past is anything to go by, she’ll remain open to all of the highs, lows, and unexpected occurrences that are helping to write her story.

A story that is one of struggle, triumph, and community involvement. A story of a single mother, taking a chance on a dream she never even knew she had, making the most of her unexpected opportunities and lifting up those who need a hand. Oh, and its also a story of some pretty incredible cheesecake! How’s that for slice of inspiration?