He never thought that his love of cooking would get him this far.
For the past two years, southside resident Dannielle Bryan has operated When Cheese Met Cake out of her home in Franklin Township, specializing in fresh, non-frozen New York-style cheesecake. Calling herself a “cheesecake connoisseur,” she has always loved dessert.
“I’ve loved (cheesecake) all my life, but I’ve never seen anything like a creamy, fresh cake,” Bryan said. “I’ve tried them all, and have always been satisfied with the next best. And then my husband told me to open a bakery.”
The home bakery is now a full-service store located at 200 S. Emerson Avenue, Suite B, Greenwood.
Bryan loves to cook. Before her daughter was born, she always said that she would make her daughter’s birthday cakes herself.
As each year passes, he wants to do something more for the cakes, making them more interesting and challenging. One day her husband suggested that she specialize in making her favorite dish: cheesecakes.
“It took me two years to get my recipe, and when I finished it, I opened the bakery,” he said.
As time passed and the news spread, When Cheese Met Cake got busier and busier while taking up more and more space inside his house.
Bryan converted half of his garage into storage, putting a bakery refrigerator inside. Then her kitchen was converted, as her island became a prep table.
“It’s just starting to consume me, and I feel like if it’s going to be this much and I’m going to be this busy, the other option is to not do it at all or just grow with it. So I just decided to grow with it,” he said.
For the past few months, Bryan — with the help of some family and friends — has been working to get the bakery store ready to open. Saturday, all the effort will pay off with the store’s grand opening.
If Cheese Met Cake sells a variety of desserts, including cheesecake. Cookies, brownies, cake pops and slices of cake will be available for customers who come into the store, Bryant said.
Mugs, mugs and shirts with the bakery’s name and other cheesecake-related sayings will also be available for purchase.
However, the centerpiece of When Cheese Met Cake is the cheesecakes, of which there are more than 60 different flavors, he said. “Ganache It’s Peanut Butter,” “Funfetti” and “Lemon Razz” are just a few of the flavors available.
Entering the store, customers are greeted by light blue and pink walls. The wall art includes the bakery’s logo and a neon sign that says “Treat Yo’ Self.” There are some seats available for customers to dine in as well.
Customers will also see an open kitchen, a deliberate move by Bryan. This allows customers to see the entire process from start to finish, he said.
“It’s great for the kids, I think it’s great when you’re sitting here. It’s a conversation piece. There is a great feeling about walking in and looking into an open kitchen style bakery. “
Having an actual storefront means everything to Bryan. It allowed him to accommodate more orders and have better timing, he said.
“I can separate my family and the bakery now so I can be a mother first and then I can have my bakery,” said Bryan.
Previously, Bryan would only pick up because of his hours at another job. This works well for some people, but not for those who need something during the day.
“It’s just a balance of trying to find the right time for everything, and it’s very difficult,” he said.
Having a storefront is also a big move 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, he said.
“The influx of a storefront versus a home-based bakery is a big difference,” Bryan said. “I know a lot of people shy away because I’m a home-based baker, but I also have a lot of people who become regulars and spread the word. People are like, ‘Can you believe she has a shop the way it’s run.’ “
When Cheese Met Cake online ordering is temporarily suspended while Bryan works to prepare the physical store. This suspension will continue for a while while he gets used to having a storefront, he said.
“Eventually I’ll bring it back, but in the beginning, I think there will be such an influx of people coming in, that in order to keep my private orders for weddings and that kind of thing, I’ll just keep it for more to browse what options I have, and I will update it regularly.”
When Bryan starts taking online orders again, he will announce it, he said.
Bryan says that most people need to realize that there are times when he doesn’t get what they want. Currently, Bryan is the only employee at When Cheese Met Cake, although he sometimes gets help from friends and family who volunteer their time.
“I have to find a balance when I’m cooking and see how the customers come in and what days are busy and what people want,” he said. “So it’s going to be a little trial and error probably in the first few months.”
If Cheese Met Cake is open Wednesday from 11 am to 5 pm, Thursday from 11 am to 6 pm, Friday from 10:30 am to 4 pm and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. grand opening, when the store will be open for just two hours, said Bryan.
People who want to look at the store on Saturday should be prepared to see a lot of people. When he announced the storefront on social media, the post went crazy, he said.
“I would expect a line, definitely for sure,” Bryan said. “I’ve had a lot of people wanting cheesecake for weeks now and they ‘haven’t gotten their fix,’ as they say, since I’ve been closed.”
Bryan plans to have more items available, including a full display case with extras at the ready. But what he expects now is the people.
“The biggest part about it is not just a welcome openness but just trying to see how many new faces there are,” he said.
IF YOU go
When the Cheese Met Cake Grand Opening
When: 12-2 pm Saturday, with ribbon cutting at 11:55 am
Where: 200 S. Emerson Avenue, Suite B, Greenwood
More info: facebook.com/whencheesemetcakebakery
