Jaelen’s Cheesecakes, a self-run business by 3rd former Jaelen Toole, is an impressive endeavor that creates cheesecakes that everyone can enjoy.  

Toole grew up loving cheesecake ever since he could remember, and he credits this love all to his father, Ron Toole, for the inspiration for his business. For Toole, his father’s cheesecake was his comfort food: a piece of dessert that would bring sunshine after a gloomy day at school.

“I’d always watch him make them; it was something I found really interesting,” Toole said. 

On Thanksgiving 2019, Toole had an idea to start a cheesecake business after he sold a cheesecake he made to his barber. He received a surprising amount of compliments over his pastry, causing Toole to wonder how far he could take this baking hobby of his. From then on, Toole began to expand his customer base.

At this point, Jaelen’s Cheesecakes is operated mainly by Toole himself, along with the help of his parents. His father often helps him with baking the crust, but the rest of the process – the filling, baking, and decorating – is done by Toole.  

His sales are conducted only during the holiday season. He’s created approximately 30 cheesecakes every holiday season since the business’ start – an impressive number from a one-man business. 

A wide variety of cheesecake flavors include strawberry, cherry, oreo, chocolate lovers, rum, Reese’s Pieces, and triple berry.

“My favorite is probably the triple berry and oreo,” Toole said. “The oreo is the best seller.”

Toole has also expanded the range of his customers, from his friends to his father’s acquaintances to even people who contact his family through his father’s Facebook page. The word of his business keeps spreading, and the business has progressively become larger every holiday. In fact, they even receive orders from as far as Maryland.

Toole sees this business as something to continue in the future. Though he mentioned that he hasn’t been able to bake cheesecakes during the school year because of how busy he is, he is still able to continue  his business whenever he has the opportunity. He described it as “a side hustle for the future.” His business has also given him many valuable lessons, such as overcoming mistakes, adapting to last-minute orders, and solving conflicts in creation.

Toole expressed pride over his cheesecake.