PRESS RELEASE
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By Nancy Kirk
Public Relations Specialist - PR Machine
REAL MEN MAKE CHEESECAKES
Omaha, NE- Not too many men can say they have made
over 10,000 cheesecakes, but Omaha chef Michael Schmeeckle (pronounced
SHMICK-LEE) hopes to double that number this year
as his business startup, Schmeeckle's Cheesecakes and
More, goes into commercial production in May.
"Over the past 10 years I've made over 10,000 cheesecakes to develop 50
unique recipes," says Michael. He's been testing recipes on friends and
family and now has leased a commercial kitchen and is planning to crank
out 100 per week at the start.
Customers are individuals and restaurants, and next Michael is reaching
out to businesses he hopes will choose cheesecakes for employee
presents, sales, rewards and biz-to-biz gifts for the next holiday
season.
Some people ask why the world needs another cheesecake, but Michael has
a quick answer - he makes healthy cheesecakes. "My goal was to come up
with cheesecakes that have real nutrition value and taste delicious," he
said. So he loads his cheesecakes with extra protein and also makes low
lactose and low sugar alternatives for people with special dietary
needs.
"My mom is diabetic, and invented a recipe for a cheesecake she could
eat with her doctor's blessing. She gave me permission to include her
Butterscotch Dream low sugar cheesecake in our line," said Mike.
Schmeeckle was a body builder and did a lot of weight training, and
tries his high protein cheesecakes out on former teachers who use them
instead of power bars when they want a burst of protein and
carbohydrates.
Another cheesecake uses fruit juice from the mangosteen, a tropical
fruit which has high levels of vitamins and other nutrients. "Mangosteen
tastes a little like cranberry," explains Schmeeckle, "and cuts the
traditional sweetness a bit. It's a very contemporary spin on
traditional cheesecake, but retains all the richness and creaminess you
expect from a great cheesecake."
Schmeeckle's cheesecakes look more like a traditional pie then a New
York style cheesecake. They are delivered frozen and will keep for two
weeks in the refrigerator and up to five months in the freezer. The pies
need to be defrosted at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before
serving.
When the business got its official start in December, Mike produced up
to 10 cheesecakes a day in a home kitchen, inspected regularly by the
Bellevue Health Department. Now the business has leased commercial
kitchen space at a local restaurant where the pies can be made, and
quickly frozen. Soon he will hire two part-time helpers to work the
kitchen and the delivery routes.
The next step will be adding e-commerce to the website at
www.schmeecklescheesecakesandmore.com. "We're working on the regional
and then national delivery which will allow us to ship anywhere in the
U.S. by the end of summer," according to Schmeeckle. "We already have an
inquiry from Scotland asking when we can start production there. But I
think that's a few years away," laughs Mike, but you can see the
entrepreneur's brain already thinking beyond the borders.
Before expanding internationally, Schmeeckle wants to open a restaurant
and store where Nebraskans can walk in and pick up a cheesecake for
supper, or sit down for lunch or dinner.
"We're been planning this business for 10 years, and we're eight months
ahead of schedule on our plan right now," he said. And that's while
Schmeeckle has been working two jobs to finance the roll out. When asked
when he sleeps, Schmeeckle jokes "I don't", but it's not much of an
exaggeration. He averages less then 4 hours per night, working 8 hours
at his night job, 4 hours at his morning job, and making cheesecakes and
calling customers in between.
"Once we get up to 150 cheesecakes per week, I can cut back on one job,"
he said. "But I'll feel like a success when cheesecakes are my full-time
job." Ten years and 20,000 cheesecakes late, Michael Schmeeckle will be
an overnight success.
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