New restaurant brings gourmet cheesecake and a lot more to Anna Maria Island
With courage, determination and her mom’s winning cheesecake recipe, Jennifer Geils opened The Cheesecake Cutie & Cafe on Anna Maria Island in November.
Her husband, Kane Geils, who serves as chef, found the cafe’s space at 3224 E. Bay Drive, Holmes Beach, through an internet search, while the couple were still living in Orlando.
“We knew we wanted to live here and it happened a lot quicker than we thought,” Jennifer said.
The couple had been married at Lido Beach, and she had previously worked at the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, giving them a good understanding of their new community.
Jennifer’s mother, Barbara Lanza, made cheesecakes in New Jersey more than 40 years ago. Unfortunately, she died in 1995 from breast cancer while in her mid-40s.
Jennifer started making cheesecakes in her mother’s memory. When the cheesecakes found a ready market, she quit her job and turned her energies to full-time baking 18 months ago. She became the supplier for several Orlando restaurants.
“My kitchen was covered in cheesecake production, and my husband said you’ve got to find a place,” Jennifer said of the decision to move into restaurant space.
The early success with Orlando restaurants, despite the pandemic, provided the encouragement needed to move to Anna Maria Island.
“It was like it was written in the stars that we were supposed to be here. We sold our house and our furniture and moved here with our family. It’s been amazing,” Jennifer said.
In addition to their full-size specialty and gourmet cheesecakes, and their mini cheesecakes — called “cuties” — Jennifer Geils and her business partner, Devan Maize, offered a few pre-made sandwiches when they first opened.
The limited sandwich offering proved to be an opportunity as a growing number of customers asked for more.
Cutie Cafe responded by creating a lunch menu with 17 sandwiches, plus wraps, salads, flat breads and charcuterie boards. The sandwiches choices range from roast beef to Cuban, BLT, chicken salad, sweet curry tuna and more.
This week, Cutie Cafe launched its breakfast menu, including yogurts, parfaits, burritos, flatbreads and more.
Kane developed the breakfast and lunch menu, and said he learned his cooking chops watching his mother and grandmother in the kitchen.
Customers will always come back to the cheesecake menu. In the lead-off position is B’s original 9-inch cheesecake with Graham cracker crust.
Although there are too many other choices to mention, some of the specialty cheesecakes include chocolate chip, chocolate delight, and white chocolate raspberry. The gourmet cheesecakes include blueberry lemon, and Lady Irish, made with Bailey’s Irish Cream.
The best seller? That would be key lime cheesecake. Keto and gluten-free varieties are also offered. The cheesecakes often sell out by 1:30 p.m. so it is wise to arrive early.
The company also offers catering for special events.
The Cheesecake Cutie & Cafe has a staff of six and is hiring.
The business is open 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. For more information, visit https://www.cheesecakecutie.com/ or call 942-779-2253.
This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
