Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Satren.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My parents and brother started in 1980 as a little East Coast deli. When they couldn’t find a cheesecake, they thought was good enough, my dad had my mom make her cheesecake. Both took off; however, a lot of customers were coming in just for the cheesecake and asking about purchasing whole ones…Then, other restaurants started calling about buying wholesale. At the time, Neiman Marcus was opening in Fashion Valley. So, my dad decide to send some cheesecake to Stanley Marcus about selling in the restaurant. He loved the product and put us in the restaurant and epicure department. We couldn’t continued doing both, so we sold the restaurant, and The Incredible Cheesecake was born! We opened on Adams Ave and have been there since 1981. We sell to restaurants, hotels, and markets in 5 different states. Of course, we continue to sell retail stop by for a slice. My folks retired in 1996, and my brother and I bought the business from them. Helaido Santiago joined us in 1993 as our head baker and still is with us. Now he is part owner and runs the day-to-day operation. The quality and continuity of our staff is what has made us successful in San Diego for 43 years now! We are planning a grand celebration for our 45th!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being in business 43 years there are challenges that arise. Like most business owners, Covid was a large challenge for us. Selling to restaurants and hotels you can image business dropped dramatically. Also, with Hawaii as 1 of our largest wholesale areas with travel being at a halt, we certainly felt the financial burden. However, we weathered through and came out the other side.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Given our name, we obviously specialize in Cheesecake. However, we also make muffins, quiches, cookies, a variety of bar desserts, and Cheesecake Wedding Cakes.
Quality sets us apart, first and foremost. Also, how we produce the cake. Due to the time and attention that is devoted to make each cake we are limited of what we can produce, and we are good with that as we do not pretend to be or strive to be the biggest, just the best! We still make in batches of 8 and each cake is in the oven 3-4.5 hours and sits 24 hours before its ready to serve. That’s why are cakes have a smooth satin rich texture and never crack.
What matters most to you?
Professionally, my team and my customers. I feel honored to continue my parents’ legacy. It’s so cool when customers come in and say I’ve been coming here for 20+ years
Contact Info:
- Website: theincrediblecheesecakeco.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/theincrediblecheesecakeco/
- Instagram: incredible_cheesecake_co
- Yelp: The Incredible Cheesecake Company
