Christopher Hossley always enjoyed eating cheesecake, but he had no idea how the sweet and creamy dessert came together.
“That’s how it originally started,” he said. “I was in the Marines stationed in Hawaii and decided I wanted to learn how to make them from scratch. Then I started baking them for co-workers.”
It wasn’t long before the word got around. Parents with sons and daughters stationed near him began putting in orders. Hossley, now an Army sergeant stationed at Fort Bragg, is the founder of The Cheesecake Guy. His many varieties are a hit with family, friends, fellow service members and a growing list of customers. Last week, Kilroy’s Coffee on Fort Bragg began stocking his cheesecakes. Otherwise, he’s booked through January.
That learning process years ago obviously has paid off.
“We’re not going to talk about those first two or three I made,” he said.
Hossley has gone on to hire three employees, all of whom are military spouses. He said his business model was inspired by his wife, Amanda, who gave up her own independence, he said, to support him in his military career. His goal is to open a “brick-and-mortar” shop.
He’s fulfilled some unusual flavor requests, including maple and bacon and a time-consuming mango-key lime cheesecake. He said among his most popular flavors are Oreo and strawberry swirl.
“But honestly,” he said, “the key is in the baking.”
