|
|
|
Bloomingdale, Ill. —
Since she was a little girl, Deborah Zempel has been experimenting with her own dessert creations. As she matured, so did her prowess in the kitchen.
“I used to make treats for the holidays every year,” says the Streamwood resident. “When I made cheesecakes, (people) said, ‘You need to sell these.’ I started focusing on (them in) different flavors. The more I made the cheesecakes, the more I heard I really needed to sell them.”
She heeded the advice of family and friends, and last month celebrated the two-year anniversary of Indulge Cheesecakes in Bloomingdale.
“We grew up with more desserts than actual real food,” she recalls of Thanksgivings. “We definitely are a dessert family.”
But a sweet treat has to be something special to earn a spot on her plate, she says. She carries that philosophy over to her shop, where creamy goodness arrives in varied flavor combinations for her cheesecakes and the homemade ice cream she makes in decadently rich blends. For the holiday months of November and December, pies will make their debut, several prepared with her aunt’s time-tested recipes.
Among the fans of Zempel’s creations are Tracey Colyer and husband Reid Barkley of Carol Stream.
“I’ve made cheesecake myself; they come out well, but not as good as hers … wonderfully creamy and tasty,” Colyer says, noting favorites are the blueberry crumble and the strawberry cheesecake.
She says her husband’s top pick is one featuring carrot cake on the bottom and cheesecake on top.
Zempel says her hairdresser inquired about gluten-free options, so she now offers gluten-free graham crust for her cakes. It’s always available by the slice in basic flavors, and can be ordered for any of the others. None of the cheesecake fillings includes flour.
Besides her retail location, her cheesecakes can be found in specialty markets and restaurants in the region. They also are the sweet center of fundraising drives for organizations that take orders for cakes and split the proceeds.
The shop includes several tables for consuming dessert on the spot, accompanied by a choice of bottled drinks, hot coffee, hot tea and Zempel’s own blends of hot cocoa.
She sells mix packets in a half dozen flavors, which can be packaged as stocking stuffers with homemade candies she will carry in December. She currently is closing out an array of dessert serving pieces and mugs, many with holiday designs.
She has teamed up with the newly renovated Picture Show second-run cinema next door, offering discounts to filmgoers, as well as birthday parties on her premises that include tickets to the movies.
Since she was a little girl, Deborah Zempel has been experimenting with her own dessert creations. As she matured, so did her prowess in the kitchen.
“I used to make treats for the holidays every year,” says the Streamwood resident. “When I made cheesecakes, (people) said, ‘You need to sell these.’ I started focusing on (them in) different flavors. The more I made the cheesecakes, the more I heard I really needed to sell them.”
She heeded the advice of family and friends, and last month celebrated the two-year anniversary of Indulge Cheesecakes in Bloomingdale.
“We grew up with more desserts than actual real food,” she recalls of Thanksgivings. “We definitely are a dessert family.”
But a sweet treat has to be something special to earn a spot on her plate, she says. She carries that philosophy over to her shop, where creamy goodness arrives in varied flavor combinations for her cheesecakes and the homemade ice cream she makes in decadently rich blends. For the holiday months of November and December, pies will make their debut, several prepared with her aunt’s time-tested recipes.
Among the fans of Zempel’s creations are Tracey Colyer and husband Reid Barkley of Carol Stream.
“I’ve made cheesecake myself; they come out well, but not as good as hers … wonderfully creamy and tasty,” Colyer says, noting favorites are the blueberry crumble and the strawberry cheesecake.
She says her husband’s top pick is one featuring carrot cake on the bottom and cheesecake on top.
Zempel says her hairdresser inquired about gluten-free options, so she now offers gluten-free graham crust for her cakes. It’s always available by the slice in basic flavors, and can be ordered for any of the others. None of the cheesecake fillings includes flour.
Besides her retail location, her cheesecakes can be found in specialty markets and restaurants in the region. They also are the sweet center of fundraising drives for organizations that take orders for cakes and split the proceeds.
The shop includes several tables for consuming dessert on the spot, accompanied by a choice of bottled drinks, hot coffee, hot tea and Zempel’s own blends of hot cocoa.
She sells mix packets in a half dozen flavors, which can be packaged as stocking stuffers with homemade candies she will carry in December. She currently is closing out an array of dessert serving pieces and mugs, many with holiday designs.
She has teamed up with the newly renovated Picture Show second-run cinema next door, offering discounts to filmgoers, as well as birthday parties on her premises that include tickets to the movies.
