The Cheesecake Fairy creates magical flavor combinations in single-serve size
Dave Zuchowski/for the Observer-Reporter
Jennifer Carota poses in her kitchen with her mixer and signature cheesecakes
Dave Zuchowski/for the Observer-Reporter
Jennifer Carota poses in her kitchen with her signature cheesecakes
Dave Zuchowski/for the Observer-Reporter
Jennifer Carota
Courtesy of The Cheesecake Fairy
Courtesy of The Cheesecake Fairy
Courtesy of The Cheesecake Fairy
Courtesy of The Cheesecake Fairy
Courtesy of The Cheesecake Fairy
Courtesy of The Cheesecake Fairy
Courtesy of The Cheesecake Fairy
With 28 years in the helping profession, Jennifer Melnick Carota says she still loves her counseling career.
However, as founder of the Counseling House Group in Belle Vernon, a group private practice that celebrated its 11th anniversary on April 1, she also said that counseling could be a stressful profession.
Looking for a way to reduce stress and tension, she looked back on her early days helping her grandmother, Rose Clark, bake chicken pies as a fundraiser for the First Presbyterian Church of Belle Vernon.
“Between the ages of eight and my late teens, we baked hundreds of pies every two weeks,” Carota said. “I still know how to make them, but they don’t taste the same as hers. They’re close enough, though.”
For Carota, it was an easy segue from chicken pies to cheesecakes. Make that creative cheesecakes. At first, the intrepid counselor started to make the tasty treats for family and friends in the early 2000s. As time passed, she perfected her recipe by taste testing with her husband, Bob. The result is today’s intricate balance of sweet, creamy and light.
A sort of traditional maverick, Carota builds her cheesecakes in individual 8-ounce, wide-mouth Mason jars rather than the usual 12-inch round cakes most people are familiar with. Another variation from the norm is that she’ll sometimes blend the crust in the middle of the cake as well as at the bottom. Crusts are equally creative and might be made from crumbles, cake, cookies or even donuts.
In between and on top are hundreds of possible flavor variations. While the cheesecake recipe is a constant, the sky’s the limit for the optional ingredients. They’re either homemade or sourced with a partner, preferably a local business that supplies syrups, jams and baked goods like cookies.
“For instance, I just partnered with Katie’s Cookie Jar of Perryopolis to top some of my cheesecakes with her seasonal sugar cookies,” Carota explained.
In June, she’ll partner with the White Orchid Bridal Boutique to make wedding cake cheesecakes for would-be brides who purchase their gowns from the Belle Vernon specialty emporium. The treats will be layered with vanilla cake, raspberry filling, buttercream frosting and, of course, her specialty cheesecake base.
On the first Friday of May, Brochachos Salsa of Canonsburg featured Carota’s chocolate churro and strawberry tres leches cheesecakes at the First Fridays of Downtown Washington event.
“Some of the creations I make are memory-based, like my toasted coconut cheesecake, a spin on the coconut cake my mother made me for my birthdays,” Carota said. “It’s a blend of vanilla cake, toasted coconut and homemade buttercream.”
For Christmas, she’ll make a red velvet variation and says the fun she gets from the business is creating new flavors.
The cheesecake maker also extends her flavors by crossing over to the savory side with such inventions as her cranberry, pecan and blue cheese cheesecakes, especially popular with people who like to take them to area wineries. And how about dill pickle cheesecake or a summertime favorite, sun-dried tomato and basil cheesecake?
“I make a premium product that I like to call crave-worthy,” Carota said. “They’re perfectly portioned for one serving and are too good to share.”
As soon as she makes them, Carota freezes her cakes, which she says will last up to six months in the freezer. Unopened, the cheesecakes have a 7-to-10-day shelf life in the fridge.
Since trademarking her business five years ago, Carota has sold her premium product only wholesale to restaurants, cafes, farmers markets and gift and floral shops. To buy from her, retailers must order a dozen of a single-flavor cheesecake at a minimum.
For those who’d like to try her cheesecake, customers will find them on the shelves at Creative Elegance at 719 Broad St. in Belle Vernon and at Harmony Acres Farm at 355 Perryopolis Road in Belle Vernon.
For Mother’s Day, Scott McCullough, owner of Creative Elegance, plans to bundle her cheesecake with one of three floral arrangement options ranging in price from $20 to $45.
“I sell quite a few of Jen’s cheesecakes and have many customers who come in to purchase them,” he said. “Personally, I have never found a flavor, sweet or savory, that I didn’t like.
If you’re wondering where Carota came up with the fanciful name for her business, she explained that, like the tooth fairy, she often surprised friends and relatives with one of her cheesecakes.
As to the future, Carota said she wants to make people smile and give them joy through her cheesecakes.
“I want to grow strategically so more people can experience my cheesecakes and partner with other local businesses that value creating new products collaboratively,” she said. “You never know where the Cheesecake Fairy will land next.”