The Peteet family ran its own real-estate company for decades until the recession hit and the bottom fell out of the real-estate market. To put it simply, the business lost everything. So the family decided to embark on a new venture, cheesecake.
"I looked around and said something has to change," says Patrick Peteet, owner & head baker of
Peteet's Famous Cheesecakes. "That’s when we started the cheesecake bakery."
The Oak Park-based business has made a bit of a name for itself in its first three years. Its cheesecakes are all made in Michigan, from scratch, and always consist of two layers. They are certified kosher. The bakery started out with 10 flavors and now has more than
90 flavors in its portfolio.
"We have some flavors you have probably never heard of," Peteet says. He adds that the baker's best seller is Sweet Potato Cheesecake.
Peteet's Famous Cheesecake can be found in 15 restaurants across Metro Detroit. It is expanding into other sweets, such as ice cream, cookies and pushup pops. The bakery has reached the point now that 50 percent of its retail business comes from outside of Oak Park. The company also plans to open a second location next year.
Source: Patrick Peteet, owner & head baker of Peteet's Famous Cheesecakes
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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