Val’s Cheesecakes – Dallas, TX (Part Two)

I fell in love tonight. His name is Val. Yes, Val of Val’s Cheesecakes. Here’s the story. I was checking Instagram and saw that Val’s was featuring Ginger Man cheesecake slices tonight. I messaged to see if there were any slices left. Val responded that there were. I headed down the DNT to claim my slice. When I arrived, Val greeted me and we started visiting. I asked how his business got started. He shared that every Sunday for 4 years, while his mother was fighting terminal cancer, he would make her a cheesecake. During the week she would cull through articles and recipes on the internet. Then, on Saturday he would gather the ingredients; sometimes driving to more than one store. They spent their Sundays together until 2008 when she passed away.

On a whim, he wrote the owner of Oddfellows and asked if he would be interested in some cheesecake. To his surprise, he received a return call from the owner, Matt Spiller. Spiller was interested. Val’s business started to expand: The Cedars Social, Pearl Cup Coffee, Ascension, OBC. Soon, Val and his business partner had outgrown the church kitchen they were baking in. Four months ago, Val opened the small, walk-up store on Maple Avenue between Shelby and Reagan Streets. Business is good and that is awesome.

So you see….what’s not to love about Val. What a story. What a legacy. Love is an action. Years of love-in-action were given to his mother and now he is passing it along to us. You will taste the love in every bite of every one of his cheesecakes. Best of luck to you Val!

Okay, now to the food. The Ginger Man was awesome. If you are a fan of Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter, you are going to love this cheesecake. Creamy with the nice bite of ginger and spice.

Next, were the Pumpkin Praline and Lovers Lane. The Pumpkin Praline was better than any pumpkin pie I’ve ever had. The praline topping was sweet, crunchy goodness. Val told me the Lovers Lane was the best seller and I have to agree. Up until tonight the Royal Lane was my favorite but this cheesecake is outstanding. The rich, vanilla cake melted in my mouth and the red velvet with a hint of espresso…..oh my heavens.