Wichita cheesecake just wasn’t doing it for him, so he started his own business
Jack Feist’s father was from New York, and his parents were very picky about their cheesecake.
They firmly believed that Junior’s Cheesecake out of Brooklyn was the best and that no other really compared. Feist tended to agree.
During the early days of the pandemic, Feist — who works full time in sales for restaurant supplier Ben E. Keith — got a hankering for cheesecake. But he couldn’t find what he wanted.
“My wife and I started talking about how there’s no place to get a good cheesecake in town,” he said. “There are a few people that do it, but most of it is pre-made, and none of them are up to my picky standards.”
So Feist started experimenting at home with recipes, trying to replicate what he loved so much about Junior’s Cheesecake. It took him six months of weekends in the kitchen, but he’s finally perfected his recipe and is making his cakes available to the public. His new business is called EXTRAordinary Cheesecake Company, and he’s selling four- and eight-inch cheesecakes in a variety of flavors.
Feist is also now providing cheesecakes to a local restaurant and a local food truck, who both are selling his inventions by the slice. The owner of Lotus Leaf, the restaurant at 251 N. Washington, is allowing Feist to use her commercial kitchen to prepare the cakes in exchange for being able to sell individual slices to her customers. Food truck Big Bs’ Beef also plans to add Feist’s cheesecake to its menu.
Feist’s cakes, like Junior’s, have a sponge cake crust, but Feist wanted his cakes to be gluten free because his daughter has celiac disease. Perfecting the crust took time, he said, but he finally got it.
Now he’s making them in six different flavors — from plain New York style to chocolate chip to creme brulee — with plans for more choices in the future.
If his cheesecake business takes off, he said, he’d consider opening a storefront in the future. But for now, he’s just enjoying the process. He spends every Sunday baking in the Lotus Leaf kitchen.
It’s been fun, Feist said, but nothing will beat the moment that his mother — a discerning cheesecake customer — told him that his recipe might be better than Junior’s.
Feist’s cheesecakes start at $10 for a four-inch and $35-$45 for a 9-inch. People can order them for Monday pickups at Lotus Leaf. They’re good in the refrigerator for seven days and also can be frozen.
To place an order, call or text 316-285-6048.
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 11:54 AM.
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