Our Mission
At Cheesecake Funk, our mission is to create an extraordinary cheesecake experience that extends the boundaries of flavor and quality. We are dedicated to delivering exceptional, mouthwatering cheesecakes to the Twin Cities and beyond, ensuring our customers savor every bite on any occasion.
The Cheesecake Funk Story:
Cheesecake Funk™ was started by founding owner and head baker, Vanessa Drews in 2003 to share her cheesecakes with family and friends. In 2008, her cheesecakes became the only dessert offered at McMahon’s Irish Pub, in south Minneapolis.
After a tragic event in 2010, the pub burned down and Vanessa chose to go back to focusing on her full-time job as a Senior Paralegal.
At this time, Vanessa's plans of baking cheesecakes at a large-scale for consumers were put on hold. However, baking cheesecake continued to be a staple dessert that was requested by family and friends.
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In August 2019, Vanessa made the life-changing decision to step away from her legal career and step into a new path of growing her Cheesecake Funk™ business full-time.
My Adventure Begins at Paisley Park with Prince
In 2013, Vanessa had the incredible opportunity to connect with Prince and Paisley Park as she was asked to manage the sales of Prince merchandise at his world famous compound during public and private events.
It was during this time where she started bringing in cheesecakes to share with staff at Paisley Park and for musicians rehearsing for often long hours at a time. Samples were left in the kitchen for people to enjoy.
It wouldn’t be long before a certain purple superstar discovered her signature turtle cheesecake and quietly became a huge fan of her culinary baking talent. He wouldn’t be quiet for long though.
Prince’s fondness of our cheesecakes is such an honor. His gracious mentions of our product to his supporters has made our desserts something people from around the world want.
Cheesecake Funk™ has been requested from all areas of the United States, Central America, Europe, France, Germany, Netherlands, and as far as Japan.
Many New Power Generation band members are fond of our cheesecakes as well and we are thankful to their continued support as well. In 2018, after years’ worth of continued demand and support of our cheesecakes, Vanessa began making plans of launching Cheesecake Funk LLC.
Vanessa Drews at The Fillmore Minneapolis Grand Opening.
Vanessa Drews is a dedicated mother of two children, entrepreneur and honored to bring amazing cheesecake to Twin Cities dessert lovers.
Baking and cooking is something she has always enjoyed, but she knew something was special with her unique and delicious cheesecake.
Prior to owing Cheesecake Funk, Vanessa worked in the legal field as a Senior Paralegal in downtown Minneapolis, helping thousands of clients during very difficult times. Helping others continues to be a priority, and this new role of providing desserts to the Twin Cities is very, very rewarding.
Vanessa lives in Chanhassen, MN with her two children and her greatest joy in the world is being their mother.