First Rate Appeal for Bassano Self-Proclaimed 2nd Best Cheesecake
Tom and Cindy Bassano are overwhelmed by the kind reception that their cheesecake has received from the community.
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (1888PressRelease) July 03, 2020 - Less than a week since opening their café doors at 507 Main Street, Bassano Cheesecake has already been crowned the best reason besides Safety Harbor Spa to love Safety Harbor. The husband and wife team of Tom and Cindy Bassano are overwhelmed by the kind reception that their handcrafted, family-recipe New York-style cheesecake, café, and retail shop has received from the adoring public.
On the days leading up to the opening, Murphy's Law befell the couple. Like in live theatre's tech week where everything goes wrong in rehearsal and opening night earns thunderous applause, the Bassanos received a standing ovation from the appreciative public in the form of 5-star ratings and accolades across social media.
In twelve whirlwind months, the Bassanos have moved from a home kitchen to a beautiful custom-designed space created by Jay Rosenberg, to feature over 20 unique cheesecake varieties.
Like most entrepreneurs, their story started by accident. Flashback to June 2019, and the couple wanted an authentic New York-style cheesecake, and no one would ship to Florida. Cindy decided to recreate Tom's Aunt Clara's recipe.
Friends and family raved about the recipe and convinced Cindy to try to sell her tasty creation. After the first trial delivery to a local deli, it has been nonstop for the couple. The phone rings incessantly with orders from the deli, other local delis, catering companies, and restaurants.
Bassano Cheesecake has also found fans and fame in local celebrities, including Fox 13 TV host Charley Belcher, retired Tampa Bay Buccaneer Mike Alstott, and The Bone radio show host Mike Calta.
The couple is grateful to be welcomed to the Safety Harbor community with open arms.
"We did not know what to expect on our first day. We hoped for maybe 100 from 6 am to 10 pm, but we did not want to get our hopes up, and we were so afraid because it was not only the first day for our staff, but it was our first day also," said Cindy.
The couple arrived at 4:45 am and started setting up for the grand opening at 6 am. A few minutes before 6 am, people were already waiting in line, counting down the minutes. For ninety minutes, a constant stream of cheesecake fans ordered at the café.
Tom explained, "Then our employees showed up, and so did the lines. It never stopped. They kept coming. I looked at my staff, and they looked like they had been working here for years, answering questions, boxing cakes, making cafe lattes, and greeting each customer with enthusiasm like he was the first customer to enter. They never missed a beat. Each customer was nicer than the one before; it was amazing."
What they thought was just a rush was actually a consistent line of new customers. Minutes turned into hours, and Cindy had to call her employee at the bakery because they were running out of cakes. Though they already had 200 cakes to start, twice that day, 50 cheesecakes were delivered from the bakery to the café: 2,400 slices.
Despite the A/C struggling, the staff never complained. They took care of their customers like they'd been working for the Bassanos all of their lives.
"We had a dream team. And the customers kept congratulating us on our grand opening and complimenting on the cakes and coffees. I looked in the dining room, and I saw our customers playing games that they had found. We hid them in old-fashioned boxes at each table. They put their phones down and played family games with each other like the old days, while Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, and Louie Armstrong played quietly in the background. My wife, Cindy, looked at me and started to cry, overjoyed that our dream just came true. We cannot tell you how happy and proud we are of our staff, and how incredible so many people made us feel. I know they could only see half of our faces, but we were smiling, and some of us crying tears of joy, under our masks," said Tom.
The response to the grand opening proves that Tom and Cindy have met their goal. Bassano Cheesecake is the perfect meeting place for strangers to become friends, and family, friends, coworkers, and couples to reconnect.
During the busy weekend, socially-distanced guests patiently waited and stretched around the building for an opportunity to try what some on social media are calling, "the best cheesecake in Tampa Bay."
But the couple is quick to playfully correct with their tagline, "second best cheesecake cause don't disrespect your mother, Capisce."
For more information, please visit www.bassanocheesecake.com/shop.
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