Evelyn Overton was a lot of things – a wonderful wife and mother, an active member of her community, an organizer and a doer – but she is best known for her contribution to the advancement of dessert. She created the recipe around which The Cheesecake Factory was built, the cheesecake to end all cheesecakes. In the late 1940s, Evelyn’s cheesecakes were so popular with friends, her husband Oscar’s business associates and local bake sales that she and Oscar opened a small bakery. Through persistence and hard work, the Overton family’s business grew from one singularly lip-smacking recipe at one small Detroit location to today’s Cheesecake Factory, with 50 different desserts at each of its 150 locations nationwide. If you’re not in the mood for cheesecake, try one of the decadent chocolate cakes or ice cream sundaes. But with a name like The Cheesecake Factory, it’s hard not to be in the mood. There are more than 30 legendary cheesecakes from which to choose, including lemon raspberry cream, white chocolate caramel macadamia nut, tiramisu, Key lime and, of course, the original. Thanks Evelyn.
