Layers of Love

Considering the multi-layered decadence of cheesecake, the simple story of the Cheesecake Empori-Yum’s start may surprise you. Owner Monique Williams has always enjoyed baking, but when she needed some extra cash for her dream wedding, she started selling cupcakes. The effort worked, but after the wedding, the extra income wasn’t necessary, so she stuck to her job as a bartender.

However, when she found herself divorced sometime later, Williams knew she was at a crossroads. “I’ve always enjoyed making something beautiful out of nothing, but after my divorce, it also became my therapy,” she said. Because she’d always enjoyed working in the food industry, Williams used her divorce as motivation to do something she loved and that made other people happy.

In 2016, Williams devoted her time to a weekly pop-up shop selling her cupcakes and cheesecakes. It became incredibly successful, and she knew she needed her own space. She located in the heart of Montgomery on Mulberry Street, and today, she offers more than 45 handmade flavors of cheesecake and experiments to create a wide variety of tastes, like cinnamon roll, peanut butter, maple bacon, peach cobbler and even fried cheesecake and cheesecake nachos.

Cheesecake Empori-Yum has always been a takeout style eatery, and that has allowed the dessert shop to continue relatively unscathed during COVID-19. And Williams’ dedication to keeping cheesecake exciting should help the business continue to flourish. She sums it up best. “It is my love and my passion to create desserts that wake me up every day, and I hope that you taste that love and passion!”

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