A man who started making cheesecakes during lockdown and went on to open two shops has announced "with a heavy heart" that the business is up for sale. Big Mike's Artisan Cheesecakes took off like a whirlwind, said founder Mike Jones, who discovered he had a talent for the making luxurious sweet treats while furloughed from his job at an Audi garage during the pandemic.
The 6ft 3in cheesecake supremo started selling them via social media and within three months sold more than 500. He quit his job to open a shop in Carlton Hill in November 2020, selling cheesecakes by the slice or whole in flavours such as Reese's peanut butter, Ferrero Rocher, sherbet lemon and strawberry. The shop was so popular that he ran out of cheesecakes on opening day and had to close early. A second shop opened last November in Beeston.
But seven months on Mike and his partner Jess Graham posted the shock decision that he was selling the business on social media, confessing that he had tried to run before he could walk. The Beeston shop is closing until a buyer can be found while they focus on the Carlton shop, which also has seating for customers to eat in.
