Oswego Welcomes 'The Cheesecake Guy'

OSWEGO, IL — Oswego will soon get to experience the delectable delights of Steve Buresh, a.k.a. “the cheesecake guy.” After the three-year success of his Plainfield shop, Buresh is expanding operations to Oswego. Dedicated farmers market patrons might recognize product from 2011 and 2012.

“That’s when I told myself, ‘If I’m going to expand, it’s going to be in Oswego.’ I liked the people there,” he said. The Plainfield location off of Route 30 has gone as far as it's going to go in terms of reach and output, he says. Customers come from Elgin, Berwyn, Chicago and beyond, just to see what all the fuss is about. He feels it’s time to move forward and find another place where he can reach more cheesecake fans.

Not that the Plainfield location is going anywhere. That shop will continue to sell about 50 full cheesecakes a week (most of them are made to order, sold in halves). Steve Buresh's Cheesecake Store in Oswego will grab customers from Yorkville, Montgomery and Aurora. It’s no wonder that after three years, he's ready to open another shop. Buresh is a risk taker. After the recession in 2010, he found himself out of the job. With no success of finding anything in the few months of unemployment, restlessness set in and he took a chance on something he'd always enjoyed creating.

“I just wanted to sell my cheesecake,” he explained. “I pushed it to restaurants, farmers markets, I sold it from the back of my car, I’d leave slices at restaurants. Anything to get the word out.” Seven years and several bumps down the road later, he’s found success in cheesecake push pops, signed on with Uber Eats, developed an expanded menu with sandwiches and soups, and is now looking forward to opening the second of what he hopes will be many Chicagoland locations. The triumphs, however, didn’t happen by sticking to the status quo.

“Everything we do is high quality, all of the meats we have is all natural, there’s no nitrates, no hormones, no preservatives,” he proudly remarked. “And we have a different kind of kids menu, too.” At Steve Buresh’s restaurant, you won’t find french fries or chicken tenders. Instead, kids can try a pepperoni pizza panini or a bacon cheesy panini. And speaking of quality control, Buresh is extremely picky about his cream cheese, and even “does some crazy tests” to make sure it’s just how he wants it. The special ingredient is customized just for his cheesecakes, he says. “You can’t get it anywhere else.”

The Plainfield store goes through about 300 pounds of cream cheese in one week to make the desserts. His hope is for that number to increase for the Oswego location, which has twice the square footage. Its kitchen is big enough to share, which is exactly what he wants to do. Using the space to help local entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground is a way of paying it forward.

Steve Buresh's Cheesecake Store in Oswego will occupy a kitchen and retail space that has been empty for a decade, 1019 Station Dr. He's hopeful that recently revived talks about a Metra station nearby will lead to more customers. He's keeping his fingers crossed for a target opening date around mid-December, just in time for Christmas. The store will be open 7 days a week from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. In addition to delicious confections, he's all about giving back to the community. What's sweeter than his desserts? The Station Drive location is in the process of finding fourteen workers, including local high school students, to help run the operation.

Image courtesy of Steve Buresh