Freehold Teen Debuts Online Mini Cheesecake Shop Amid Pandemic

FREEHOLD, NJ - Freehold resident Jared Blumer has always had a love for baking, starting from a very young age by helping his mother in the family kitchen. Blumer, 18, is now a senior at Freehold Boro High School’s Culinary Arts Magnet Program and the owner of his very own business, Jigglies Cheesecakes, which he started during the coronavirus pandemic.

The student has been operating out of a commercial kitchen in Freehold since August, baking dozens of custom treats and delivering them across Monmouth County. Blumer specializes in unique miniature “cotton” cheesecakes, known for their light and fluffy texture, available with a variety of fillings and flavors.

The Freehold teen says he has learned a great deal about what it takes to run his own business through Jigglies, from scheduling to financing to social media. With college decisions looming just around the corner, Blumer plans to attend business school with the goal of running a trend-setting bakery in a city one day.

“I love hopping on different trends and making things my own,” Blumer said. “I want to go to business school, I’m thinking of expanding my business more in the future. After I get back, I’ll have this business waiting for me. I think Jigglies has the potential to get way bigger because it’s a standalone market: there are other cheesecakes businesses, but none of them offer mini-versions or have stuffings.”

The teen also credits his mom to a large portion of Jigglies’ success, namely for assisting him manage social media and placing orders. But while the balance in juggling the business and finishing high school has proved challenging, the idea for the young entrepreneur’s business came easy: it all started from a cake recipe gone ‘very’ wrong, according to Blumer.

“I know it’s cliché, but it was an accident at first. I was playing around with this leftover batter from a cake I was making, and I didn't want it to go to waste. So I put some into a mini cheesecake, I thought it was going to be so bad. But I tried it and it was a tiny cheesecake you could hold in your hand. ‘I was like, wait this is actually really good.’ I found the sweet spot and I really got this great cheesecake recipe down. Now, people in the area are saying they love it. I have some people saying, ‘I don’t like cheesecake at all, but this is amazing.’”

Blumer first began offering free samples to friends, family and eventually healthcare workers at Freehold CentraState Health Center for feedback. Once he perfected his recipe for the unique treats, the young entrepreneur then began baking boxes of the mini cheesecakes for neighbors.

“It wasn’t really a business, it was more of a little side hustle just for fun,” Blumer said. “People at their parties started to really like them. That’s when I was like, ‘I’m going to do something with this. It’s quarantine. There’s not a lot going on, I can make some money. It’s also doing something I love.’ It’s also my own. I’m not working in my dad’s office or at a restaurant. I’m making my own schedule.”

But the Freehold Boro student admits that, although it may look easy, being in high school and running his own business is definitely not a piece of cake:

“I’m trying to juggle between school and the business. It’s literally both are equally exhausting. I’ll have to bake for a few hours right after school, then I’ll have to deliver it to people. It’s pretty terrible,” Blumer said. “But it’s better than working eight hour shifts every night and barely making anything. I’m able to make my own schedule and I usually have a social life after 6 or 7 p.m. It’s really sweet, no pun intended.”

Nowadays, even during exams and long days of instruction at the culinary arts program, Blumer continues making and delivering roughly 15 to 20 orders per week. He reports that he’s making a “pretty good income” for a high school student, but he primarily runs the business out of pure passion for the culinary craft.

To the Freehold teen, the cash is just the icing on the cake.

“This has been a huge experience for me. Running my own business, being your own man and running your own schedule, it tests you a lot,” Blumer concluded. “It runs you down, but in the end I think it’s the most satisfying having the ability to run your own business. This is mine, it’s my work. I love what I get to do.”

To learn more about Jigglies Cheesecakes, visit www.facebook.com/JiggliesCheesecakes or email jiggliescheesecakes@yahoo.com.

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