How We Came to Be

I grew up in the Chicago and southern Wisconsin area with great cheesecake. I learned to bake when I was just 4 years old. As a young girl, I spent time in 3rd world countries and upon returning to the USA I knew that one day I wanted a life of giving back. I started Muddy Paws Cheesecake in 1992. 26 years later, we are still in business in the same city where I started it: St Louis Park, Minnesota! We make 222 flavors of cheesecake and we do work with many local charities. Each year we also put on cheesecake sampling event which brings in hundreds of toys and pounds of food for our charity partners: Step Emergency Program & Perspectives Family. Last year, we were an accidental target of a burglary which damaged most of our bakery. The public came thru to help us rebuild! To give them a better place to come to and to put that experience behind us, we moved to a new location mid-January 2019. To comply with licensing, we must install a tactile drain (and extensive plumbing/floor work to connect it to the main line) which will involve a licensed plumber, removal and rebuilding of our floor and walls of the (to be) sink room.  We must also contract a licensed professional to install a gas line/hook up for our oven, proper ventilation, updated bathroom entrances, new electrical outlets and many other city requirements we must comply with. Without help, we may not be able to finance the new space kitchen build out.

What We Need & What You Get

This Campaign is For Phase 1: for our plumbing/drain/contractor expenses which are urgent. (Note: A second campaign, with a later finishing time, is on Indiegogo for Phase 2: our oven/gas hook up and to create a meeting/event space which the community can benefit from. )

The funds raised will be broken down accordingly:

$15,000 for Plumbing/Drain/Contractor Fees

$14,000 for Other Work Needing to be done per city code.

Any extra funds will go towards helping pay back the loan taken out to cover expenses of the moving truck + expenses paid for paint/flooring/furniture/ceiling tiles/signage/marketing materials and lighting in our retail area (which is done!).

What you will get is your name on a wall in the community meeting space, which will be the We Built This Cheesecake wall! You will also get to attend a private party just for our investors, where will have cheesecake, live music and some surprise perks handed out! All who donate over $40, will get a "We Built This Cheesecake" T-Shirt! (You may buy a t-shirt or extra t-shirts, at cost, as well. Link will be provided here soon.) There are other perks too!

*The celebration party will be early March, 2019.

Other Ways You Can Help

Please help us share this campaign:

• Share on social media and on email.
• Post a photo with the link so it is viewed more.

• THANK YOU all for helping to Build This Cheesecake!