The door opens with a chime and two delicious smells mix to delight my senses: fresh baked goods and coffee.

I scan the colorful array of different flavored cheesecakes. One problem, I am not a cheesecake lover and I just walked into Cheesecakes by Alex, owned by Alex and Vera Amoroso. My taste soon changed.

My avoidance of cheesecake had to do with the extreme natures of its texture. Amoroso took the words right out of my mouth when he talked about his similar experiences with cheesecakes in the past.

“For me growing up, cheesecake was either desert dry or Crisco-lard thick and there was nothing in between,” said Amoroso. “I had this flavor and this texture in mind. I was always after that thought and the texture — creamy and velvety — it wasn’t that I wanted something sweet, I wanted that [texture].”

Amoroso worked for months to perfect his signature recipe for cheesecake. The couple went from selling their goods at a local United Way bake sale to the Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market. They moved from baking in their home kitchen into the current location on Elm Street. They did not originally plan to open the kitchen up to retail customers.

“We were just going to bake to support the farmers market and people started knocking on the door so we decided we needed to start opening,” said Amoroso. “Nothing was really planned. We left everything pretty fluid. So we were able to let the business evolve on its own.”

Opening in 2002, Amoroso’s business changed to match customer demands. Already baking in the mornings, he expanded his hours to allow customers to come in. He added other baked goods and coffee to fit the needs of the morning crowd.

I could have avoided eating cheesecake because of all the other choices of muffins, scones, brownies, cookies, biscotti, cakes, and Homeland Creamery’s ice creams. Being adventurous I tried the chocolate swirl cheesecake. Liking chocolate desserts more, this was a great way to taste chocolate in the body of the cheesecake and in the rich crust. The piece of pie had the perfect amount of sweetness and moisture. The only complaint — if it can even be considered one — would be that the pieces are extremely generous and rich for just one person. They are perfect to share with someone.

For those who want to try a good variety of cheesecake, the sample pack is the way to go. It has New York, key lime, pumpkin, chocolate raz, pineapple, simply chocolate, chocolate chip mint, and Kahlua espresso. They have seasonal cheesecakes such as egg nog, Italian cheese pie and blueberry. Amoroso also makes gluten free (special order only) and sugar free cheesecakes.

Being a coffee lover, my focus turned to what Amoroso had brewing. From the beginning, Amoroso knew he wanted to be a fair-trade and organic coffee location. Over the years he changed his roasters as they became closer to home. Now Fortuna Enterprises, located in Greensboro, supplies their coffee beans.

“It was nice being able to sit down with a roaster and tell them the flavor profiles I was looking for, and for them to develop coffees just for us,” said Amoroso. “We roast light so the caffeine is a bit of a kick.”

Even though I usually drink two cups of coffee, I took Amoroso’s advice and stuck to one cup. The boost of caffeine was just enough and the taste complemented my cheesecake. It did this by not overpowering the richness of the dessert. Coffee can go to two extremes: thick like tar and too strong or so watered-down that it looks like dirty dishwater. Amoroso’s coffee sat right in the middle of the two extremes with a rich-brown color.

Listening to orders of the customers in front of me, I realized the variety of reasons why people come into Cheesecake’s by Alex. One man ordered three small cheesecakes for an event at his work later that day. Amoroso’s cheesecakes, a great item to take to any event, seemed easily available for someone in a rush. Bruce Beakler, a regular for the past 6 years, comes to the location once or twice a week. After ordering his coffee and crumb cake, he grabs a newspaper and relaxes at one of the tables. 

“All my friends kid me because they say I know where all the sweet places are in town,” said Beakler. “I come in for the crumb cake because it’s just like the crumb cake I experienced up North.”

Janet Creason, Amoroso’s sister, took my order and made me feel right at home. She told me her favorite item is the chocolate chip cheesecake. She commented on how she felt working for her brother.

“I didn’t realize how great this place was until I started working here,” said Creason. “It feels like home. And I am really proud of [Amoroso]; he’s done a good job. He’s built a good business.”

After leaving Cheesecakes by Alex, I realized that a huge thing happened. Cheesecake, not a valid or worthy choice of a dessert before, is now is in the running when I come back here and order dessert.