A popular Jacksonville bakery featuring fit-in-the-palm-of-your-hand-size as well as "mini" bite-size artisan cheesecakes has closed after 2 1/2 years.
Dainty Cheesecake Company shut its doors Sept. 30 as its lease expired at 3061 Philips Highway, No. 102, in Jacksonville's East San Marco neighborhood.
Sylvia Fitzgerald, founder, owner and chief baker, announced the closure on social media — thanking customers and the community for their support.
"Our lease is up and we have made the tough decision not to renew it. We will be taking a break and putting the business on hold," she posted on Facebook. "I want to thank each and every one of you
for your support."
But Fitzgerald left the door open for a new venture.
"Please keep a look out for future happenings," she posted.
She established the authentic New York-style cheesecake company featuring family recipes in June 2020 as a delivery-only catering bakery before launching the standalone bakeshop.
Fitzgerald inherited her affinity for cheesecake from her dad. Strawberry cheesecake was his favorite dessert to make for their family. It was that "creamy New York-style of cheesecake" that he loved that she grew up loving as a child, she said.
Dainty Cheesecake Company customers were dismayed by the closure but wished her well.
"Oh my, I want you to know how much we have loved your cheesecakes. I hope you will post when you have future plans. Take care," one customer posted in response to the closure news.
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 'Very tough decision': Speciality mini-cheesecake bakery closes
