Happy Small Business Saturday! Today, I am super excited to share about a local, small biz serving up the most delicious cheesecakes that I promise you are all going to want to try – Kendal & Kelby’s Cheesecakes! Kendal & Kelby are twin sisters who started making & selling cheesecakes while they were in Miami attending college. After graduation, they had trouble finding the right career…so they chose to become “self-employed rather than unemployed” 🤍. Little did they know what a great decision that was as now they are known as the BEST cheesecake in town (okay, I gave them that title, but it’s true!). They love what they do and they work hard to make sure their cheesecake puts a smile on your face. They have amazing flavor options and their popular mini cheesecakes + a new flavor of the month each month – this month is Banana Cream and I can’t wait to try it!
Read their interview below to learn more about this sister duo / inspiring young business owners, why their cheesecake so is special, and read to the bottom for an EXCLUSIVE discount just for you!!
Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in the North Houston area?
We are Californians at heart, born and raised. After attending college, we moved to Houston for what was supposed to be a pit stop to California. But life and love kept us here, where we’ve been for 3 years now.
When did you begin K&K Cheesecakes and what was the inspiration for starting this business?
We began Kendal & Kelby’s Cheesecakes in Miami when we were full time college students in 2017. It started out as a half joking idea that we decided to pursue to see where it went. After college, we continued to build this business, especially after we both experienced difficulty finding careers after graduation. We chose to start our own business, and be self-employed rather than unemployed.
What delicious treats and cakes do you have available?
Delicious, creamy cheesecake is our product; Bringing smiles to your face is our specialty.
We sell perfectly creamy cheesecake in all flavors and sizes. Classic strawberry, turtle, and key lime are among our ten flavors! Even better, each of our cheesecakes gets topped with our pillowy homemade whipped cream. Sizes include 6 inch, ten inch, and mini cheesecakes, which are everyone’s favorite. We’re in the business of joy!
What did you do prior to starting K&K Cheesecakes?
Prior to Kendal & Kelby’s Cheesecakes, we were two college students with a dream of starting our own business. Today, we’re here in Houston building our dream cheesecake by cheesecake!
What makes your shop unique in the dessert business?
Here at KK, we don’t just put a different sauce and crumbles on top of a classic cheesecake and call it oreo, for example. All of our options are tailored for a specific flavor. We swap out everything! The crust, the cheesecake, and the whipped cream vary depending on the flavor. We want to make sure if you order Oreo, you’re getting oreo in every bite; if you order Key Lime, you’re getting that sweet citrusy, tangy key lime; and if you order peanut butter cup, you’re really getting peanut butter. You’ll never have a boring bite here at KK Cheesecakes!
Have you always had a love for baking? When did that begin for you?
Growing up, we learned how to cook, never to bake. Both of us have a huge sweet tooth so we’ve always wanted to learn how to bake our favorite guilty pleasures. Lucky for us and our cheesecake loving family, learning to make cheesecake came easily.
What’s your favorite thing about being a small business owner?
While we look forward to growth, we love the connection that we can make with our customers in this smaller stage of our business. We give personalized, hand-written notes to each of our customers, thanking them for their support. Getting to focus on the little things and hearing how much customers enjoy their experience with us makes all the hard work worth it.
What’s it like owning a business with your twin sister?! What’s the best part and the hardest part about working with family?
It’s great to own a business with someone that you know you can trust. We know each others’ habits, work ethics, and we understand each other, which makes it easier. When working with family, we’re able to hold each other accountable and we feel more obligated to get things done. And of course when you’re working with one of your best friends, things are a lot more fun! Being sure not to mix personal with business has been the most challenging for us in the past. This business was the glue that kept us together during a time when our relationship as sisters was put to the test. That’s something else to be grateful for. So we wouldn’t say it is ‘hard’ not to mix personal feelings in business, but if something puts stress on our sisterhood, it makes things more tricky. We’re both very goal oriented people, so we’re able to stay focused and not let things get in the way of our business goals.
Future plans for your business?
Our vision for K & K Cheesecakes definitely involves bringing our cheesecakes to more people! We’d like to have a few different locations where people can come and enjoy our cheesecake. We have so many new products and ideas that are going to come to life once we get our storefront!
Any special sales, deals, or events for North Houston Moms to be on the lookout for?
One thing we love to do is offer a cheesecake of the month! We love creating new flavors, so sometimes we’ll have a new flavor that is only available for that month. May’s flavor was Banana Cream Cheesecake, and June’s flavor will be Butterfinger!
With this interview, we’d like to give the followers of the Local Moms Network a discount for 10% off your order until June 10th. Just use the code “LOCALMOMS” when you checkout. And of course you can sign up on our website to receive emails of our new flavors, and promotions in the future.
To learn more about K&K’s Cheesecakes and to order:
Website: https://www.kkcheesecakes.com
Instagram: @kkcheesecakes
Facebook: @KKCheesecakes