Rising Stars: Meet Eric Kinsler-Holloway

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Kinsler-Holloway. 

Hi Eric, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started baking cheesecakes after my mom surprised our family with two homemade cheesecakes for thanksgiving in 2014. I was so interested I asked to help her make some for Christmas. I had so much fun I decided to try it alone. I made a few here and there but didn’t take it seriously until 2017 when my family needed some extra income. So, I made a few for free and took some photos to throw on my new business IG page. A month later I had ten orders for Thanksgiving. After making them all in one week I found my new passion. I was working as a full-time maintenance tech for residential houses but knew that I wanted a full-time baking position. So, I switched careers in 2019. This year, March 2022 I decided to go out on my own and try cheesecakes full-time. I’m licensed, insured, and bake in a commercial kitchen. As for now, I’m still a one-person operation but it’s time to look for some help. I’m currently baking out of the Growing Hope incubator kitchen and getting a lot of help from Bee who runs the kitchen. Switching from my home kitchen to a commercial kitchen has been a true blessing.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ohhhhh negative haha. My hardest struggle is balancing my family and my business. Being a husband and a father and a business owner (and being my only employee) has been pretty rough. My wife is helping me navigate my schedule so I can worker smarter not harder. 

Business is good but when it’s only me it’s also keeping me from my family. So, it’s almost hard to celebrate the small wins as a business owner. Luckily, I have an amazing family to support me and my dreams. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As I cheesecake baker I get to make and decide all the flavors I bake. I love testing new recipes. I specialize in hybrids such as my carrot cake cheesecake. Which is a carrot cake batter and cheesecake batter marbled and baked together as one. My Honey Ricotta is pretty well knows as well. My proudest moment was probably early on when this was still a side job and I saw someone purchasing my cheesecake in my first market. I couldn’t believe that a “stranger” was buying my cheesecake and I was able to witness. It made things very real for me. 

What sets me apart is my technique. It takes about six hours to bake my cheesecake from start to finish. I make all of my toppings myself. You won’t ever catch a store-bought chocolate syrup or lemon curd on my cheesecakes. I make everything myself. 

What matters most to you? Why?
Having someone remember my cheesecakes and having a great experience. Food brings people together and it’s special I can be a part of that. Especially when they purchase for the holidays. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: EK_Cheesecakes