Cheesecakes By James Opens Near Rialto

JOLIET, IL —Even though Thursday marks the official grand opening for Cheesecakes By James in downtown Joliet, right next to the Van Buren Plaza fountain, there was a steady stream of customers popping into the new sweet shop Tuesday to order a slice of cheesecake.

Cheesecakes By James is now open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday for pickup orders.

Slices of cheesecake are $6, whole cakes are $45, 50 bites trays are $65.

A menu alerted customers that the new downtown restaurant had the following slices of cheesecake available: plain, strawberry, cherry, turtle, key lime, blueberry, raspberry, Oreo chocolate chip and triple chocolate.

At 12:31 p.m. Tuesday, two women walked inside and ordered a slice of turtle cheesecake. "It looks delicious," one of the new customers told the clerk.

In case you missed it, there has been a ton of social media buzz on Joliet's Facebook restaurant page operated by Brian Bessler surrounding this week's grand opening of James Sankey's new storefront at 81 North Chicago St.

Talk about a prime location. Sankey is directly across from the Rialto Square Theatre.

Sankey is a Joliet-based baker who has a big following on social media. As of Tuesday, the Cheesecakes By James Facebook page had 5,947 followers and 5,806 Facebook likes.

"In Joliet, yeah, I'm the only cheesecake maker," Sankey told Joliet Patch's editor.

Sankey has been preparing for his grand opening since late fall. Now, it's finally here.

Thursday is his big celebration day because July 30 marks National Cheesecake Day.

Sankey told Joliet Patch's editor he could not have found a better location to open his new storefront.

His new storefront has a long-standing history of selling sweets. Years ago, this was a Fannie May candy store. For the past 10 years, it was the Giji's Sweet Shoppe.

"This is going to be great, and I'm here to stay," Sankey told Joliet Patch. "With all the support, we can't go wrong. We just have to bake around the clock."

Why did Sankey choose to open his storefront across from the Rialto?

"It's historical," Sankey said. "This was once Fannie May and then Giji's. It's always had a history of sweets."

Patch asked Sankey to name a few of his cheesecakes that have been popular of late.

"Lemon and pineapple rum," he replied. "And the blueberry is running off the shelf too."

For people in the Joliet area who have never had a slice of Cheesecakes By James, Sankey said, "they have to be prepared for the new idea experience, because, it gives birth to new ideas. It makes dreams come true."

On Tuesday afternoon, Joliet resident Jacob York stopped inside to order four slices of different cheesecakes, for himself, his sister and his mother.

"I love cheesecake and I heard nothing but good things about Cheesecakes By James," York told Joliet Patch.

York said he works on Joliet's Republic Avenue at Jody's Hot Dogs.

"I'm a cheesecakehead. I love cheesecake," he said. "Support local businesses."

Sankey told Joliet Patch that Tuesday's walk-in traffic was tremendous to witness. For now, he has a three-person staff running the store.

He's gearing up for a huge crowd on Thursday, National Cheesecake Day.

"It's going to be big, big," he told Patch. "We're the only homemade cheesecake maker in town."

People can contact Sankey to place their preorders by calling or texting him at 815-582-4151.

To order online or to check out the selection at Cheesecakes By James, go here.