OUR STORY

A Sweet Beginning

For over 20 years Guilty Pleasures has been creating fun and flavorful Italian style cheesecakes that turn classic desserts and candy favorites into something entirely new.

The Easy Bake Oven That Never Was

Justine’s love for cooking started young, helping her mother in the kitchen. Every year she asked Santa for the same thing an Easy Bake Oven. Every year her mother gave the same answer:
“We already have a real oven. Anything you want to bake can be made there.”

Looking back, that real oven became the place where Justine learned the skills and creativity that would shape everything to come.

The Cheesecake That Started It All

One summer day Justine had an idea. What if a cheesecake could taste like a rainbow cookie?

She mixed rainbow cookies, raspberry preserves, chocolate ganache, and sprinkles into a cheesecake and brought it to a block party. The reactions were instant.

That cheesecake became the start of Guilty Pleasures.

From Fashion to Flavor

Before opening Guilty Pleasures, Justine spent 22 years in the fashion industry representing photographers, stylists, and makeup artists while helping launch brands like Urban Decay Cosmetics.

But baking was always her passion project. On nights and weekends she experimented with turning favorite desserts, candy bars, and flavor combinations into cheesecake creations.

Word spread. Orders grew. And the idea for something bigger began to take shape.

A Childhood of Nostalgia

Patrick’s story starts in Brooklyn where childhood meant neighborhood candy stores, bakeries, toy shops, and riding bikes to Coney Island.

Those places were more than stores. They were experiences filled with excitement, color, and discovery.

That nostalgic feeling stayed with him his whole life.

A Love of Finding Treasure

While working for the New York City Sanitation Department, Patrick developed a hobby of rescuing forgotten items and restoring them. First edition novels, vintage magazines, postcards, antique furniture.

What others discarded, he saw as treasure.

That love for nostalgia and craftsmanship would eventually become part of Guilty Pleasures.

When Two Passions Met

When Justine and Patrick met they discovered they had something in common. Creativity, imagination, and a love for making people happy.

Soon they were spending hours in a tiny kitchen experimenting with cheesecake flavors, crusts, shapes, and sizes.

Cheesecake inside cookies. Cheesecake in cones. Sweet. Savory. Anything they could imagine.

Building a Place That Feels Like Childhood

When they decided to open their first storefront, Patrick had one goal: recreate the feeling of stepping back into his childhood in Brooklyn.

They searched flea markets, antique stores, and yard sales looking for pieces that told a story.

Inspired by Willy Wonka, vintage treasures, sweet treats, and a little bit of playful imagination, they created a space where customers could feel like kids again.

More Than a Bakery

Today Guilty Pleasures has grown into more than a cheesecake shop.

It is a bakery, café, candy store, and gathering place filled with comforting desserts, nostalgic treats, retro toys, and a sense of fun you can feel the moment you walk through the door.

They finally have the Space they always yearned for with the next Chapter of the Landmark Building at 1 Depot Street.

You can't imagine the Marvelous Surprises that Await You…