UNCLE TETSU RISES TO MEET DEMAND
Cheesecake sensation opens second kitchen in Bay St. location,
It’s been more than two years since Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake opened in Toronto, and our infatuation with the dessert phenomenon hasn’t yet waned.
Hordes of people continue to line up for the fluffy, not-too-sweet creations, and during peak cake-buying hours, the downtown Uncle Tetsu shops still strictly adhere to the one-cake-per-customer rule.
So far, it’s been the only way to keep the line of cheesecake lovers moving smoothly.
Luca Settembrini, the Canadian operations manager for Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake, hopes that opening a second kitchen at the 598 Bay St. shop will ease the crowds.
“We need to reduce wait times,” he tells the Star.
“We plan to open a commissary — another kitchen — under our Bay St. location. Right now, we are restrained by space.”
Uncle Tetsu cheesecakes are made fresh throughout the day.
Currently, the Bay St. shop has just one oven with three levels, which means the shop only produces 12 cakes every 15 minutes. It takes 45 minutes to bake the 17-centimetre cakes, which sell for $10 each. “We need more ovens to make more cheesecakes,” says Settembrini, who can’t yet give a firm timeline for when the second Bay St. kitchen will open.
“We hope late summer or early fall. We’re still waiting for permits from the city.”
But Settembrini does know that when the second kitchen opens, fans of Uncle Tetsu will have more reasons to adore the desserts.
“We’re planning to have chocolate cheesecake and matcha-flavoured cheesecake,” he says, adding that other flavours will likely follow.
“The company is excited to bring new recipes from around the world and slowly implement them into Canada.
“We have tried matcha before in Toronto but we are working on improving our recipe. We are outsourcing matcha from Japan; it has a richer flavour which we think our Canadian fans will love.”
For those who don’t want to travel downtown to grab a cheesecake, a new Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake shop at Markham’s Pacific Mall (4300 Steeles Ave. E.) is now open. There is also an Uncle Tetsu shop in the York Concourse of Union Station, and Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Angel Café (191 Dundas St. W.) sells cheesecakes, too.
Settembrini says the shop in Pacific Mall was built with two ovens to satisfy demand and can produce 36 cheesecakes every 15 minutes.
“Who knows,” he laughs, “we may still need to put buying limits here as well.”