Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Brusa.
Hi Jen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story is one I never could have written myself. It’s a story of faith, perseverance, healing, and learning to believe in myself.
In 2014, I was a single mom raising three boys, rebuilding my life after leaving an abusive marriage. I didn’t have much financially, but I had my faith, my boys, and a determination to create a better future for us.
In 2015, I went back to college, determined to pursue a career in social work. In 2016, I was accepted into Portland State University’s School of Social Work, where I continued my education through 2018. I had absolutely NO intentions of becoming a business owner!
But God had other plans.
My cheesecake journey actually began with blackberries from a food share. In December 2015, I made cheesecakes as Christmas gifts for the staff at my boys’ school. Their reactions completely caught me off guard! The day after Christmas, I posted pictures of my cheesecakes on Facebook, and three people reached out wanting to purchase them for New Year’s.
I couldn’t believe someone actually wanted to PAY me for something I made!
At that time, I struggled tremendously with my own self-worth. I had a hard time believing something I created could have monetary value. Even as people repeatedly told me I made the best cheesecake they’d ever tasted, I struggled to believe them.
While attending college and raising my boys, my little cheesecake business continued growing through word of mouth. People kept encouraging me to open a shop, but I couldn’t see what they saw.
One of my biggest turning points came when I began donating cheesecakes to charity auctions. The first sold for $250, and nine months later, another sold for $600! I was absolutely blown away. Recently, one sold for $3,000!
It took nearly three years of other people believing in me before I began believing in myself.
In 2019, I finally took a leap of faith and opened my first Beloved Cheesecakes storefront in Silverton, Oregon.
In 2020, I met my husband, Makai. I like to joke that he didn’t just marry me, he married into the cheesecake business, too! LOL! He joined Beloved full time in 2023, and we’ve been building this dream together ever since.
Fast forward to today, we operate two retail locations in Albany and Canby, Oregon, and ship our cheesecakes nationwide.
In April 2026, we reached another incredible milestone when we purchased our very own building in downtown Albany! In September, we moved our Albany location into that building, giving us more room to expand production, serve our customers, and continue growing. Never in a million years could I have imagined any of this when I made those first cheesecakes in my little kitchen!
But Beloved Cheesecakes has never really been just about cheesecake.
It’s about people, relationships, and making others feel seen, valued, and loved. Our motto is **”Because everyone deserves to Be Loved.”**
One of the things closest to my heart is creating employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to work, contribute, grow, and feel a sense of belonging. At Beloved, we intentionally create opportunities for individuals who might otherwise be overlooked. Every person has value, gifts, and something meaningful to contribute. Being able to provide an environment where people feel accepted, appreciated, and empowered is one of the most rewarding parts of owning this business.
I find it interesting that I originally went to school to become a social worker because I wanted to help people. Although my path changed, my heart for people never did. Today, I get to live out that passion in ways I never could have imagined.
I look back at that single mom who couldn’t see her own worth and wish I could tell her what God had in store.
I didn’t have a business plan, investors, or even a dream of owning a bakery. I simply took what I had, used the gifts God gave me, and kept putting one foot in front of the other.
And through it all, God has been faithful.
Sometimes other people see the gifts in us long before we recognize them ourselves. And sometimes the very thing that changes your life starts with something as simple as a cheesecake.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A smooth road? Oh my goodness, NO! LOL!
My biggest obstacle came just eight months after opening my first storefront in Silverton, Oregon. COVID hit.
We opened in August 2019, and business was booming! We had lines out the door, an incredible community supporting us, and I couldn’t believe what was happening. Then, almost overnight, everything came to a screeching halt.
I was a single mom raising three boys, and Beloved Cheesecakes was our livelihood. We initially closed, hoping it really would be just two weeks. I tried surviving on special orders, but without foot traffic, we were struggling. May 2020 was one of the darkest months of my journey. Something that had once been my therapy had suddenly become a tremendous source of fear and stress. I honestly didn’t know how we were going to survive.
My boys were incredible during that season. They helped bake, serve customers, wash dishes, and keep things going. I truly don’t know if Beloved would have survived without them.
In June 2020, I made the decision to reopen my doors. The government had deemed my business nonessential, but I knew one thing for certain: **I was ESSENTIAL to my three boys!**
That decision came with tremendous backlash. The very community that had supported me so enthusiastically became divided over my decision to stay open. I faced criticism, hostility, and six OSHA complaints. I never received a single fine, but the emotional toll was very real.
However, something remarkable happened during that difficult season. Doors began opening that I never could have imagined. Kirk Cameron came to interview me for his *Non-Essential* project, and in April 2021, I was featured on FOX & Friends. That four-minute interview brought hundreds of cheesecake orders from people all across the country!
Suddenly, the little cheesecake shop that was struggling to survive was shipping cheesecakes nationwide. People were calling, emailing, ordering, praying for us, and encouraging me to keep going.
Looking back, what felt like the end of my business became a turning point in its growth.
Of course, the challenges didn’t stop with COVID. Growing from a little storefront into multiple locations, nationwide shipping, and wholesale accounts has brought an entirely new set of obstacles. I’ve had to learn how to manage employees, lead a team, navigate financial pressures, and make decisions that affect far more people than just myself.
I’ve made mistakes. I’ve cried. I’ve questioned myself. And I’ve had plenty of sleepless nights!
But one thing I’ve learned is that **you don’t develop grit when everything is going your way. You develop grit when everything seems to be going wrong and you choose to keep going anyway.**
My faith in Jesus has carried me through every season. I’ve learned to trust Him even when I can’t see what’s ahead.
I often say Beloved Cheesecakes belongs to God. I’m simply the steward of what He’s entrusted to me.
And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that God has been faithful through it ALL.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Beloved Cheesecakes?
Beloved Cheesecakes is a family-owned, faith-driven cheesecake company with two retail locations in Albany and Canby, Oregon, and we ship our cheesecakes nationwide!
We specialize in premium, handcrafted cheesecakes, and when I say handcrafted, I mean it! Everything is made from scratch in our own kitchen, from our crusts and cheesecake fillings to our whipped cream and fresh fruit sauces. We don’t believe in cutting corners when it comes to quality.
We offer eight signature flavors along with a rotating seasonal flavor each month. Our customers can enjoy cheesecake by the slice, mini cheesecakes, cheesecake bites, whole cheesecakes, and our very popular samplers. We also offer gluten-free, sugar-free (sweetened with monk fruit), keto-friendly, and vegan options because we want as many people as possible to enjoy cheesecake!
We’ve been incredibly blessed to receive Best of the Willamette Valley awards for seven years, including Gold for Best Dessert in 2026! That recognition means so much because it’s our customers who continue to support and vote for us.
But what truly sets Beloved apart isn’t just our cheesecake. It’s the experience we want every person to have when they walk through our doors.
I want people to feel genuinely welcomed, appreciated, and valued. I want our team to know that they’re not just serving cheesecake, they’re serving people. Relationships have always been at the heart of everything we do.
One of the things I’m most proud of is that as we’ve grown, we’ve remained committed to making our cheesecakes from scratch and providing exceptional customer service. Growing a business is exciting, but growing without compromising your values is what really matters to me.
Our mission has always been so much bigger than dessert. We want to make a difference in people’s lives, even if it’s through something as simple as a smile, a conversation, or a slice of cheesecake.
Our motto says it all: **”Because everyone deserves to Be Loved.”**
And that’s not just a catchy slogan. It’s genuinely why we do what we do.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Oh my goodness, SO many people! I could probably write an entire book just about the people who have helped me along this journey!
First and foremost, I give all the glory to God. I truly believe He gave me this gift, opened doors I never could have opened myself, and carried me through seasons when I didn’t know how I was going to make it.
My three boys, Chase, Gabe, and Jayden, deserve tremendous credit. They’ve been part of this journey from the very beginning. During COVID, they stepped up in ways I’ll never forget, helping bake cheesecakes, wash dishes, serve customers, and do whatever needed to be done. Beloved has been part of their lives almost as much as mine!
Then there’s my husband, Makai. We met in 2020, and when he married me, he married into the cheesecake business, too! LOL! He joined Beloved full time in 2023, and we’ve been building this dream together ever since.
Beyond my family, God has surrounded me with some of the most incredible people. Friends who have walked through the darkest valleys and celebrated the highest mountaintops with me. People who have prayed over me, encouraged me, cried with me, challenged me, and believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself.
I’ve been blessed with mentors, coaches, and people who have become family along the way. They’ve poured their wisdom, time, love, and encouragement into me, both personally and professionally. I wouldn’t be the woman or business owner I am today without them.
And my TEAM! Oh my goodness, my team! From our incredibly talented bakers who pour their hearts into every cheesecake to the wonderful people serving our customers, packing orders, and working behind the scenes, they are such a huge part of what makes Beloved special. I’m so grateful for every person who has been part of our team throughout the years.
And of course, our customers and communities! From those first three cheesecake orders to the thousands of people who have supported us since, they’ve encouraged us, prayed for us, shared our story, and helped make Beloved what it is today.
There are simply too many people to name, and I would never want to leave someone out. But I hope each person who has walked alongside me knows how deeply grateful I am. Every prayer, every encouraging word, every helping hand, and every act of kindness has mattered more than they probably realize.
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that while I may have started Beloved Cheesecakes, I certainly didn’t build it alone.
God has placed some extraordinary people in my life, and each one has played a part in this journey. I don’t take a single one of those relationships for granted. I’m forever grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://belovedcheesecakes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beloved.cheesecakes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BelovedCheesecakes/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-brusa-2b7918332
- Twitter: https://x.com/BelovedccUSA
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@belovedcheesecakes
