Cheesecake Store in Plainfield expanding into cookie business

Plainfield soon will have another option in the sweet treat market with the addition of Steve Buresh’s Cookie Store.

The new store, which is setting its sights on a September opening, already has almot 10,000 Facebook followers. That’s not all surprising, however, because of Buresh’s long-standing following for his cheesecakes and sandwiches.

After first selling his cheesecakes at the Plainfield farmers market, Buresh opened a storefront about 10 years ago.

Now, Buresh is transforming a former pizza store in front of his current cheesecake business at Route 30 and 143rd Street that will add about 1,500 square feet to his business. In addition to being a storefront for the cookie business, the space also will function as a large production kitchen and allow Buresh to centralize his baking.

The current store, which includes a dining room, operates with about 1,200 square feet.

Closed on Mondays, the store otherwise usually is full during lunchtime, with people seeking out Buresh’s sandwiches and salads before finishing off with some dessert.

Buresh grew up in a family of restaurateurs, with his grandparents owning a restaurant in Brookfield and his great-grandparents owning a bakery in Indiana.

“They made everything from scratch. It kind of runs in my blood. It is taking old recipes and making them work for this time,” Buresh said. “We try to make everything as fresh as possible.”

Buresh began selling cookies about six months ago, but he always has been a baker of cookies.

“We took all the quality ingredients we use for our cheesecakes and put them into the cookie side of the business,” he said.

The cookie store will operate with about 30 different flavored cookies and will have an “Out of This World” theme.

As a longtime enthusiast of Saturn vehicles, Buresh said, the new cookie store will have a space theme, with the interior design being “galaxies and stars.”

The staff is having fun helping to name the cookies to go along with the theme.

“They are also my taste-testers. They are also my biggest critics. If they don’t like something, they tell me, too,” Buresh said.

The most popular cookies on the menu at present include chocolate chip and sugar sprinkle.

Another favorite is oatmeal chocolate chip, which started out as oatmeal raisin but was adjusted because of customer demand for chocolate, Buresh said.

The fourth favorite is the “Out of this World Brownie Cookie,” he said. “It is a cookie but made like a brownie.”

Booming bakery

Running a busy bakery, Buresh usually arrives at 4 a.m., with other bakery staff arriving a couple of hours later, and he often is still there 12 hours later.

Buresh’s wife is a teacher in Valley View School District 365U. Their two daughters have joined the family business, with one serving as the assistant manager and the other focusing on baking operations.

Currently, they make about 30 cheesecakes a day, but that number always increases significantly around the holidays.

The increased holiday orders forced Buresh to bring in additional refrigeration during the season – something that won’t be needed once the new facility is completed.

\“I really needed this space to grow,” he said.

With the additional room for baking, Buresh now has eyes on the future, contemplating possible franchise opportunities and adding more school fundraisers.

And Plainfield is the place where he wanted to expand.

“They are so small-business centered,” he said. “And the people who live here are so supportive.”