Sweet treats served with an even sweeter mission in Cape Girardeau
STORY AND PHOTOS by Ricki Spargo
Open the door to My Daddy’s Cheesecake and be transported into a cozy escape in the heart of southeast Missouri. Here, locals celebrate life’s milestones over delectable slices of cheesecake and fresh coffee. For nearly 40 years the legacy cafe has served up delicious sweet treats, warm comfort food and a vibe you can’t find anywhere else.
The Original Recipe
The bakery’s beginnings date back to the late 1980s, when Southeast Missouri State University professor Tom Harte became known among family and friends for his rich, homemade cheesecakes. During a summer waitressing job, Tom’s daughter encouraged him to bake a few cakes each week for the restaurant where she worked. She even suggested customers try a slice of “my daddy’s cheesecake.” The phrase caught on, the name stuck and demand quickly grew. The once home-baked dessert turned into a regional favorite across Southeast Missouri.
By the mid-90s, the Cape Girardeau business was booming. Veteran baker and Wilton School of Cake Decorating & Confectionery Arts graduate Wes Kinsey took over with the hopes of expanding the bakery’s reach. Alongside his partners, Kevin and Susan Stanfield, Wes transformed the stand-alone bakery into a bakery and cafe, adding salads, sandwiches, soups and more to their already growing list of desserts.
Now, their menu also includes breakfast items, a variety of wraps, seasonal sweet treats and a case full of rotating cheesecake flavors. Their Broadview Street location serves as a community hotspot. On any given morning you’ll find tables full of caffeinated college students doing homework, children snacking on brownies, coaches drafting this season’s plays with hearty biscuits and gravy and lifelong Bible study partners sharing stories over lunch. It’s community, comfort and cheesecake—all under one roof.
Serving Up Sweetness
Since the ’80s, My Daddy’s Cheesecake has grown their cheesecake menu to include seasonal flavors such as red velvet or chocolate-covered strawberry. A local Valentine’s Day favorite is their berry swirl cheesecake, which combines the classic creamy cheesecake with fruity swirls of red berry compote.
Their baking routine is down to a science, with cheesecakes being made, frozen, shipped or served within several days. With an estimated 20,000 cheesecakes a year between in-house, online and fundraising orders, their crew of bakers ensures every order is prepared to perfection.
General Manager Anna Phillips, has been with the company for more than 14 years. “The holidays get hectic, but our system keeps us sane,” she says. “Every cheesecake is made, frozen, sliced and shipped within three days. That’s on top of whatever we’re making to have here in store.”
Baking with Purpose
In early 2026, the bakery was purchased by Adult and Teen Challenge Mid-America, a national organization based in Cape Girardeau, which offers long-term drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs focused on faith-based recovery. Teen Challenge will direct 100% of proceeds toward their Deborah’s House campus, a new women’s restoration center in Cape Girardeau County. My Daddy’s Cheesecake will continue to slice, ship and serve their gourmet confections while training program graduates on hospitality and applicable vocational skills.
“The goal is for no one to realize we bought it, to be honest,” says James Bolin, CEO of Teen Challenge Mid-America. “The community loves this business. We want to keep it absolutely the same. You’ll be sitting down for the same great slice of cheesecake, but your money is going toward a great cause — helping rehabilitated young women in Missouri.”
For more information, follow My Daddy’s Cheesecake and Adult & Teen Challenge Mid-America on Facebook.
Email Ricki Spargo at rspargo@ruralmissouri.coop.