Spokane Cheesecakes, Thomas Speight
The secret to making a cheesecake that’s light and airy, with a rich and creamy yet feathery texture, is simple and twofold.
Low and slow.
That’s according to Thomas Speight, who owns Spokane Cheesecakes with his wife, Gillian. The bakeshop, specializes in small, individual-sized cheesecakes.
Twenty years ago, while serving in the Peace Corps in his wife’s native Jamaica, he introduced her to the decadent dessert. “It’s not a big part of our culture,” Gillian Speight said, noting cream cheese is expensive in Jamaica. When she moved to Spokane and they married, she began experimenting with different recipes.
Thomas always was a cheesecake lover and Gillian loves baking; they felt like Spokane had scant choices for good cheesecake, so they decided to make their own, Gillian says. “We’ve had a wonderful response to the cheesecakes,” says Thomas Speight.