Family Tradition to Sweet Success: The Dirty Cheesecake Story

The Interior of the Dirty Cheesecake – Photo by Brian Kachejian

I remember growing up in the Bronx in the ’60s and ’70s when the announcement came that a McDonald’s was opening up in our neighborhood. Now, for anybody living in the present day, the news of a new McDonald’s opening up nearby pretty much means absolutely nothing. Yet, it was huge news back then because it meant something exciting that we were not used to. I got the same feeling over the past few months when I saw the announcement that a new store called The Dirty Cheesecake was opening up in Smithtown. It was to open in a brand new building off Route 25 Main Street Smithtown. It’s always exciting when something new opens up, especially if it’s food-based that you’ve never had before.

The history behind the ownership of the Dirty Cheesecake is a fascinating story and one that very much defines the American dream. Too often lately, we’ve been surrounded by huge corporate restaurants that have pushed aside family-owned restaurant businesses. It’s the Blockbuster Video, Home Depot effect. I mean, how many Applebee’s and Subway hero shops can you have? Give me a good mom-and-pop Deli over anything, if you know what I mean. The Dirty Cheesecake lives up to the idea of a self-owned restaurant.

Tarek Hassanin was originally in the limousine business before he decided to open up his first baked goods store. Interestingly he opened up a small shop right in the middle of Times Square. If there ever was a city with a lot of competition, he landed right in the middle of it in Times Square. His first store was called Lili’s Bake Shop. The store was named after his daughter, Lili. The Hassanin family had developed a tradition of baking on Sundays at home. Their loving tradition eventually developed into their first bake shop in Manhattan. The store opened in 2016 and had a very successful run until the COVID nightmare engulfed the city and the rest of the world.

Eventually, Tarek opened a store in Babylon called Made By Lilis after closing his New York City store. His new store was met with fanfare by the residents of the town because it was quite clear what they were experiencing was tremendous creativity and baked goods fueled by a loving family intent to bring enjoyment and new baked goods culinary experiences to the residents of Babylon. That is the beauty of mom-and-pop shops. It’s not just about the bottom line that fuels the corporate world, it’s about family tradition finding a way to turn that tradition into a business that supports a family.

While it can be argued that running just one family-owned store successfully is no easy task, an announcement of a second store by the same family can be viewed as the ultimate proof that hard work, love, dedication, and smart business sense can serve as a model that should be celebrated. This leads us to the opening of the Dirty Cheesecake in Smithtown.

I spoke briefly with Tarek as I visited the store for the third time over a two-week span. He’s a very friendly man who seems to take great pride in what he has accomplished. However, his greatest source of pride seemed to be his family and his daughter Lili, who he made sure to tell me was the one who had come up with the idea to create the Cheesecake on a stick. This is the item that seems to be drawing all the people into the store in Smithtown. Just take a look at these pictures, and the answer is quite apparent.

Photo by Brian Kachejian

The item that I ordered on the menu the first time I went into the store was a cheesecake on a stick called The Hungry Cheesecake. However, this item is not on the menu, but all you have to do is ask for it, and they will know exactly what you’re talking about. I found out about it from a young tick-tocker named Ari Weindling, who had created a wonderful TikTok video about the store. Tarek’s a smart businessman. He understands the power of social media and is very welcoming to people who like to go in there and share their experiences.

I knew the store was opening soon, but I had not known that it was already open. It was Ari Weindling’s TikTok video that alerted me that it was open for business. And it was that TikTok video in which Ari tells everyone to ask for the Hungry Cheesecake. Let me tell you, Lord, have mercy, that was good advice. Dipped in this amazing, tasty, fresh chocolate was a frozen cheesecake. It was also topped with another type of chocolate drizzle and then sprinkled with Biscoff cookie crumbs, with a whole Biscoff cookie placed right on top. There are no words to describe just how good it was.

As I’ve said previously, I’ve gone back a few times, and what I did notice through my multiple trips and purchasing multiple cheesecakes on a stick is that if you bring them home and put them in the refrigerator, they taste even better a few hours later or the next day. I did not intend on eating them the next day or later on, but because it’s so rich, I didn’t really want to eat the whole thing in one sitting, so I found out by accident that the cheesecake became softer and smoother after a few hours. Although the melted chocolate and toppings are so fresh, it’s pretty tough not to eat them right away.

The Dirty Cheesecake doesn’t just sell cheesecakes; they have tons of baked goods that all look wonderful, but my focus has been on those cheesecakes on a stick. In the end, this is not just a review of a sensational new store; it’s a story about someone who embraced his family tradition and turned it into a very successful business. When COVID struck and decimated it, just like it did to so many other businesses, he figured out another way, and his family helped him do it. It doesn’t get more inspiring than that!