Businesses that focus on sweets have always been popular; between stores like Gigi’s Cupcakes and Crumbl Cookie, it’s hard to imagine that every sugary base hasn’t been covered. Cheesecake, however, is the newest treat on the market.

This niche is being filled by Mitchell Moore, owner of Baton Rouge’s Cheesecake Lab. Located on 7970 Jefferson Highway, the store offers handcrafted, single-serve cheesecake squares.

“We’ve seen cupcakes come and then go,” Moore said. “We’ve seen cookies come and stay, bundt cakes with Nothing Bundt Cakes. They’re here, but nobody’s doing cheesecake. And so I was like, ‘There’s a hole in the market that I could fill.’”

Cooking has always been a huge part of Moore’s life.

“When I was three, I asked for an Easy-Bake Oven,” Moore said. “I was fascinated by how a liquidy cupcake batter turned into an actual cake.”

Moore got his professional start with cheesecake when a friend asked him to make the treat for his birthday. From there, a handful of people who went to the celebration requested cheesecakes of their own, and word of mouth soon inspired Moore to focus on baking full-time.

“I told my wife, ‘I think I need to quit my job and just make cheesecake,’” Moore said. “I wholesale to local restaurants, and I grew that to about 43 restaurants across central Mississippi over the course of a couple of years.”

After 2020, Moore, his wife and his daughter moved to Baton Rouge to be closer to their extended family. When it came to becoming a small business owner, though, Moore wasn’t sure that the community would be a fit.

“I’m not from Baton Rouge,” Moore said. “I had that fear of, ‘Are they not going to accept me?’”

Just seven weeks after opening, Moore has officially found himself welcomed by Baton Rougians.

“When you break through, it’s kind of like they understand that hey, you’re not from here, but they embrace you anyway,” Moore explained. “I’ve had several people come and ask if I’m from Baton Rouge and I say no, and they say, ‘Well, you make a great cheesecake.’ You know, that’s all that matters.”

Cheesecake Lab posits a science-based vibe past just the name that is reflective of the methodical part of baking. In the logo, the “A” in “lab” is an Erlenmeyer flask, while the staff wears lab coats and the interior is decorated with cylinders, equations and molecules. Though this aspect of the Cheesecake Lab experience is quite unmistakable, it wasn’t an idea Moore had in mind when he set out to make a cheesecake store.

“It was designed on a budget,” Moore said. “I wish it were more intentional.”

This distinct branding just so happens to align with what Moore is intrigued by.

“I never loved chemistry or math or botany,” Moore shared. “But when I became a pastry chef, it’s chemistry, math and botany. I use them every day. The science side of cooking fascinates me.”

Moore’s various passions have proven advantageous as a restaurant owner. An unexpected advantage of his has been his flair for the dramatics.

“I went to college for acting,” Moore said. “I’m used to talking to a camera, I feel very natural in front of a camera. Even if it’s a phone camera, I feel, you know, reaching out and connecting to an audience — it’s kind of my thing.”

Moore’s social media puts the spotlight on his naturally gregarious spirit.

“90% of my customers say, ‘I saw you on TikTok,” Moore said. “I’m not good at social media, and I say that knowing that I’m growing a following and all of that. My misplaced theory is I would rather have 2,000 people on TikTok who are in it, and they love it, than have 20,000 people on TikTok, some of whom are in Seattle, or Timbuktu, or New York, or Austin, or Miami, but who think that I’m funny.”

Taking a more personable approach to social media is what Moore argues will make Cheesecake Lab successful.

“I much prefer local people that I can reach out and connect with who are in it and who get it and who want to see us grow a business as well,” Moore said. “I’m here to make a profit, but when I make a profit, I want to bring other people along the way, and then I want to franchise it and help other people to make a profit. I want those people who have been here from day one to experience all of that.”

As a business owner, Moore suggests studying stoicism to aspiring entrepreneurs to become an effective leader.

“If you study stoicism and you maintain a level of calmness, there’s no need to throw things, there’s no need to get angry – it’s just a problem. Solve the problem and keep going.”

One of the many examples of this is when Moore had to shift his initial approach to the menu. Though he originally planned to create a constantly changing menu, he decided to pivot when a handful of customers complained that their favorite cheesecakes were being replaced.

Upon walking in, customers can either order the staple flavors or build their own cheesecake, with toppings including Nutella, whipped cream, Oreos and more. Core flavors are caramel apple crumble, banana pudding, lemon and original southern style, while the November flavors are peach cobbler, pumpkin pie, white chocolate raspberry and chocolate.

Because Moore is more than familiar with being a restaurant owner, he embraces the chaos of finding the groove with the Lab.

“We’ve only been open seven weeks; we can scrap ideas,” Moore said. “I enjoy playing a character who knows everything, but in reality, I know that I don’t know everything. I’ve owned restaurants – you can’t think that you know everything if you’ve ever owned a restaurant.”

As Moore looks to the future of Cheesecake Lab, he hopes to eventually open more locations.

“I’ve never built a franchise before,” Moore said. “I’m fascinated by that: all of the trouble along the way, and the foibles, and the flaws and the faults.”

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Though it is closed on Sundays, it is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.