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San Francisco Chronicle​

A cheesecake phenomenon bids farewell to the Bay Area

The Bay Area has four more weeks to enjoy one of the region's most sought-after cakes. Basuku Cheesecakes, whose Japanese-style Basque burnt cheesecakes exploded in popularity during the pandemic, is shutting down after five years. Owner Charles Chen is moving to Asia after several years of traveling back and forth for restaurant consulting work. 'The whole thing is a little bittersweet,' said Chen. 'I'm still selling out every week. It just came time to make a personal decision.' Chen, an industry consultant, started selling cheesecakes on Instagram during the pandemic shutdown. The lush, rich cakes quickly became the dessert of the moment and sold out rapidly at popups and restaurants. Chen expanded his repertoire to include flavors like black sesame, roasted banana, yuzu and passionfruit. Basuku became so popular it spawned fake imitations. Former Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho wrote of the cake's 'intense caramel aroma' and 'phenomenal' texture, 'reminiscent of when you leave a triple-creme soft cheese out on the kitchen counter and its fat wilts and softens, leaving you with something you can effortlessly scoop up and smear on a cracker with a spoon. Despite the cake's popularity, it was a challenging business to sustain. Chen has made every laborious cheesecake himself over the last five years, driving them to pickup locations all over the Bay Area. He has been wary of expanding into a permanent space in the costly Bay Area. 'I see people who have moved on from the popup stage to brick-and-mortar stage and aren't maybe as successful as they thought they were going to be,' he said. 'There's a massive financial strain at that point, which becomes a personal strain.' Chen also tried unsuccessfully to find a local bakery to license the cakes and sell them in his absence. (He does now sell them in Japan and soon will expand to Taipei.) Basuku will offer several more sales in the coming weeks at its regular pickup locations at Vina Enoteca in Palo Alto, Dolores Deluxe in San Francisco and Commis in Oakland. Check Instagram for dates and ordering information. This isn't to say that local fans will never get to taste Basuku cheesecakes again. If Chen is back in the Bay Area, he may host sporadic popups.