TAYLOR — Mix grandma’s baking secrets, a love of desserts, Mason jars and lots of time on your hands and you’ve got Layshandria Harvin’s recipe for a successful dessert cafe.
Harvin owns Brown Sugar Cheesecake Bar, 410 W. Seventh St. at Old Taylor High, with her husband, Staff Sgt. Gregory Harvin, who is stationed at Camp Mabry.
“Our No. 1 seller is our Naughty Nana’s Bourbon Peach Cobbler. It does have bourbon in it. My grandma liked her bourbon, rest her soul,” Layshandria Harvin said. “No. 2 would definitely be our Texas Style Banana Pudding. Slow-cooked vanilla custard, hand-stirred, homestyle — it’s delicious.”
The confections are served in chilled glass jars and are available in three sizes, from small, individual servings to larger, shareable portions.
“Mason jars are uniquely Southern. I say the same thing about me: I’m Southern and sweet and I pack a punch just like my desserts,” Harvin said.
The idea for cheesecake in jars was a result of pandemic-era restrictions. Harvin was diagnosed with cancer and underwent infusion treatments in 2020.
“In an infusion room you’re there all day, hooked up to a machine for hours. I love to bake, so I thought I’d bring some stuff to the other people while we’re sitting 6 feet away from each other. I had all these Mason jars so I just put different things in the jars and it ended up being really cool,” she said.
Harvin soon started holding pop-up events in her neighborhood, and as demand grew the business expanded. She opened the store in Old Taylor High in February and has since enlarged the space by adding a patio featuring live music and providing access to food trucks.
“If you’ve been to the cheesecake bar and love the craziness of the inside, then you need to stop by and see the patio,” she said.
While fighting cancer is a lifelong journey, Harvin said she feels blessed.
“Right now numbers are stable, counts are stable, I’m doing well and I’m doing what I love,” she said.
Brown Sugar Cheesecake Bar is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Hours are subject to seasonal changes.
BROWN SUGAR CHEESECAKE BAR
410 W. Seventh St., Suite 116 in Old Taylor High, Taylor, 512-366-0367, www.TheDessertBarInAJar.com or follow facebook.com/TheDessertBarInAJar.
"Mason jars are uniquely Southern. I say the same thing about me: I’m Southern and sweet and I pack a punch just like my desserts.”
— LAYSHANDRIA HARVIN
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