This Oakland-Raised Tea Lover Baked 150 Basque Cheesecakes To Find the Right One | Eater SF

"Started as a cheesecake-and-chai pop-up named for his golden retriever Bella, this project is built around Justin Phanksom’s obsession with a Basque cheesecake that’s “as soft as biting into clouds” after roughly 150 trial cakes. I watched him recreate the Samovar tea-house connection he misses by ladling 16-ounce cups of a strong, spicy, vegan chai ($6) made with oat and coconut milk; he hand-grinds a secret blend of spices and keeps the brew at a set temperature, producing a drink that tastes like hot chocolate by a campfire or dad’s mulled wine at Christmas. On busy Sundays outside the Crawstation (near the Inner Sunset Farmers Market) he draws a crowd, takes pre-orders for cheesecake while he looks for a permanent host space, and even hands out a cup to a customer short on cash with a quiet “I know you’re good for it,” showing how important the personal connection is to the pop-up." - Paolo Bicchieri