Editor’s note: Globe summer intern Jase Arp is writing a series of stories about food trucks that are licensed to operate in Worthington. This is the last installment.
LAKEFIELD — Megan Hall makes cheesecake for a living and turns a dream into a reality.
The Lakefield woman, owner of Simply Sweet Cheesecake, both the brick-and-mortar store in Lakefield and a mobile food truck that occasionally visits Worthington, got her start in business making cheesecake for special events like social gatherings and holidays for family and friends.
Hall learned to bake from her mother, sisters, and aunts growing up. His cheesecake was so good that he often left his friends in disbelief and wanting more.
Tim Middagh / The Globe
“My friends were always in awe of the work I do and they were like, no way did you do this, you bought this,” she shared.
Hall’s dream of selling her own cheesecake was fueled by her family and friends, and began to come true when her husband, Nelson Hall, mentioned that he could open a business and sell his own cheesecakes.
Although she was skeptical about starting her own business, Hall was also willing to make a change in her life. She had worked for a corporate company for 16 years and she feared leaving her job to risk opening a business.
“It was a scary jump, but I’m so glad I did it and I’ll never look back,” she said.
Hall started her business while on maternity leave with one of her three daughters. She created a name, business cards, and a Facebook page during that time.
On his first day of creating a Facebook page, he received 10 requests.
Hall, who majored in business and marketing in college, used that experience to further develop and achieve his business goals.
He started Simply Sweet Cheesecake with a comfort food license, which allowed him to sell his homemade cheesecake from home. However, the license only allowed him to sell a certain amount of food from her home.
Tim Middagh / The Globe
“Where we were going, that license was not enough for us,” Hall said.
In 2018, he moved his business from his home to a building in Lakefield. Unique to Simply Sweet Cheesecake is her drive-thru.
The addition of the drive-thru occurred in 2020, during COVID. A drive-thru was something he wanted to add, and with the walk-in service closed for a while, it opened up the opportunity for him to create a drive-thru. Since 2020, the drive thru has remained, taking the place of walk-in service.
One future addition Hall is looking forward to is cheesecake shipping and delivery.
The size options for your cheesecakes are seven inches, which includes 8 to 10 slices, nine inches, which includes 12 to 14 slices, and 12 inches, which can include up to 24 slices.
Also sells cheesecake cupcakes. Purchase options include two dozen mini cheesecake cupcakes and one dozen regular-size cheesecake cupcakes.
Some of the traditional cheesecake flavors they offer are oreo, mini M&Ms, blueberry, strawberry swirl, and caramel swirl.
Specialty flavors include s’mores, peanut butter cup, caramel macchiato, snickers, and maple bacon.
Hall also sells scones, cookies, shakes, lemonade, and even sandwiches for breakfast and lunch.
Her personal favorite flavors are her Turtle Cheesecake and New York-Style Cheesecake with Strawberries, while traditional flavors most popular with her customers are Turtle Cheesecake and White Chocolate Cheesecake and raspberry.
The most popular item they sell is their six pack of cheesecake cupcakes and mini cheesecake cupcakes.
Tim Middagh / The Globe
Simply Sweet Cheesecake can serve for holidays, anniversary parties, birthdays, weddings, fundraisers, and corporate events.
When the Simply Sweet Cheesecake food truck arrives in Worthington, it can be found in the parking lot of Ace Hardware on Oxford Street. The Simply Sweet Cheesecake truck also visits the area cities of Fairmont, Jackson, Luverne and Sherburn.
Hall also works with Dudley’s Garage and Hi-Lo Club in Lakefield, Ruthven Meat Locker and Pub 19 in Spirit Lake; Locker in the Park at Arnolds Park; Butcher Shop at Grand on Spencer; and Indulge & Co in Fairmont.
Simply Sweet Cheesecake’s business hours are 8 am to 2 pm Tuesday through Friday. To find out what city Simply Sweet Cheesecake is in and what events they’ll be attending, follow their Facebook page, Simply Sweet Cheesecake.
