# Prince Named Her Cheesecake, Then Everything Changed

> A paralegal left a cheesecake in the Paisley Park fridge, and Prince gave her business its name.
- Title: Prince Named Her Cheesecake, Then Everything Changed
- Summary: A paralegal left a cheesecake in the Paisley Park fridge, and Prince gave her business its name. Vanessa Drews spent 20 years perfecting a hobby before…
- Keywords: cheesecake, prince, minnesota, small business, baking, food, lifestyle, Named, Everything, Changed, Bon Appétit
- Source: Bon Appétit — https://bonappetit.com/story/prince-cheesecake-funk
- Author: David Farley
- Published: 2026-09-15T14:27:36.805+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: cheesecake, prince, minnesota, small business, baking, food, lifestyle
## A shrine in a strip mall
In Excelsior, Minnesota, a purple-walled shop sits between a taqueria, a nail salon, and a pet groomer. The photos of Prince everywhere make it look like a museum. It is actually a bakery.
## Cheesecake Funk, four miles out
Vanessa Drews opened the shop in September 2025, just down the road from Paisley Park. It became the talk of the Twin Cities almost immediately.
## The turtle is the point
Dark chocolate, gooey caramel, toasted pecans, and a crisp bottom crust. The recipe is secret, but Drews admits to cinnamon and a generous amount of brown butter.
## Twenty years of tweaking
A single mother of two working as a senior paralegal, Drews started baking cheesecakes for family in 2002. Friends asked for them at every party, so she kept adjusting the recipe.

> I started tweaking the recipe over time, mixing the crust with brown butter, adding cinnamon here and there
## A note on the fridge
Money was tight, so she sold merch at Paisley Park parties. In 2013 she left a cheesecake in the staff fridge with a note: anyone was welcome to a slice. It became a ritual.

> I wanted to provide some good food for them and say: 'Welcome to Minnesota.'
## The monkey meme
The cheesecakes kept vanishing fast. Then a post from an account Prince managed showed two monkeys reviving a third, captioned about eating the last piece of Vanessa's cheesecake.

> I thought: 'Oh my God, I'm the Vanessa he's referring to!' I was euphoric.
## He gave it the name
Prince started calling it cheesecake funk and put HELPYOSELFTOSOMECHEESECAKEFUNK on party invitations. He would pass her with a smirk and ask what was for dessert. So much for the vegan rumor.

> What's for dessert, Vanessa?
## Prepare for volume
In 2019 a restaurant CEO tasted it and put it on one Crave menu, then all eight Twin Cities locations. Drews pulled from her 401(k), bought equipment, and rented a hotel kitchen.

> You'd better prepare for volume.
## Seventeen flavors and counting
Summer brought a tart lingonberry that earned a permanent slot. Fall means apple with stewed cinnamon fruit. Fans now detour from Paisley Park, some flying in from Germany and the Netherlands.

> Prince is like the gift that keeps on giving.
## Key takeaway

Vanessa Drews spent 20 years perfecting a hobby before betting her 401(k) on it, and the name Prince coined became the storefront sign.