Love In Every Bite: Not Cho Cheesecake Shares Their Story

It’s a love story for each other and cheesecake, and Not Cho Cheesecake at 3439 College Ave. in Bethany is the talk of the town. 

It all started when Glen and Shoshianna met at Langston University 

“She looked me dead in my eye and said, what’s up shorty?” said Glen Whitaker, owner of Not Cho Cheesecake.  

The two instantly became best friends. But soon after they met, Shoshianna enlisted into the military and moved away.  

“She called me one day and said ‘hey, I’m getting ready to retire from the military, I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do, so, I’m about to just move to Oklahoma and we should just get married,’” said Whitaker.  

That’s exactly what they did. And after a girl’s trip to Memphis, Shoshianna got revelation of what she should do for employment.   

“I know what we should do, we should open up a cheesecake bakery. And I’m like’ yeah that’s stupid,’ because neither one of us had made a cheesecake before,” said Whitaker.  

As the two began searching for the best cheesecake recipe, it soon turned into a fierce competition. 

“If she created something that was great, I would come in and try to perfect it and make it even better, hence is why we have close to forty flavors,” said Whitaker.  

After selling at a couple of pop-up shops, the demand for the cheesecakes soon exceeded what they could produce out of their home. So in the middle of the pandemic, they opened the store Not Cho Cheesecake in the heart of Bethany. 

“To our surprise, when we got ready to do our grand opening, we had lines down both sides of the street,” said Whitaker.  

 But as the business grew, Shoshianna’s began to decline. 

“They wanted to keep her for a day, and a day turned into two days, to two weeks, to a month,” said Whitaker.  

Her liver enzymes were abnormal and the couple were airlifted to a specialist in Houston.  

“Eventually her sickness got the best of her, and she ended up passing away,” said Whitaker.  

His promise to his love, return home and build the business, and establish generational income for their family. 

“I’m putting my all, my heart and my soul into this, because this is bigger than food,” said Whitaker.  

And the special ingredient that makes these cheesecakes so good? 

“Just serve love in the form of cheesecake,” said Whitaker.  

The bakery is open Tuesday – Friday noon to 7 Pm and Saturday noon to 7:30 PM. Visit their website at www.notchocheesecake.com or on Facebook @ Not Cho Cheesecake.