by Marilyn Hawkes | Photography by Angelina Aragon
Basque Cheesecake
Husband and wife duo Xiao Lin and Judy Li turned culinary fascination into a side hustle when they launched His and Her Cheesecake in January 2025. During the week, Lin works as a tax consultant while Li pursues a doctorate in piano performance at Arizona State University. After exploring a few business ideas, they landed on crustless Basque cheesecake, an idea Lin gleaned from a YouTube video. The Tempe couple, who met in line at Whole Foods near ASU’s Tempe campus, tried out cheesecake flavors on friends and coworkers, who endorsed the sweet, creamy desserts. “We’re both from China, so we wanted to incorporate Asian flavors and Western flavors,” Lin says. Those include ube (purple sweet potato), yuzu (citrus), matcha, oolong osmanthus tea, pistachio, banana, cookies and cream, and original ($12 for two; $15 for three; $20 for four, with a fifth for free). Find these and other spoon-friendly 3-inch cheesecakes at Uptown and Gilbert farmers markets.
Small-Batch Jams and Jellies
After years of baking for family and friends, Lara White began making desserts for The Joy Bus, a local nonprofit that provides meals for cancer patients. Drawing from her training as a chemist, the University of Arizona graduate delighted in pectin-based foods – namely, jams and jellies, which she deployed as dessert fillings. In 2020, she traded test tubes for tablespoons and started handcrafting small-batch artisanal jams, jellies, preserves and fruit butters ($10-$12) under the PErIODyc BaKEr moniker. Though no longer working in a lab, White still flexes her science muscle when making jams. “Precision matters. You have to find that balance of acid and sugar and pectin within the fruits and find the proper gel point. It’s all science,” she says. Some of her unique flavors are strawberry-basil, blueberry-lavender and bourbon-peach, but she also makes stalwarts like blackberry and strawberry-rhubarb. Check the website for retail locations.
Artisanal Jerky
While searching for new business endeavors, Doreen Coutelin considered the beef jerky that her father made every Saturday during her childhood. She asked her old man to make samples of his favorite flavors, and after some trial and error, Coutelin created Love’s Jerky Co., now featuring 10 flavors in 5-ounce packages, including best sellers Hatch green chile, lemon-pepper and teriyaki ($22-$24). Unlike most commercially made jerky, Love’s hand-sliced version is paper-thin and crispy, low in sodium and never marinated, Coutelin says. “Customers love the texture and the chew,” she says. Coutelin’s newest flavors are ume sesame ($29) with Japanese plum-infused seeds, and Hatch green chile with lemon ponzu ($24). The jerky maven is also experimenting with a chocolate-covered version in both dark and milk varieties. Available at farmers markets or online.
