Otto's cheesecake phenomenon started in 1990, when making a cake for his mom, then perfecting the recipe for mother's day After taking a cheesecake to a potluck and geting 8 orders on the spot, the rest in history ! The cheesecake was ordered from someone at java java, and was then sold in stpres and cakes, teeny tiny punk rock shows, large events like the big mele, and directly ordered by customers.