CHANHASSEN, Minn. — It has been eight years since the world lost music icon Prince Rogers Nelson.
The music legend lives on not only through his music but also the memories and stories shared about him. For one former Paisley Park employee, it's through one of his favorite desserts... cheesecake!
"I started working for Prince selling merchandise and if you think about going to concerts you know the merch table and all that stuff, I would put up the merch and sell it," said Vanessa Drews.
Like many workplaces, Vanessa would like to bring in sweet treats for her fellow coworkers at Paisley Park.
"I got a KitchenAid Mixer as a gift and started making different recipes and cheesecake was one of them," Vanessa said.
Vanessa knew her coworkers liked her cheesecake, but never in a million years did she think her boss... as in THE Prince Rogers Nelson... would have grabbed a slice from the employee fridge.
"At first I was in disbelief," Vanessa said. "I never thought he would actually eat it but I loved the fact that he loved it! He posted an image of three monkeys and two were trying to resuscitate a monkey and he added the caption, "This is what happens when somebody eats the last piece of Vanessa's cheesecake."
Whether it was the brown butter crust with a hint of cinnamon, or the smooth, creamy cheese filling, one thing was for certain — Prince loved it! So much so, that he referenced "Cheesecake Funk" on Paisley Park promotional flyers, which is when Vanessa had her "Aha" moment.
"I was like there's a name and I just kept on with my day job," Vanessa said. "I just thought it was cool that I baked something and Prince ate it and he enjoyed it and then at the end of 2019, I had this desire to leave my job and do this full time and I bet on myself. If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it."
Cheesecake Funk was born and today, Vanessa has sold more than 10,000 cheesecakes.
"I just imagine him finding it in the fridge and like anybody just enjoying it," said Vanessa.
Vanessa said Turtle Cheesecake was Prince's favorite. Still to this day, it's the only food item you can get at Paisley Park.
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