When he arrives at Crave Cheesecakes from his job with the Memphis Grizzlies, owner Travis Brady is wearing a button-down shirt, slacks, and wingtip dress shoes.
He then switches into his bakery mode. “I change my shirt,” he says. “I throw on a Crave Cheesecakes T-shirt. I’ve got one in the car.”
Then he slips off his wingtips, dons a pair of sneakers, and gets to work.
Crave Cheesecakes at 523 South Main Street is “very, very different, certainly,” from his job as premium sales manager with the Grizzlies, says Brady, 31. He wanted to start a business but, he says, “I didn’t necessarily know what. I knew that with help — between my family and close friends — our team would be able to at least create a really cool brand and experience.”
Brady came up with the idea of bringing a cheesecake bakery with the addition of “some premium desserts” to the Downtown area.
He hired chef Tyler Jividen, who makes the cheesecakes and cookies and currently is working on other cream cheese-inspired desserts. Also working at the bakery are Brady’s girlfriend Madeleine Everhardt and his buddy Connor Ryan.
And Brady hired his parents, Peter and Nidya Brady. “My parents are both retired and wanted to do something together.”
His dad, who retired from a manufacturing and logistics business, didn’t want to go back to working a corporate job. And he doesn’t play golf. Now he sells cheesecakes and cookies. “He loves it,” Brady says.
His mother, a retired teacher, works in the kitchen with Jividen. “My mother has never really been a baker, and she’s quite the baker now.”
And Brady bakes — on occasion. “I wouldn’t say that I’m an expert at it. Tyler is very patient with me and he shows me a few techniques along the way.”
Brady likes being in the kitchen with the “crew” filling orders. It’s “all hands on deck” and “making jokes and getting to know each other a little more.”
But, he adds, “I’m a sales guy. I can talk all day. So my passion and my expertise should be more on the customer service side, I think.”
Jividen, who has worked at Comeback Coffee in Memphis and the old P.O. Press Public House & Provisions in Collierville, also worked at Canlis restaurant and Bakery Nouveau in Seattle, Washington. He is “phenomenal,” Brady says. “He’s bringing all these new recipes. The first time I met him he’s like, ‘Hey. What are your thoughts on a Parmesan bacon marmalade caviar cheesecake?’”
For now, they’re selling classic cheesecakes with assorted toppings. “And we are slowly getting into a rotating cheesecake menu.”
They also sell cheesecake cookies. “We fill them with the ingredients you use to make a cheesecake.”
Brady and Jividen like to get feedback from customers. If they don’t like a particular cheesecake flavor, they ask why not. It might just be the addition of some nutmeg. Brady then calls the customer and asks them to try the cheesecake again.
Brady wants Crave to appeal to the people — whether they’re tourists or locals — walking down the street. “We got a great space where you get all walks of life coming in.”
Crave Cheesecakes is Memphis-centric. “I want a painting there,” Brady says, referring to a bare white wall. “Some local artists having their stuff there.”
Brady, who is from Ventura county near Los Angeles, California, moved to Memphis in 2008. “I do love Memphis. I love the simplicity of Memphis,” he says. “I love the area. I’ve made some amazing friends.”
Plus, Crave Bakery literally made Brady and his parents closer. “My parents live in Collierville. I used to see them once a week, and now I see them every day.
“My parents are moving Downtown next week. They’re selling their house in Collierville. They just enjoy it and want to be dedicated to the business.”