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Longtime Nolita Cheesecake Shop Offering Sweet Deal On Thursday

By Danielle Tcholakian | July 29, 2015 3:08pm | Updated on July 30, 2015 10:46am
 Eileen's Cheesecakes has come up with a new flavor every year. From left to right: raspberry, citrus, strawberry and blueberry.
Eileen's Cheesecakes has come up with a new flavor every year. From left to right: raspberry, citrus, strawberry and blueberry.
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DNAinfo/Danielle Tcholakian

Eileen's Special Cheesecake, nearing its 40th year on Cleveland Place, is slashing prices by 50 percent on all cheesecakes on Thursday in honor of National Cheesecake Day.

Eileen Avezzano began selling her handmade cheesecakes out of her tiny storefront at 17 Cleveland Place in 1976, after starting the business out of her kitchen in Elmhurst, Queens a few years earlier.

Though she has a smaller shop, Eileen's Special Cheesecake is as classic New York as the Brooklyn-based cheesecake empire Junior's. Her iconic blue awning has become a neighborhood landmark, with tourists and locals pouring in daily.

"I think New York City truly was built around this place," Avezzano's daughter, Holly Maloney, said in an interview last year.

As a kid, Maloney and her sister spent most of their days playing in and around the shop while their mother launched her still-thriving business.

"The fire hydrant out there was the ocean to them, and this was the beach over the cellar door," Eileen recalled. "I would bring some sand, and I would pay $2 to the lady and man who lived upstairs to watch my children while I baked my cakes."

"They grew up with wonderful imaginations," she said.

Maloney now runs the business with her mother.

"I was the first cheesecake out of the oven!" Maloney said. "It's in my blood."

Five percent of all proceeds on Thursday will go to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Avezzano said. The store will offer the 50 percent discount from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Make sure to check out the many flavors when you stop in — Eileen added a new flavor every year, from classics like strawberry or Oreo to more elaborate varieties such as salted caramel or banana split.

For more on Eileen's Special Cheesecake, check out our interview from last year with Eileen and Holly.