Three Cheesecake Slices to Try From James Beard Semifinalists

A record number of Colorado chefs and restaurants — seventeen! — are James Beard semifinalists, including three in the Best Chef, Mountain category that have one unexpected thing in common: They’re each serving a different style of cheesecake right now.

This dessert is a classic and for good reason, but cheesecake recipes and styles vary greatly. The dish’s Greek origins date back as far as 2000 B.C. Eggs were added to the equation by the Romans after they conquered the country, and the delicacy spread across Europe from there.

After William A. Lawrence, a New York dairyman, accidentally invented cream cheese in the early 1870s while trying to make Neufchâtel; the product eventually dubbed Philadelphia Cream Cheese grew in popularity and became a staple for creamy New York-style cheesecake recipes.

“It’s the only answer,” says chef Theo Adley of the brand, which has been owned by Kraft since 1928. Adley is a 2026 James Beard semifinalist for his Lyons eatery, Marigold, where he’s serving a version of Basque cheesecake. That iteration, known for being crustless with a burnt exterior and creamy interior, was invented in the late 1980s at La Viña, a pintxo bar in San Sebastián, Spain, and has been trendy in American upscale restaurants for years, even being named the “flavor of the year” by the New York Times in 2021.

Marigold isn’t the only spot serving Basque cheesecake right now; a very different version of it stars on the menu at Mar Bella Boqueria, chef Johnny Curiel’s newest concept, while at chef Miles Odell’s new red-sauce joint, Florence Supper Club, a nostalgic family recipe for New York-style cheesecake from the restaurant’s namesake, co-owner Paul Lysek’s grandmother, has become an instant hit.

Marigold’s “Medium Rare” Basque Cheesecake

Chef Theo Adley spent years in the Denver food scene before opening his first restaurant, Marigold, in Lyons in 2022. Soon, he’ll be back in Denver with a new venture, Heretík, opening in the coming months at 1441 26th Street in RiNo.

In the meantime, it’s well worth the drive to Lyons for a taste of Adley’s cooking — and be sure to save room for dessert. “Medium rare, just how we like it,” Adley said on a recent visit when he dropped off a slice of Basque cheesecake, the tip of the slice drooping down toward the plate.

“From my end, it’s not the prettiest dessert, and I kind of like that,” Adley admits. “When you slice it, the nose dips down, and it almost melts a touch. It should be barely holding on — trying to nail that level of aesthetic imperfection feels Japanese in a lot of ways. It’s like the perfect articulation of the wabi sabi.”

The cheesecake has been in heavy rotation on Marigold’s menu since making a comeback last year. “Our ovens are from, like, 1994 — they’re old, independent thinkers. … There’s so much nuance to discover with our cooking equipment,” Adley notes. Which leads to “a really exciting bake.”

There are a few keys to creating this creamy treat: “It’s relatively simple to put together, but you have to be very specific. We take our time to make sure the ingredients are incorporated — we don’t like lumps,” he says.

Marigold’s current Basque cheesecake is made with Philadelphia Cream Cheese and is being served with a passionfruit condiment, though the garnish changes regularly. “The acidity and florality of passionfruit is a nice way to cut it — really, it’s just a way to eat more cheesecake,” jokes Adley, who grew up eating the East Coast-style of the dessert.

“It’s just got a really great level of funk, having cream cheese in it. It’s a nostalgic flavor that’s really appealing and delicious, and hunting for that Platonic ideal of cheesecake is a very noble quest for any diner or chef to pursue,” he concludes.

Mar Bella Boqueria’s Three-Cheese Basque-Style Cheesecake

For chef Johnny Curiel, who is a James Beard semifinalist for his work at his first eatery, Alma Fonda Fina, desserts in general present a challenge. “I’m not really a sweets guy,” he admits, so when he and his wife/business partner, Kasie, were traveling through Spain doing research for Curiel’s newest eatery, Mar Bella Boqueria in Cherry Creek, she did a lot of cheesecake taste testing.

But Curiel knew that a version of Basque cheesecake was a must for Mar Bella’s menu. “Everywhere you go in the Basque country, it’s cheesecake, cheesecake, cheesecake,” he says. “It being so out there and us being able to create a recipe that we are really proud of, it’s like, man, why wouldn’t we want to have it?”

The recipe here includes Philadelphia Cream Cheese, of course, as well as two types of Spanish sheep’s milk cheeses: a brie, as well as one that is soft and creamy, similar to chèvre. “I wanted to figure out a way to make it more creamy, make it more like a spread,” he says.

Curiel’s biggest challenge was finding the right cooking vessel for the dessert. He initially envisioned individual cheesecakes with a charred exterior and a creamy interior, but that proved to be very difficult. He tried springform pans and Mason jars, and finally, while looking at the line, he spotted something not even meant for baking: a Yakumi container, typically used by Japanese chefs to organize their mise en place.

“It’s long, almost like a loaf of bread, and it’s made of stainless steel. … It ended up working out,” which explains the rectangular-shaped slices that are served at Mar Bella.

The cake itself leans a bit savory and almost feels more like a cheese course than a full-on dessert. A berry topping currently accompanies the cheesecake. That will change seasonally, Curiel says, “but I think the cake itself will remain what it is.”

Florence’s Nostalgic Cheesecake

The cheesecake will most definitely remain the same at Florence Supper Club. Chef Miles Odell, a James Beard nominee for Odell’s Bagel, opened this classic red-sauce joint in late December with business partner Paul Lysek, for whom the project is very personal. It’s named for his grandmother, and a lot of heart went into creating this instant classic. While Odell and chef de cuisine Cameron Usiak head up the kitchen, it was Lysek who pitched the idea of using his grandmother’s cheesecake recipe for one of the desserts.

“Miles was like, ‘I am absolutely into that,'” Lysek recalls. His grandmother “had been making it my entire life. It was like every family party, every special occasion, she would whip up her cheesecake.” He called his family members and got a copy of the recipe, handwritten on a notecard. “Where the recipe came from beyond her is a mystery.”

After Odell and Usiak made the first batch, Lysek tasted it and “I was like, ‘Oh, my god, that’s literally her cheesecake,” he recalls. “That was a really fun moment, and we’re really excited to have it on the menu. I’ve had some family in — my mom cried the first time she had it.”

Beyond the nostalgia factor, this is simply a really good slice of cheesecake. “I like the tang, and it’s definitely distinct from Basque cheesecake,” Lysek says. Built on a graham cracker crust, it’s made with, yup, Philadelphia Cream Cheese and baked. “Then there’s a topping layer,” Lysek explains, “which is essentially a sweet and tangy cream that gets baked for less time, so that’s how you have slightly different textures.”

It’s served plain — no sauce, no fancy garnishes. Simply a slice of white cheesecake on a white plate, “in all its glory,” Lysek says. “Completely naked, just right there for you, because that’s how I’ve eaten it my whole life, and that’s how my grandma would have served it. We’ve grown to love it in its simplicity.”

And we fell for it at first sight.

“To finish off a hearty, Italian American meal with something that’s sweet and tangy and just fits the vibe is fun,” Lysek concludes, and we couldn’t agree more.