Longtime residents of the Bay Area will recognize the name Cherith Lorraine Rickey, and the first thing that will come to their mind is her cheesecake. What some may not know is that despite her passing, her legacy lives in a shop called Namesake Cheesecake located at 425 El Camino Real in Menlo Park.
Starting in the 1950s, Mrs. Rickey and her husband owned several restaurants in the Bay Area and were keystone members of the Palo Alto community. Among their family friends were the Spicers, who named their daughter Cherith after Mrs. Rickey, a tribute that would later come full circle as Cherith became the owner and founder of Namesake Cheesecake.
“My parents wanted a biblical name,” Spicer told Chomp during a recent interview. “So when they were at one of the Rickey’s holiday parties and my mom was pregnant with me, Mrs. Rickey said, ‘Oh, you should name her after me.’ That’s what inspired the name ‘Namesake.’”
Spicer said she grew up eating the famous cheesecake, which Mrs. Rickey would make for her restaurants as well as her friends and family. Part of what made the cheesecake so special was the secrecy; a top-secret recipe that only Mrs. Rickey knew.
“I pestered her her whole life,” Spicer said. “I was like, I need this cheesecake recipe, I’m your namesake. Finally one day, she went, ‘Come here,’ and so I wrote it down on a piece of paper and told her I would do something with the recipe. I just didn’t really know when or what, but I knew it had to be in the Bay Area.”
Spicer then moved back to Palo Alto and put the plan into action. With no culinary or business experience, the only thing she had was the recipe, and her loyal hometown connections to support her.
“Everyone was like, what are you talking about? Have you gone to culinary school?” Spicer said. “I was like, no, but it’s gonna be fine. I was able to meet some people, and I made a lot of phone calls and connections because people who live in the Bay Area will always have your back if you need it.”
Since starting Namesake Cheesecake in 2012, the business has prospered. Spicer has expanded the menu by experimenting with toppings, but the base of the cake always remains the classic top-secret recipe.
“I’ve changed the crust to Oreo, and I didn’t like it as much,” Spicer said. “We tried every single different cream cheese, but we’ve always gone back to Philadelphia. I’ll always try and see if it works out, but at the end of the day, I stick to the recipe and don’t mess with the system.”
The shop does it all: a storefront selling slices and whole cakes, a website for custom orders, and even event catering. The cheesecake is also on the menu at local restaurants including Sundance The Steakhouse, Osteria Toscana, Caffe Riace, and many more.
Despite her many achievements, Spicer finds joy in the little things. One of the things that she loves most about running the business is being a part of her customers’ milestones.
“I’ve had clients that I’ve had long enough that I started with an engagement party, then they got married, and then I’ve done the baby showers,” Spicer said. “I’ve been able to see the progression of life.”
With the success she’s received, Spicer has gotten offers to expand to other locations, including an invitation to open up a shop at the Chase Center in San Francisco. However, she chose to stay true to the business’s roots, keeping its hometown charm.
“The location was fantastic, the opportunity was fantastic,” Spicer said. “I was honored they even asked me out of all the places that could have gone there. But I just don’t know about expanding. It’s just a whole different situation, different staffing, different hours. I’ve got a good situation here.”
