Before the stamp,
there was Tetsushi.

Tetsushi was born and raised in Hakata, Fukuoka. His parents owned a cake shop, and he learned to bake by helping them from an early age.

Food was only one part of his story. During the 1970s and 1980s, he opened restaurants, izakaya and a rock music venue. His collection of venues in Hakata became known as Tessy’s Village.

With his wife, Kimiyo, Tetsushi opened HANA JAM, a cake shop serving cakes made that morning. Among them was the soft Japanese cheesecake that would become central to the Uncle Tetsu story.

The Japanese brand archive dates HANA JAM’s opening to 1984. It records the development and naming of Uncle Tetsu’s Cheesecake in 1990. The Canadian founder archive places his first cheesecake-focused shop in that same year.

Our Japanese cheesecake’s texture comes from its baking method. Egg whites and sugar are whipped into a meringue, then folded into the batter. The cakes bake in pans set in a water bath, which brings moisture into the oven.

Once baked, each cheesecake receives its familiar stamp. It is a little connection to the baker whose name became the name of the cake.