By Griffin Nelson
Photos by Jane Kortright
You don’t have to be a cheesecake person to appreciate the desserts at Arie’s Artisan Cheesecake. You don’t have to be a sweets person or even eat dairy to enjoy one of the many flavors available in the shop at 1202 Town Park Lane, Unit 106, off of North Belair Road.
Formerly known as Arie’s Confectionaries, the Savannah River Region has the pandemic to thank for the adorable cheesecake cafe owned by Arielle Page.
After graduating from Georgia Southern University with a degree in public relations and small business management, the Augusta native continued her training in Atlanta, attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in the evenings while working at a bakery during the day.
Her dedication would pay off as she worked her way up the ranks to pastry supervisor at the Omni Hotel (going so far as to survive up to 19-hour days when the city was host to the Super Bowl) and would eventually land her dream job at the Four Seasons, creating artful desserts.
When COVID-19 hit she returned home thinking, like the rest of the world, that she’d be back to work within a few months. “The pandemic, personally, allowed me to rest and restore my mind,” recalls Page, noting that the timing was ideal for the burnout she’d been experiencing from working such long days.
Rejuvenated, she realized she wouldn’t be back in Atlanta as quickly as she’d thought, so she put her small business knowledge to good use. “I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do,” she says. “But I knew I could make a really good cheesecake.”
Opportunities for small pop-ups were found, cheesecakes were made and it wasn’t long before she had customers saying, “I’m not really a ‘sweets/cheesecake’ person but I love this!” Whether it’s the traditional, gluten-free or vegan versions in a variety of flavors, all are baked and made to the same standard as any of the desserts she served in her years as a pastry chef in the fine dining world. “That’s my background, it’s all I know — baking with the finest ingredients.”
Everything from the red velvet cake, chocolate ganache, raspberry sauce and more are prepared in the kitchen. Page takes pride in making every dessert with the highest standards in mind.
Flavors include classic Vanilla Bean and specialties like Cookie Butter, Strawberry Crunch, Banana Pudding, Key Lime and more. Seasonal recipes such as the award winning Sweet Potato Pie Cheesecake topped with toasted merengue and riffs on Pecan Pie and Salted Caramel are holiday party favorites. She is taking pre-orders for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
No matter what you’re celebrating, it’s worth stopping in to get one of the fabulous flavors from the case at Arie’s Artisan Cheesecake!
As seen in the November/December 2023 issue of Augusta magazine.
