What began as a cheesecake recipe created by a high schooler in small-town Mississippi is now a business that makes thousands of cheesecakes a month.
The Cotton Blues' top-secret cheesecakes recipe was first crafted by Shaun Davis at age 15. Six years later, Davis, now an accredited pastry chef, teamed up with restaurant owner Chris Ortego. The duo began selling Davis’s cheesecakes at Cotton Blues restaurant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
The desserts were an immediate hit. Customers began requesting whole cheesecakes to share with family and friends, and Davis and Ortego knew they had something special.
Almost a year after they began selling cheesecakes at Cotton Blues, the owner of a local grocery store chain asked us to sell them in the frozen section of his stores. Because freezing the cheesecakes is part of the recipe, it was a perfect fit!
Soon after, Cotton Blues began distributing to more grocery stores, and the small company quickly outgrew their restaurant location.
Today, Cotton Blues Cheesecakes operates a 15,000 square-foot Cheesecake Kitchen in Waynesboro, Mississippi.
Cotton Blues Cheesecakes, weighing in at a whopping four pounds, come in four different flavors: original, strawberry, blueberry and sea salted caramel. Cotton Blues pride themselves in using all natural ingredients and no additives like flour or cornstarch - it's all handcrafted and scratch-made, just as they should be.
All the cheesecakes are handcraft in small batches, packaged with love, and shipped out to various grocery stores in the South, including Ramey’s, Rouses Markets, Greer’s, Kroger and many more.
Many online reviews of Cotton Blues Cheesecakes cite them as "best ever" and "better than New York," which is why these cheesecakes are dubbed as "Mississippi Made - New York Approved," so you know you're getting a delicious, high quality product just by the reviews.
To find a store with Cotton Blues Cheesecakes near you, check out their grocery store locator on their website. Cheesecake are also available for nationwide shipping through Goldbelly.com.
And if you're ever in the Hattiesburg area, check out the restaurant that's serving up these cheesecakes daily, Cotton Blues Kitchen + Marketplace. Cotton Blues is serving up all kinds of Southern favorites. Appetizers include Fried Cheese Curds, Cajun Shrimp Box, Southern Tomatoes and Cheese Dip, and Cotton Blues Nachos.
For your main course, opt for entrees like Blackened Fish Tacos, Catfish Plate, Baby Back Ribs, Honey Glaze Chicken, Ribeye Steak, Seared Tuna Tacos, Fried Gulf Shrimp and several other delicious Southern dishes.
Blue plate specials are also served in-house daily from 11 am to 7 pm. One meat and two sides or an all veggie plate (4 sides) is just $10 for a classic blue plate lunch or dinner. Entrees throughout the week include smothered chicken, country fried steak, redfish, meatloaf, brisket, fried pork chop, chicken pot pie, fried chicken, Shepherd's pie and Salisbury steak. Sides include all the Southern favorites - mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, collard greens, fried okra, lima beans, rice, glazed carrots and green beans.
Cotton Blues is located at 6116 US 98 in Hattiesburg. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed on Sundays. As always during these COVID times, make sure of hours of operation before visiting a restaurant, and make note of their restrictions or requirements. Visit cottonblues.com or check out their Facebook for more information.