When life hands you lemons, you might make the classic summertime beverage. Peter Rizos will make a lemon shortbread crust to go with his huckleberry cheesecake, pair it with a fruity pinot noir, and knock your taste buds unconscious.

The New York native may have started out selling wetsuits to scuba divers and surfers when he first came to San Francisco in 1995, but Rizos has truly found his calling with his yummy dessert company, San Francisco Cheesequake. One bite is all it takes to make you a Cheesequake addict, but why stop there? As that little morsel of buttery goodness melts on your tongue, the creamy filling – be it amaretto, Candy Cap mushroom or, one of my personal favorites, chanterelle apricot brandy flavored – mixes with the crumbly, cookie-like crust and gives your mouth a sweet, euphoric high. Eating becomes a mechanical motion: fork to cake, cake to mouth, chew slowly and savor endlessly. Repeat until entirety has been enjoyed (don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone.)

Rizos’ baking “studio” is in a corner of the kitchen in North Beach’s Caffe Delucchi, where he has been the manager for the past six years. He bakes between 40 and 60 cheesecakes at one time, some from his 25-plus menu and others by customer request. Besides the basic flavors such as original and Oreo cheesecake, Rizos has received bizarre requests such as Jagermeister and chartreuse, and made the latter for his brother after six months of pleading. “It’s a hysterical amount of fun to make ridiculous flavors,” the baker laughed.

As if the deal could get any sweeter, Rizos pairs every creation with several different types of wine to bring out even the most subtle flavors in the batter. The dark chocolate and poached pear, an enticing combination right off the bat, tastes delicious and fruity with a Gewurtztraminer. The strong taste of chocolate breaks through with a fruity syrah or a soft merlot.

A favorite of Rizos’ is the dark chocolate raspberry liqueur cheesecake made with Sharffen Berger chocolate (as if my father had made a subconscious request) and is a treat within itself, but try it with the recommended Late Harvest Zinfandel from the Harvest Moon Estate & Winery that first inspired him to pair his cakes with wine. The peppery taste brings out the sweet raspberry and a hint of blackberry, sending the taster into a fruity chocolate-induced coma. For a stronger combination of blackberry with hints of caramel and vanilla, Rizos recommends a richer wine, such as a Zinfandel Port from Kent Rasmussen in Carneros. Rizos has done a fair amount of wine tasting all over the local wine country and has found several specific favorites, but in the end he says it’s all about matching the wine style and flavor with each cheesecake.

The aforementioned Candy Cap mushroom cheesecake – yes, as in the hard-to-find West Coast fungi that causes a stir at Santa Cruz’s Fungi Festival – is a flavor some customers pass up because, let’s face it, it’s a mushroom. One bite - plus a sip of Madeira to bring out the caramel-maple flavor of the candy caps, and heighten the nuttiness of the toasted pecan shortbread crust - changes minds instantly making this one of the most sought-after flavors.

Rizos used to give his extra shortbread crusts to friends when he was done baking, but (sadly, for the friends) he now keeps his crusts and offers them in cookie form (yay for us!). The flaky base of his cheesecakes is crunchy and full of flavor, making it delicious with or without the filling. Espresso and ginger shortbread flavors have been the most sought after choices, but Rizos swears by the Candy Cap mushroom pecan shortbread and, like us, expects its popularity to soar soon.

The four-inch cheesecakes are ideal for one, maybe two people, but order the eight inch if you’re having company over or think you’ll be hungry after the party. Order them online, find them at specialty stores and markets, or skip happy hour, hit up one of several wine bars across the city that boast unique wine pairings, and indulge yourself. When the next quake – that is, cheesequake – hits San Francisco, you’ll be ready.

Available at a few places around San Francisco including:

Cheese Plus, specialty store. Grant St. & Green St.
The Nature Stop, specialty store. Grant St. & Green St.
DeLano Market, 18th St (one block west of Castro)
Que Syrah, wine bar. West Portal
Dell’Uva, wine bar. Green St. & Stockton St.

San Francisco Cheesequake
Tel: (415) 255-2059
www.sanfranciscocheesequake.com

- Written by Allie Schratz (ajschratz@gmail.com)

Allie Schratz is currently studying abroad in Sydney, Australia.