Meet Stu.

The comedian and writer Spike Milligan said, "My father had a profound influence on me.  He was a lunatic."  I wonder, "Now what father would bring that quality to bear in a relationship with his son?"

Mine.

In the 43 years I spent with Stu Mikelberg, our relationship ran the gamut from calm to tempestuous and back again.  And there was never a question of the love between us.  It was always lively with Stu, the living embodiment of a larger than life character.  I happily spend my life living up to his example. Here's a story about him.  

Who has a profound influence on your life?  Who inspires you? Is it a relative, friend or mentor?  Please comment by clicking on the dialogue button below.

Stu died in 2003.  Years later it's heartwarming to know I have the pleasure of introducing you to my dad. He would have been happy to know you.

All About Stu

What can I say about Stuart Mikelberg?  He threw the best parties, from which his guests never wanted to part.  When he and my mom threw me a Bar Mitzvah party, the first guests arrived Saturday for a 7:30 PM cocktail hour.  Dinner followed at 10.  At midnight it seemed like the party was just getting started.  As it turned out, it was.  “Why have one meal when two would be more fun?” was how Stu did things.  At 2AM it was time for a full breakfast buffet.   Two hours later, the band played their last encore.  We did not get home until late Sunday morning.  Family and friends are still talking about the party, 43 years later.

When Stu liked a restaurant, he was their greatest supporter.  It did not matter if the restaurant was around the corner or across the state.  It was simply, “Let’s get in the car and go.”  Truth be known, he was a little more stubborn.  I remember him saying, “Let’s get in the car and go, NOW!”  Sometimes I thought we had to pack a meal for the ride.

He made a friend of everybody he met and everybody loved him.  In a heartbeat, he could make you feel as if you’ve known him a lifetime.

It did not matter if you called him Stuart, Stu, Stuie or Twinkle Eyes, as a dear friend of mine dubbed him on their first and only meeting.  To say that Stu was the life of the party is an understatement.  Stu was the party.

That’s my dad.

It was Stu’s dream to one day own a restaurant.  He died before that dream was realized.  I’m determined to make it come true.   I am taking his love of family, friends and food, adding my own and putting it into a cheesecake.

Stu’s Cheesecake is as much about love as it is dessert. 

Your enjoyment of something he had a hand in creating would make him happy and proud.  That his son was serving it to you would make his pride and joy infinite.

I imagine him smiling, his eyes at full twinkle.