Allegory in downtown Naperville has gone a little Nuts About Nancy.
It’s the name of one of the newest desserts in the restaurant’s line-up, and it comes to them courtesy of Naperville resident and Allegory fan, Nancy Wiersum.
Wiersum makes pitch to Allegory owner
“Well, I was dining here one day and we were talking and I said, gosh, I think you should sell my cheesecake,” Wiersum said to Allegory owner, Chris Mason.
“How much of it was joking and how much was not joking, that’s what I want to know,” said Mason
“You know, I really wanted you to serve it! But I didn’t think you actually would,” Wiersum said.
“Well it’s fantastic, why wouldn’t I?” responded Mason.
Dessert an award-winning combo of Wiersum’s favorite flavors
The cheesecake was inspired by one of Wiersum’s favorite flavor combinations.
“Well, the inspiration for this cheesecake is chocolate peanut butter cup, because I love chocolate and peanut butter together, so I but I also love cheesecake. So I wanted to marry all those flavors and came up with the chocolate peanut butter cheesecake,” said Wiersum.
It’s a winning combo, having earned the title of Chicago’s best cheesecake a few years back. After talking it up to Mason, Weirsum says it was a sample that helped score it a spot on the menu.
“I brought an entire cheesecake in. Because he said, bring it in, I’ll try it. And he was very gracious. And I thought maybe he was just being nice,” Wiersum said.
“I wasn’t gracious. I ate half of that myself,” Mason responded.
First recipe from someone outside restaurant
The cheesecake features a graham cracker crust, and is topped off with fresh whipped cream, dry roasted peanuts, and chocolate shavings. It’s the first recipe that Mason’s brought on board from someone outside of the restaurant.
“I try to run a really collaborative restaurant in general from the house, back in the house, anyone with ideas or concepts or inspiration, but it’s mostly been back in the house. People had ideas for different things and they’ve got their own recipes on the Allegory menu. This is the first Allegory outsider that’s made it to the menu,” Mason said.
Wiersum shared her recipe with an Allegory insider – pastry chef Linda Foertsch – who now makes the the cheesecake for the restaurant’s customers.
“His real pastry chef Linda is amazing. And I was so honored to get to come and work with her. She could have made this on her own, just following the recipe, but it was so fun to come in here and work with her,” said Wiersum.
Possibility for other outside contributors?
Nuts About Nancy has become a fast favorite, and Mason says it might open the door for other community contributions down the road. But in the meantime, Wiersum’s enjoying having her sweet special on the dessert list at a restaurant she’s nuts about herself.
“I just want to say how honored I am, because this is an outstanding restaurant. So to have my cheesecake on the menu, I am just completely in awe and honored,” Wiersum said.
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