I’m not sure exactly why, but I have a soft spot for cheesecake. If it ends up at a party or I see it on a menu, I have to try it. Maybe it was because it was one of my dad’s favorite desserts so it was around the house a lot, or maybe it was because I remember climbing on a chair as a kid to help add eggs to the bowl as my mom handled the mixer when she made it. It's certainly not because of its complexity, because at its most basic, it is a mix of eggs, cream cheese, a little sugar and vanilla, with a graham cracker crust.

Maybe that's part of the allure — there's a danger in being simple; it means it can easily get cocked up so there's an immediate delight when you take a bite out of a perfectly made cheesecake. Simplicity also means those willing to accept a creative challenge have a fantastic blank canvas to use.

One of my favorite places to get cheesecake in the city is from the San Francisco Cheesecake Company, particularly when they decide to do a batch of their chocolate and Fernet Branca flavored cheesecake. However, on a recent visit to the Saturday farmers' market at the Ferry Building, I stumbled on the Crumble & Whisk stall. I recognized the owner, Charles Farrier, from a few La Cocina events in the past (as Farrier is one of their incubator program participants).

His specialty is making cheesecakes, and I have no problem with having multiple suppliers to sate my cheesecake hunger. I ended up taking a few of Farrier’s personal sized cheesecakes home, which are about 3-4” in diameter, or probably the equivalent of a slice from a full-sized cake, and cost $8-9 depending on the flavor. The stand-out of the bunch was the Beet and Berry, which used roasted organic beets, lemon, and blueberry with a berry and red wine compote on top; it straddled the line between savory and sweet with the earthiness of the beet tamed by the tartness and sweetness of the lemon and berries. In the mouth, the cake’s texture transforms from dense to creamy, as opposed to remaining firm and gritty as with poorly made cheesecakes.

I returned the following Saturday to try more of Farrier’s flavors and to learn more about him and his company. Born in Oakland, Farrier gained an interest in food by watching and helping his father cook for the family. After graduating high school, Farrier enrolled in a culinary program with the Treasure Island Job Corps with an emphasis in baking and pastry. This lead to line cook and pastry positions around the Bay Area and work on a cruise ship with the dream of eventually opening his own company.

Farrier decided to take a break from cooking and took a job working in the business field in hopes of learning the skills required to start and run his own business. Encouraged by co-workers who had enjoyed his cheesecakes at work, Farrier pushed forward in 2012 by creating Crumble & Whisk.

Farrier was eager to tell me about how he designs his cheesecake flavors by balancing savory and sweet ingredients, local and seasonal when possible, which gives him flexibility in customizing cheesecakes for various diets, citing his vegan and gluten-free cheesecakes as examples. He has also been known to do other custom baked goods for customers, such as quiches and various French pastries.

Being a lover of bourbon, I settled on trying his Harvest Pumpkin Spice cheesecake which was made with roasted pumpkin, spiced pumpkin seeds, and covered with a bourbon caramel drizzle. Pumpkin cheesecake in general is good, like a pumpkin pie with a bit of tartness, but if you toss in a little spice and a slight oakiness from the reduced bourbon, you end up with layers of flavor that promise to keep your taste buds entertained. Farrier’s other winter offerings sounded equally interesting — Apple Spice (roasted apples, thyme, brandy, and lemon), Pecan Crumble (toasted pecans and maple), and Winter White Chocolate (white chocolate with cranberry and orange).

Unfortunately, Farrier’s Saturday morning appearances at the Farmers Market are not consistent enough that I can tell you when he will be there as he currently fills in for other vendors when space is available, but his Twitter account, @CrumbleandWhisk, provides updates on his market and event appearances while his website, www.crumbleandwhisk.com, has full menu and contact information for special orders.