What started as a simple Sunday night tradition between a father and his daughter has turned into a growing bakery business and a dessert that’s catching plenty of attention. At The Dirty Cheesecakein Smithtown, cheesecake is served a little differently – on a stick, hand-dipped in chocolate and covered with toppings. The man behind the idea is Tarek Hassanin, who says his passion for baking began at home.

“I don’t have culinary experience. I didn’t go to school for it. I taught myself how to do it,” Hassanin said. That passion eventually led to the creation of Made by Lili’s, a bakery brand that first opened in Times Square. The business has since expanded to Long Island with locations in West Babylon and Smithtown. But the dessert that has customers talking is their signature item – the Dirty Cheesecake. The treat features a slice of cheesecake on a stick, dipped in chocolate and topped with candy and other sweets. The concept is now patent pending, according to Hassanin.

“No one else is doing it. We’re the only ones in North America right now doing the cheesecakes on a stick,” he said. “The concept went viral when we opened the shop in Times Square. During COVID, we launched ‘The Dirty Cheesecake’ and it went crazy.”