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New York is filled with ghosts of anachronistic businesses, left behind by technology or rising rents or apathy; fading away tragically, closing up shop, transforming into something hardly recognizable. D’Aiuto is not one of those businesses.

Founded by Italian immigrants a generation ago and once among the biggest producers of cheesecake in the city, the business has dwindled over the years and now has a second lease on life, thanks to a man named Ajay Patel.

You've likely seen the D'Aiuto storefront if you’ve walked down 8th Avenue just south of Penn Station, past a string of low-rent XXX shops and steam-table buffets. D-'-A-I-U-T-O, the sign reads in blocky hot-pink capital letters. One on side of the neon lettering is a bleached-out picture of a naked baby grinning on its stomach; on the other is a faded slogan, in quotes: “The Best Cheesecake On Earth.”

This is the last remaining vestige of the Baby Watson empire, a kingdom built upon cream cheese nearly a century ago. D’Aiuto’s, aka New York, New York Cheesecake (more on that in a minute), is the inventor of the Baby Watson cheesecake, a crust-free version of the iconic New York pastry.

Source: Capital New York