When Steve Buresh opened Buresh’s Cosmic Bakehouse and Creamery on Oct. 26, 2024, in Plainfield, he sold all 2,000 cookies in three hours and closed early.

At the same time, Buresh was also running the longtime Steve Buresh’s Cheesecake Store & Sandwich Shop, also in Plainfield, which he kept open that day until 7 p.m.

Eighteen months later, Buresh closed Buresh’s Cosmic Bakehouse and Creamery on April 25. He announced the closure on Monday on that business’ Facebook page.

On Thursday, Buresh announced in an emotional Facebook reel, that he soon will be permanently closing the Cheesecake & Sandwich Shop, too, a move he hadn’t initially anticipated.

“I only wanted to close the cookie store because it just wasn’t working out as I hoped,” Buresh told Shaw Local on Thursday. “But after talking with my family, we decided after 15 years it’s time to close the Cheesecake Store, too.”

Buresh said several factors contributed to his decisions – “skyrocketing” food and fuel costs that were “straining customers’ wallets” and his own mental health, which has deteriorated since the COVID-19 pandemic, Buresh said.

In February 2025, Buresh expressed concern over the cost of eggs, since he used 1,000 a week, he said. But this past April was worse than that for business.

“April was the worst month since COVID,” Buresh said. “Nobody was coming in. That was the final blow that made me know I didn’t want to keep going with the stores.”

It’s a monumental decision considering the restaurant industry is part of Buresh’s family history.

Buresh’s grandfather owned the former Frank Buresh Lobster House & Cocktail Lounge in Brookfield, where Buresh once vacuumed and performed “odd jobs” while working with family members.

In addition, Buresh’s father bartended, and Buresh’s uncle ran the restaurant after Frank Buresh died, Buresh previously said.

Buresh’s love for helping local schools with their fundraisers and events came from his grandfather, who was involved with the Brookfield community.

And it was also Frank Buresh who inspired Buresh to “put my name on the door” of both the cheesecake and the cookie stores.

“My grandfather always said, ‘If you want to be proud of something, put your name on it so people know it was made by you,’” Buresh previously said.

Buresh started out selling cheesecakes in a mason jar at local farmer’s markets, which lead to him opening his Cheesecake Store in 2024 in Plainfield.

He initially added cookies near the register of his cheesecake store because he wanted a kid-friendly dessert. He only thought of opening a separate cookie store after a pizzeria near the cheesecake store moved out, he said.

The cookie store paid homage to Buresh’s love of space themes and to his wife Kelli Buresh, a kindergarten teacher at Wood View Elementary School in Bolingbrook, since her favorite color is purple.

Buresh is now making plans to support the community in new ways, such as helping “young bakers [by] getting the equipment they need to start their journey,” he said.

The Cheesecake Store will likely remain open for business until May 21, Buresh said, and he is planning to keep its website active for a while so people can use their gift cards.

But closing both businesses also means saying goodbye to his plans for their futures.

“I had major plans to get into grocery stores and restaurants, but there was not enough money in the budget for more staff,” he said.

Bursh has accepted letting those dreams go because he said he has better ones.

“I want to get old and play with my grandkids and have trips with my wife,” Buresh said. “I don’t want to be in a hospital bed because of stress.”