DALLAS – From inspiration to his reason why, a North Texas cheesecake shop owner tells the story of opening Val’s Cheesecakes.

Valery Jean-Bart told CBS News Texas the inspiration for Val’s Cheesecakes came after caring for his mother through a years-long bout with terminal cancer; cheesecake was Marie Jose Labossiere’s favorite dessert. 

Jean-Bart said he and his mother formed an even deeper connection while they baked through more than 200 sweet and savory creations each week, while he helped care for her. 

“We baked a cheesecake every Sunday. Every single cheesecake that’s on the menu, was a specific Sunday with her…every single item on the menu is perfected by the memories that I have with her,” he said. 

After his mother passed away in 2012, Jean-Bart pondered what to do next. 

A former civil engineer, he channeled his grief and a desire to honor his mother’s legacy into a new career, and an eventual partnership with Oddfellows restaurant in the Bishop Arts district helped grow the enterprise. 

Eventually, Jean-Bart began selling the desserts to other restaurants in the area. 

It was a move Jean-Bart said “spiraled out of control beautifully,” and he eventually opened one location on Maple Avenue in Dallas followed by others. As of 2024, two brick-and-mortar shops exist on South Akard Street and Greenville Avenue in Dallas, in addition to a thriving e-commerce platform. 

But, after 12 years of running the successful venture, Jean-Bart said he’s ready for a change. 

“[I need to] take better care of myself, spend time with family and friends,” he said. “I’ve never had time to just be Val…I went directly from caregiver to business owner [and] that’s a major transition,” he added. 

Now, Jean-Bart is writing a new chapter in the story: his own.

“People have been asking me what I’m going to do? I’m going to have a life. There’s relief [and] there’s also grief because I’ve been holding on to my mom,” he continued as he gestured around the shop located on Greenville Avenue in Dallas. 

The memories of his mother can be clearly seen, down to the details: the shop is accented by a bold blue hue, representing his mother’s favorite color. 

A hibiscus mural, symbolizing Haiti’s national flower and their heritage, lines the walls. 

“The chocolate on the wall….that’s her skin color,” he added.  

Jean-Bart will operate his current business model through the end of the year. In the meantime, he’s also working to secure a licensing that would allow him to hand Val’s Cheesecakes over to a new owner. 

Along with a new focus on offering classes and consulting to clients, he is also developing Val’s Blue Label, a smaller-scale, niche brand of dessert offerings, in addition to cheesecake. In a twist, Jean-Bart revealed his favorite dessert is actually sweet potato pie.

“I do want to pivot [and] I do want to offer a different side of the story…make some time for me [and] take better care of myself and spend time with me family,” he said. “I’ve been holding on to her a lot, I just need to let her go.” 

Val’s Cheesecakes will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in celebration of National Cheesecake Day on July 30, at both locations: 2820 Greenville Avenue and 1112 South Akard Street, in Dallas. 

The Dallas Mavericks have mostly finalized their roster after agreeing to a one-year deal with Spencer Dinwiddie last week to use their 15th spot. That isn’t stopping the trade machine from bringing up suggestions though.

Bleacher Report has suggested a trade to bring back fan-favorite Dorian Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Maxi Kleber and a 2025 first-round pick (top ten protected). The Nets likely think they could get more out of Finney-Smith seeing that they got five first-round picks and a pick swap for Mikal Bridges, but they could do right by Finney-Smith and send him back to Dallas.

READ MORE: Mavericks’ Dante Exum Nears Olympic Return After Compound Dislocation of Finger

Finney-Smith was with the Mavericks from 2016 until the trade for Kyrie Irving at the 2023 trade deadline. As an undrafted free agent, he made his mark by turning into a 3&D player. By the time he left the Mavs, he was shooting over 39% from three-point range. Since the trade to the Nets though, he’s shot just 33.7% from deep. Life without Luka Doncic can be difficult.

The idea of trading him for Maxi Kleber is enticing though. Kleber’s $11 million contract is bloated given his production and he’s been hurt often in the playoffs. He offers good defensive versatility but Finney-Smith could fill the same role.

READ MORE: Mavericks’ Dwight Powell Helps Canada To Olympic Opener Victory Against Greece, Giannis Antetokounmpo

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DALLAS — First Baptist Dallas members are getting closer to returning to their downtown Dallas property after a four-alarm fire ravaged their historic sanctuary.

“The Worship Center looks wonderful. I was in there yesterday, and I texted our pastor,” Dr. Ben Lovvorn said. “I said the Worship Center looks, feels, and smells great.”

Lovvorn is the executive pastor of the Dallas megachurch. On Sunday, he told congregants who had to go to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center‘s main arena for the past two Sundays about their chances of returning to the property.

“Barring any surprise, I’m fairly confident that we will be together worshipping in our Worship center next Sunday morning,” he said.

Lovvorn said everything, including the building’s systems, elevators, escalators, media, internet, and life safety systems, must be checked out first.

In the meantime, he said crews are working around the clock to put beams and scaffolding up at the site of the scorched facade, where they are accustomed to having services.

“We are confident that we’re going to preserve much of that historic sanctuary—the exterior of those walls,” Lovvorn said.

The pastor also told the church he had no answers about how the fire started. He said the investigation could only proceed once First Baptist Dallas got the grounds safe enough for fire investigators to do their job.

“The priority has been to secure those walls and make sure the site is safe,” He said.

The damage to the church’s Criswell Center is significant enough that he said members would be unable to use it. The night of the fire, he said, the building took in dark smoke, lost power, and had a flooded basement.

The impact on the church’s artifacts remains unclear. A church spokesperson said the items are all digitized, but they have not worked through everything damaged or what didn’t make it.

The hull of the former sanctuary is where destruction occupies the place where members came to worship.

Mike Judd, the president of the Dallas County Pioneer Association, said the First Baptist Dallas fire reminded him of Notre Dame in April 2019.

“The wooden structure tends to burn straight up, very hot, and very quickly, but that type of fire tends to leave the exterior walls intact and reusable,” Judd said.

Judd’s Dallas County Pioneer Association is a non-profit organization that preserves and promotes the history of pioneer-era properties and facilities. The 1868 genesis of First Baptist Dallas is on their page.

“This is not just any church that burned. It’s the flagship church for decades and decades of the Southern Baptist Convention,” Judd said. “I think for prominence, it probably has no equals.”

As for what the rebuilt First Baptist Sanctuary could look like, Judd said he’s not a member. He does have a vision.

“Leaving a corner with smoke damage at the top of one of the windows, all those cornices around the edges that have the smoke damage, yeah,” Judd said. “Leaving one or two of those as a reminder of 2024 and the fire. That would be a wonderful call back to what happened this year.”

In a statement to CBS News Texas about the new sanctuary, Lovvorn said, “We are confident God is going to do great work in the days ahead. We are beginning to make plans to rebuild. Whatever we ultimately do will both honor the history and spiritual heritage of our church and express an excited optimism for the future.”