Media Releases

The Devils Halo Cheesecakes and Milkshakes Grows in Amherst

March 6, 2024

When Melanie Cyr was growing up in Memramcook, NB, she often travelled with her mother to Amherst so they could take care of shopping for the family.

“My mom lives in Irishtown now,” Melanie said. “She still comes to Amherst to shop, and she’s always happy when she comes home. Because of her, when I had my kids, we always came here, and now my kids know their way around Amherst.”

A few years ago, Melanie’s daughter Danica was in university and wanted to start a small side business to generate some income. She started out creating cupcakes, but it wasn’t quite the right fit. Melanie explained that it’s long been their family tradition to bring cheesecake whenever they’re invited to a holiday supper or special event. So, after a lot of experimentation and combining several recipes, she and Danica developed a new product: cheesecake on a stick.

Nearly a year went by and their decadent stick-based dessert was becoming very popular, which meant it was taking up a lot of time. Melanie and her husband Jeff took over the operation so Danica could focus on her studies. After a period of more growth, the decision was made to transition out of their home and into their first retail space, in Moncton.

The Devils Halo Cheesecakes and Milkshakes opened on Mountain Road in 2022, and began serving their namesake treats in a variety of flavour combinations. Through more experimentation, they added cheesecake balls, cheesecake-stuffed cookies, and more incredible options – all met with enthusiasm by their growing customer base.

Melanie explained that she and her husband began working with various groups to help carry out fundraisers for special events. These groups would sell packages of Devils Halo cheesecake bites to generate funds for their cause. “They were selling three, four, five thousand bites at a time. They’re very labour intensive, with each ball being scooped by hand, then frozen, dipped, and covered by one of the toppings. Once one group would try a fundraiser, another group would reach out – like a domino effect.”

A lot of these fundraising cheesecake balls were being sold by groups in the Amherst area, so Melanie began asking her friends here if they could operate a pick-up spot from their house. When they decided to add a second retail location, Amherst was a natural choice because of the number of customers they already had here. One day, Melanie saw a downtown storefront for lease, and she and Jeff decided to go for it.

“The first weekend we were open, I’ll never forget it. I was not expecting the popularity with our milkshakes – I must have made 200. It was so crazy that I ran out of ice cream.” Thankfully, Melanie knows Amherst and was able to re-stock in no time. She finds that she’s buying more and more supplies now in Amherst.

Mayor David Kogon is joined by Councillors Leon Landry and Hal Davidson as he presents a new business certificate to Melanie Cyr of The Devil's Halo Cheesecakes and Milkshakes in Amherst.

Mayor David Kogon and members of Council recently met with Melanie at the store to present a new business certificate and officially welcome The Devils Halo to Amherst.

When asked how business is going, Melanie replied that it’s completely exceeded her expectations. “Amherst felt like home right away – everyone is very nice. We get positive feedback every day in-person and online. I never thought it would come this far – from our kitchen and basement to now operating two locations. It’s hard work, but it’s a fun business.”

Anyone interested in visiting The Devils Halo Cheesecakes and Milkshakes can find them at 104 Victoria Street East in Amherst from Thursday through Sunday. Hours of operation and other details are available on Facebook, via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or by phone at 1-506-853-8830.