Eli’s Cheesecake was the dream of Chicago restaurateur Eli Schulman. Over his almost 50-year career, he developed a reputation for serving up great food, providing outstanding service and making every customer feel important. Eli’s first venture in the restaurant business began in 1940 with the popular Chicago coffee shop Eli’s Ogden Huddle, later followed by Eli’s Stage Delicatessen. In 1966 he opened Eli’s the Place for Steak, a celebrity hangout for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. Working in his restaurant’s kitchen in the 1970’s, Eli created a cheesecake so rich and creamy that his customers proclaimed it “Chicago’s finest.” In 1980, Eli’s Cheesecake made its public debut at the Taste of Chicago (America’s largest food festival) and it was a hit! Since then, it has grown from a local favorite to one of the country’s largest specialty cheesecake bakeries. Eli’s desserts are now enjoyed throughout the world and their Original Plain Cheesecake was served at President Obama’s Inaugural Commander-in-Chief’s Ball in 2009.
Although The Eli’s Cheesecake Company, still a family-owned business, has grown a lot since 1980, they still take their time to create the highest quality desserts by slow baking in small batches, and allowing the finest ingredients to develop to their optimum flavors – the key to achieving Eli’s unique taste and texture. Eli’s uses the best ingredients like pure Madagascar vanilla, cultured cream cheese and sour cream, fresh Michigan apples (never frozen or processed), fine chocolates, real key lime juice and more. Eli’s desserts are certified kosher and are decorated by hand. It is their mission to support local farmers, vendors and small businesses whenever possible.
