Eli's Cheesecake
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Chicago-based cheesecake company known for its Original Plain Cheesecake, large-format celebration desserts, and association with the Taste of Chicago.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Eli's Cheesecake is a Chicago-based dessert company whose signature product grew out of the restaurant career of Eli M. Schulman. Schulman entered the restaurant business in 1940 with Eli's Ogden Huddle, a popular coffee shop on Chicago's West Side, and later operated Eli's Stage Delicatessen. In 1966 he opened Eli's The Place for Steak, a restaurant that attracted entertainers, athletes, and other prominent diners. During the late 1970s, Schulman developed a plain cheesecake as a distinctive dessert for the steakhouse. The recipe used cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla, baked in a butter shortbread cookie crust. The cheesecake received a major public platform at the first Taste of Chicago in 1980. Its popularity at the festival helped turn the restaurant dessert into a separate commercial business, Eli's Cheesecake Company. The product became closely associated with Chicago and was described in reference material as Chicago's most famous dessert. By 2005, approximately two million slices had reportedly been sold through the Taste of Chicago. Although the original restaurant closed in 2005 after 39 years, the cheesecake business continued independently. Eli's expanded beyond its original plain cheesecake into varieties incorporating chocolate, fruit, caramel, and other inclusions. Its broader dessert range includes tarts, cakes, tiramisu, and other baked products. The company emphasizes production in Chicago and distributes products throughout the United States, while also reaching international retail markets. It has supplied desserts for institutional, civic, entertainment, and political events, including several United States presidential inauguration-related functions and major Chicago celebrations. The company moved to a larger facility in Chicago's Dunning neighborhood in 1996. Known as Eli's Cheesecake World, the site includes a large bakery, a bakery cafe, and corporate offices. A further bakery expansion began in 2022 with the groundbreaking of a 42,000-square-foot addition. Eli's also reaches consumers through national food partnerships, including a cooperation with Lou Malnati's Tastes of Chicago. Family continuity has been central to the company. Eli Schulman's son, Marc Schulman, became president in 1984 and continued leading the business after his father's death in 1988. The brand has preserved its founder's restaurant heritage through public storytelling and publishing. Its first cookbook appeared in 2015 and presented cheesecake recipes alongside dishes associated with the former steakhouse; a second edition published in 2021 added further recipes, stories, and international family contributions from employees. Eli's Cheesecake remains positioned as a Chicago-origin, premium bakery brand combining handcrafted-style production, local identity, event-scale desserts, and a wide selection of cheesecake and related sweets.
History
Eli's Cheesecake developed from the restaurant career of Eli M. Schulman, a Chicago entrepreneur born in 1910. Schulman began operating in the restaurant sector in 1940, when he opened Eli's Ogden Huddle, a coffee shop on Chicago's West Side. He later followed it with Eli's Stage Delicatessen, which became a destination for notable performers. These businesses established the hospitality background and local reputation that later supported the Eli's name. In 1966, Schulman opened Eli's The Place for Steak. The restaurant became known for attracting celebrities and public figures, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Gale Sayers, and Henny Youngman. During the late 1970s, Schulman developed a plain cheesecake to serve as the steakhouse's signature dessert. The formulation centered on cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla, with the filling baked in a butter shortbread cookie crust. This product became the foundation of the later cheesecake company. The decisive turning point came in 1980, when the cheesecake was presented at the first Taste of Chicago. Its reception at the festival was strong enough to make it one of the event's most popular desserts. Eli's Cheesecake Company was established as a separate business soon afterward, initially operating from a small plant on Chicago's North Side. The Taste of Chicago gave the product a public identity beyond the steakhouse and connected it permanently with Chicago's food culture. Reference material states that roughly two million slices had been sold at the festival by 2005. Marc Schulman, Eli's son, became president in 1984. Eli Schulman died on May 8, 1988, after which Marc continued operating the company. Later in 1988, a playground near the former steakhouse was dedicated in Eli's memory and named the Eli M. Schulman Playground. The family connection remained part of the brand's identity, linking its modern bakery business to the founder's restaurants and Chicago history. In 1996, Eli's Cheesecake moved to its current Chicago location in the Dunning neighborhood. The site, called Eli's Cheesecake World, combined a large bakery with a bakery cafe and corporate offices. The facility supported the company's transition from a local restaurant dessert to a broader packaged and event-oriented bakery business. Eli's products were distributed across the United States and made available in international stores. The company also formed a relationship with Lou Malnati's Tastes of Chicago, creating another route for Chicago-style foods and desserts to reach customers nationally. The original steakhouse continued operating for 39 years before closing in 2005. Its closure did not end the cheesecake brand, which had already established an independent identity. Eli's broadened its range from Original Plain Cheesecake into products featuring chocolate, fruit, caramel, and other ingredients. It also added tarts, cakes, tiramisu, and other desserts. Large-format cheesecakes became part of the company's event business, with commissions for presidential inauguration events, civic anniversaries, entertainment celebrations, and professional food-industry gatherings. Eli's has used public events to reinforce both its scale and its Chicago association. It prepared 2,000-pound cheesecakes for Bill Clinton's 1993 and 1997 inaugurations, 500-pound cheesecakes for Barack Obama's 2009 inaugural ball and 2013 inaugural staff ball, and a 2,000-pound cheesecake for the 2009 Burnham Plan Centennial and Taste of Chicago anniversary. Other reported commissions included events associated with Hillary Clinton, Walt Disney World, Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial, Chicago's sesquicentennial, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's 2011 inauguration, and the James Beard Awards in 2015. The company has also appeared in mass media, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and an ABC World News segment in May 2012 focused on American-made production. In November 2015, it published its first cookbook, combining recipes for its cheesecakes with dishes from the former steakhouse and commentary from people connected with the Schulman family and Chicago media. A second edition followed in 2021 with additional recipes, stories, and employee-contributed international family traditions. In July 2022, Eli's broke ground on a 42,000-square-foot bakery expansion, indicating continued investment in production capacity. The brand's present identity rests on its Chicago origin, family history, cheesecake specialization, national distribution, and ability to produce both retail desserts and very large custom products for public events.
- 2022
Bakery expansion begins
[1]Eli's breaks ground on a 42,000-square-foot bakery expansion.
- 2021
Second cookbook edition published
[1]The revised edition adds recipes, stories, and international family contributions from employees.
- 2015
First Eli's Cheesecake cookbook published
[1]The company publishes a cookbook featuring cheesecake recipes and dishes connected with Eli's former steakhouse.
- 2013
Eli's makes cheesecake for Obama's inaugural staff ball
[1]The bakery produces a 500-pound cheesecake for the event.
- 2012
Eli's appears on ABC World News
[1]The company is featured in a Made in America segment on ABC World News.
- 2009
Eli's produces major civic and inauguration cheesecakes
[1]The company makes a 500-pound cheesecake for Barack Obama's inaugural ball and a 2,000-pound cheesecake for the Burnham Plan Centennial.
- 2005
Eli's The Place for Steak closes
[1]The founding family's steakhouse closes after 39 years, while the independent cheesecake company continues.
- 1997
Second large cheesecake made for the Clinton inauguration
[1]Eli's again makes a 2,000-pound cheesecake for Bill Clinton's inauguration-related ceremonies.
- 1996
Eli's moves to Cheesecake World
[1]The company relocates to its Dunning neighborhood facility, combining bakery, cafe, and corporate functions.
- 1993
Large cheesecake made for the Clinton inauguration
[1]Eli's produces a 2,000-pound cheesecake for Bill Clinton's inauguration ceremonies.
Products and positioning
Chicago-rooted premium bakery brand centered on cheesecake, handcrafted-style production, broad flavor variety, and celebration or event desserts.
Cheesecake · 1980
Eli's Original Plain Cheesecake
The foundational Eli's product is a plain cheesecake made with cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. It is baked in a butter shortbread cookie crust and was originally developed as the signature dessert at Eli's The Place for Steak. Its appearance at the first Taste of Chicago in 1980 helped make it a recognized Chicago specialty.
Cheesecake
Chocolate Cheesecakes
Eli's expanded its original cheesecake range with chocolate-based variations. These products illustrate the brand's move from a single restaurant dessert to a broader assortment designed for retail, gifting, celebrations, and event service.
Cheesecake
Fruit Cheesecakes
Fruit variations add fruit ingredients or toppings to the company's cheesecake base. They form part of Eli's broader flavor portfolio alongside plain, chocolate, and caramel styles, allowing the brand to serve seasonal and occasion-based demand.
Cheesecake
Caramel Cheesecakes
Caramel-flavored cheesecakes are among the variations developed after the success of the Original Plain Cheesecake. They extend the core product into richer dessert profiles and contribute to Eli's selection of premium celebration and specialty desserts.
Bakery desserts
Tarts, Cakes, and Tiramisu
Beyond cheesecake, Eli's produces other desserts including tarts, cakes, and tiramisu. These products broaden the company from a specialist cheesecake maker into a fuller bakery and dessert supplier while retaining the Eli's Chicago identity.
Custom and event desserts
Large-Format Event Cheesecakes
Eli's has produced exceptionally large cheesecakes for inaugurations, civic anniversaries, entertainment celebrations, and food-industry events. Reported examples include 500-pound and 2,000-pound products, demonstrating the company's capacity for ceremonial and high-visibility custom production.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015James Beard Awards Welcome Reception
Chicago · United States
Eli's made a cake for the James Beard Awards Welcome Reception in Chicago.
Outcome. The event connected the brand with a prominent American culinary institution.
- 2009Burnham Plan Centennial cheesecake
Chicago
Eli's created a 2,000-pound cheesecake to commemorate the Burnham Plan Centennial and the 29th anniversary of both the Taste of Chicago and Eli's Cheesecake.
Outcome. The large-format dessert reinforced the company's association with Chicago civic events and its ability to produce ceremonial products.
- 1980Taste of Chicago debut
Chicago · United States
Eli's presented its original plain cheesecake at the first Taste of Chicago. The festival became a central public platform for the brand and helped establish the dessert as a Chicago food icon.
Outcome. The cheesecake became one of the festival's most popular desserts, with reference material reporting about two million slices sold by 2005.
Brand decisions
2022
Expand bakery capacityStrategyBackground
Eli's continued operating as a Chicago production bakery serving retail, national, international, and event customers.
Action taken
The company broke ground on a 42,000-square-foot bakery expansion.
Aftermath
The expansion was expected to increase production capacity and support continued growth.
1996
Move to Eli's Cheesecake WorldStrategyBackground
The growing cheesecake business required a larger operating base than its original small North Side plant.
Action taken
Eli's relocated to a Dunning neighborhood facility containing a large bakery, bakery cafe, and corporate offices.
Aftermath
The new site supported production, administration, visitor-facing activity, and wider distribution.
1980
Separate the cheesecake operation from the steakhouseStrategyBackground
The original plain cheesecake gained substantial attention after being served at the first Taste of Chicago.
Action taken
The company established Eli's Cheesecake Company as an independent business soon after the festival.
Aftermath
The decision allowed the product to develop beyond a restaurant dessert into a distributed bakery brand.
Sources2 sources
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