“10/ 10 is an auspicious day to celebrate our expansion…legend has it that a pair of tens means you’re on the cusp of something big! In our case it’s the newly completed $10 million, 42,000 sq. ft., addition to the west and south side of our existing facility, located on the northwest side of Chicago. Increasing capacity means more great desserts and more jobs!” Marc Schulman, Eli’s President and son of founder Eli Schulman.

This addition makes Eli’s facility 104,000 sq. ft., almost doubling the size of the bakery. This includes Eli’s Corporate Offices, Eli’s Cheesecake Bakery Café, open to the public, and expanded areas for production and packaging lines, warehousing and welfare. Five pop art cheesecake themed paintings were created for the space by contemporary artist Carter Kustera.

The project meets sustainable initiatives set by the City of Chicago by exceeding the energy code and providing landscape methods to achieve 60% native or adapted species and provide a diversity of plant types including flowering plants and grasses.

The expansion is financed by Wintrust with the support of a 504 loan issued by the U.S Small Business Administration. As part of this project, Eli’s increased its employment from 225 to 275 in addition to65 construction jobs from the project. Eli’s entered into a 6(b) tax incentive agreement with the City of Chicago and Cook County for the addition. There is a future phase of the expansion with the buildout of an Innovation & Education Center. That project will be partially funded by a Recovery Plan Community Development Grant from the City of Chicago

Eli’s addition was made possible with an EDGE Tax Credit Agreement with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) for the State of Illinois that gives Eli’s incentive for creating jobs. Eli’s is also a participant in a Job Training and Economic Development (JTED) Grant by DCEO with Wright College to create opportunities for students with disabilities from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and Vaughn Occupational High School to work at Eli’s and in the food industry.

“We attribute our long-term success to following my father’s words of wisdom “Charity will never bust you,” and “Treat others as if you were the other,” said Schulman. Toward that end, Eli’s is proud of its long term partnership with Refugee One and World Relief. One of many examples of its success is Elias Kasongo, who came to Eli’s from the Congo over 28 years, starting in the dish room, and is now Vice President of Procurement. For more than three decades Eli’s has hired refugees from Congo, Kosovo, Syrian, Iraq, Ruanda, Burma, and Tibet, and over the last 18 months, has hired over 80 Afghan and Ukraine refugees. Eli’s also hires individuals with disabilities.

“We are immensely proud to celebrate the expansion of Eli’s Cheesecake, an iconic and cherished brand that is woven into the fabric of Chicago’s rich culinary tapestry,” said Michael Fassnacht, President & CEO of World Business Chicago. “This expansion underscores not only the enduring legacy and innovation that characterizes Eli’s but also highlights Chicago’s dynamic business environment that fosters growth and prosperity. As the company extends its footprint in Chicago’s Dunning neighborhood, Eli’s continues to exemplify a commitment to quality, community, and the eclectic charm that makes our city a global destination. We celebrate this milestone with Marc, Maureen, Elana, and the entire Eli’s team, and look forward to the delectable innovations that will emerge, further sweetening Chicago’s world-renowned culinary reputation.”

“Eli’s ingenuity led to the Chicago-style cheesecake four decades ago and today leads to the company’s decision to double down on Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m pleased to welcome this manufacturing expansion and offer my gratitude to Eli’s for their continued community investment and support.”

43 years ago, Eli Schulman declared cheesecake to be the signature dessert at his legendary Chicago steakhouse, Eli’s The Place For Steak. It was there that he dreamed up a new way to make cheesecake: His unconventional fast and hot baking method resulted in the creation of “Chicago-style” cheesecake, a beautiful caramelization on the outside and a creamy consistency on the inside, baked on an all-butter shortbread cookie crust. The cheesecake made its public debut at the first Taste of Chicago, July 4, 1980. What began in his restaurant’s kitchen has grown into one of the country’s largest cheesecake and dessert bakeries. Eli’s, frequently referred to as a Chicago food icon, has become a symbol of the City, creating giant celebratory cheesecakes for many of Chicago’s big moments, such as Illinois’ Bicentennial, Taste of Chicago’s Birthdays, City of Chicago Birthdays, Hamilton the Musical, White Sox World Series, Second City 50 Years of Funny and the inaugurations of Mayors Brandon Johnson, Lori Lightfoot, Rahm Emanuel, Richard M Daley, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, President Barack Obama (both) and President Bill Clinton (both), to name a few. A third-generation family-owned business, all Eli’s desserts are handmade and decorated in Chicago!

Check outa video of the bakery construction process: https://youtu.be/bHe8utbvIzA?si=hqUTuE8j0Dqc5uOe 

It’s Chicago’s favorite cheesecake. So what makes Eli’s “Chicago Style Cheesecake?” Eli broke all the rules when it came to “traditional style cheesecake.” A hot, fast bake and no water bath, results in a golden brown exterior with a rich and creamy interior. Richer and creamier than its New York counterpart, Eli’s has a unique taste and texture and is baked on a real all-butter shortbread cookie crust, instead of a graham one.

What started in Eli’s humble restaurant kitchen has now blossomed into a third generation family-owned bakery, specializing in cheesecake and desserts that can be shipped nationwide and purchased across the country! Today you can find us at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, at our café and retail store, Eli’s Cheesecake World, located on the NW Side of Chicago, and shipping directly to your door.

Ship some of our Best Sellers nationwide!

• Original Plain: Original Plain Cheesecake is the one that started it all…simply a combination of the best quality slow-cultured cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, Madagascar vanilla beans and whole eggs. All baked on our signature crisp all-butter shortbread cookie crust.
• Strawberry Topped: New Strawberry Topping Recipe! Eli’s rich and creamy Original Plain Cheesecake topped with juicy red strawberries, baked on an all-butter shortbread cookie crust.
• Chocolate Chip: Eli’s creamy cheesecake bursting with bittersweet chocolate chips, baked on an all-butter chocolate cookie crust.

… or try it all in one sampler!

Original Favorites Sampler: Four slices each of our all-time favorite cheesecakes: Original Plain Cheesecake, Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake and Candy Bar Cheesecake made with Heath® Toffee Bars.

Eli’s Cheesecake is constructing a 42,000 sq. foot addition to the west and south side of its existing facility, located on the northwest side of Chicago. This will allow for the expansion of bakery operations, including the addition of production and packaging lines, warehousing and welfare areas. After completion, Eli’s facility will be 104,000 sq. ft. including Eli’s Corporate Offices and the Eli’s Cheesecake Bakery Café, which is open to the public. “Eli’s Cheesecake is known for having the best cheesecake in town for good reason,” said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “This expansion will allow them to enhance that well-earned reputation by giving them the capacity to put out even more delicious treats and create new ones in the future. I’m excited to see Eli’s Cheesecake continue to grow their business and know this new space will provide them with many new and lucrative opportunities once completed.”

The project will meet Sustainable Initiatives set by the City of Chicago by exceeding the Energy code and providing Landscape methods to achieve 60% Native or adapted species and provide a diversity of plant types including flowering plants and grasses.

The budget is $9.5 million and construction is being financed by Huntington National Bank and Eli’s. At the time of project completion, the SBA 504 program will refinance up to $5.5 million through Somercor 504 Inc.

The expansion team includes Architect Michael Aragona of Aragona Architects (who was the architect for Eli’s first Bakery in 1996), Summit Design as general contractor and Joel Friedland of Brit Properties as the owner representative.

As part of this project, Eli’s has committed to increasing its employment from 225 to 300 with 65 construction jobs from the project. Eli’s has entered into a 6(b) tax incentive agreement with the City of Chicago for the new addition.

Eli’s expansion has been made possible with an EDGE Tax Credit Agreement with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) for the State of Illinois that gives Eli’s incentive for creating jobs. Eli’s is also a participant in a Job Training and Economic Development (JTED) Grant by DCEO with Wright College to create opportunities for students with disabilities from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and Vaughn Occupational High School to work at Eli’s and in the food industry.
“We attribute our long term success to following my father’s words of wisdom “Charity will never bust you” and “Treat others as if you were the other,” said Marc Schulman, Eli’s President.
Toward that end, Eli’s is proud of its partnership with Refugee One. One of many examples of its success is Elias Kasongo, who came to Eli’s from the Congo over 28 years, starting in the dish room, and is now Vice President of Procurement. Eli’s has hired refugees from Congo, Kosovo, Syrian, Iraq, Ruanda, Burma and Tibet and over the last 6 months, has hired over 50 Afghan refugees.

According to Lt. Governor Julian Stratton, “It is an honor to join the Northwest Side community to commemorate the groundbreaking for Eli’s Cheesecake. The rich legacy that has been fostered for 42 years, uplifting the local community through various programs to promote education and economic development, is a testament to how our food systems can be an outlet to unite and grow together.”

Eli’s has always been committed to the education of its workforce. “Eli’s U,” an onsite GED program administered by Wright College received a visit in 1992 from then Governor Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. Eli’s and Wright have continued working together through the years and are currently co-hosting the annual summer entrepreneurship program for Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences students, as well as offering new classes this Fall. Independently, Eli’s offers awards scholarships annually for CHSAS graduating seniors.

“Eli’s ingenuity led to the Chicago-style cheesecake four decades ago and today leads to the company’s decision to double down on Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m pleased to welcome this manufacturing expansion and offer my gratitude to Eli’s for their continued community investment and support.”

In 1980, Eli Schulman declared cheesecake to be the signature dessert at his legendary Chicago steakhouse, Eli’s The Place For Steak. It was there that he dreamed up a new way to make cheesecake: His unconventional fast and hot baking method resulted in the creation of “Chicago style” cheesecake: a beautiful caramelization on the outside and a creamy consistency on the inside, baked on a shortbread cookie crust. The cheesecake made its public debut at the first Taste of Chicago, July 4, 1980. What began in his restaurant’s kitchen has grown into one of the country’s largest cheesecake and dessert bakeries. Eli’s, frequently referred to as a Chicago food icon, has become a symbol of the City, creating giant celebratory cheesecakes for many of Chicago’s big moments, such as Illinois’ Bicentennial, Taste of Chicago’s Birthdays, City of Chicago Birthdays, Hamilton the Musical, White Sox World Series, Second City 50 Years of Funny and the inaugurations of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, President Barack Obama (both) and President Bill Clinton (both), to name a few. A third generation family owned business, all Eli’s desserts are handmade and decorated in Chicago!

To celebrate the bakery’s favorite “holiday” and its 42nd birthday, Eli’s has planned local and national cheesecake fun:

Monday: Try Eli Schulman’s original four flavors, all in one cheesecake: Original Plain, Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Raisin and Hawaiian. To order: shop.elicheesecake.com/product/eli-schulmans-original-4

Tuesday: Ground-Baking: Eli’s Cheesecake will break ground for a 42,000 sq. ft. expansion, almost doubling the size of its current bakery! That means more cheesecake and specialty desserts are coming soon.

Wednesday: Cheesecake Pong! Get the ball in a cup, win a free cheesecake slice or other fabulous prizes! 11am-2pm.

Thursday: Win a year of Eli’s Cheesecake! Follow Eli’s Instagram account @elischeesecake, comment on our National Cheesecake Day Kickoff post, and tag three friends to enter. The lucky winner will be announced on Friday, July 29th, and will receive an Eli’s Cheesecake every month for 12 months, beginning in August.

Friday, FREE CHEESECAKE DAY: Cheesecake handed out at these locations: Eli’s Cheesecake World, Eli Schulman Playground at Seneca Park/Lurie Children’s Hospital, DuSable Museum, and Chicago History Museum. Follow us on Twitter @ElisCheesecake to see where we are! Also, Free Cheesecake at Eli’s Cheesecake at O’Hare Airport Terminal 1 near the dinosaur (between gates B8 and B9), starting at 11am.

Saturday, THE BIG DAY: 42 cent slices in honor of Eli’s 42nd Birthday, decorating demo, Spin & Win and Carnival Games for discounts and prizes, National Cheesecake Day Sale, Specialty items: “Baby Eli” Original Four Sampler – 3” versions of Original Plain, Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Raisin, and Hawaiian + the Original Four by the individual slices.

About Eli’s Cheesecake:
42 years ago, Eli Schulman declared cheesecake to be the signature dessert at his legendary Chicago steakhouse, Eli’s The Place For Steak. It was there that he dreamed up a new way to make cheesecake: His unconventional fast and hot baking method resulted in the creation of “Chicago style” cheesecake, a beautiful caramelization on the outside and a creamy consistency on the inside, baked on a shortbread cookie crust. The cheesecake made its public debut at the first Taste of Chicago, July 4, 1980. What began in his restaurant’s kitchen has grown into one of the country’s largest cheesecake and dessert bakeries. Eli’s, frequently referred to as a Chicago food icon, has become a symbol of the City, creating giant celebratory cheesecakes for many of Chicago’s big moments, such as Illinois’ Bicentennial, Taste of Chicago’s Birthdays, City of Chicago Birthdays, Hamilton the Musical, White Sox World
Series, Second City 50 Years of Funny and the inaugurations of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, President Barack Obama (both) and President Bill Clinton (both), to name a few. A third generation family-owned business, all Eli’s desserts are handmade and decorated in Chicago!