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!