The Iconic Chicago Cheesecake Brand With Steakhouse Origins

If you've ever had Eli's Cheesecake, then you know what makes it different. First off, it's made Chicago-style — baked hot and fast, with no water bath and a shortbread base. This makes it not only creamier and richer than the New York cheesecake many of us know and love, but it also gives it a unique taste. Next, Eli's is a family-run company that focuses on fresh, local ingredients. The Schulman family knows a thing or two about good food, and the reason only adds to the interesting history of Eli's Cheesecake: they started out running a steakhouse.

It all began when the company's founder, Eli M. Schulman, bought a local coffee shop in Chicago and utilized his cooking skills from the army to start a restaurant. Schulman later opened another restaurant and a deli before he carried out his dream and set up Eli's The Place For Steak in the Carriage House Hotel in 1966. The steaks were a hit, but the real attraction was the dessert menu. In particular, the cheesecakes.

Schulman experimented with the dessert a lot before testing it out on regular customers, which helped him create a brand new type of cheesecake in four different flavors: original, chocolate chip, cinnamon raisin, and Hawaiian. The golden exteriors and buttery, cookie bases attracted the masses — so much so that a spinoff, The Eli's Cheesecake Company, was opened by Schulman's son Marc in 1984.

Eli's The Place For Steak attracted everyone from locals and nearby workers to celebrity athletes and politicians in its heyday (think everyone from Liza Minnelli and Sammy Davis Jr. to Johnny Carson and Frank Sinatra), but the location was closed in 2005 due to a nearby development. However, The Eli's Cheesecake Company was booming at this time, making upwards of 18,000 cheesecakes per day.

There were originally talks of another steakhouse opening, but it seems the family decided to focus on the bakery in the end. It makes sense, seeing as their cheesecakes were so popular, Marc Schulman was asked to fly to Washington, D.C., to make a special 2,000-pound version for President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1992. More presidential cheesecakes followed, as well as visits from Jay Leno, Will Ferrell, and more. Marc Schulman's daughter, Elana, helps run the business today, and you can still visit the bakery in Northwest Chicago. 

Eli's Cheesecakes are also available online and in grocery stores across the country, and the options have majorly expanded since Eli Shulman's first experiments. There are classic hits like original and strawberry-topped available, as well as samplers, seasonal flavors, and vegan cheesecakes. Each one is still hand-decorated and made using fresh, cultured cream cheese, natural sour cream, and pure Madagascar Bourbon vanilla. Even more importantly, Eli Schulman's signature Chicago-style technique is still utilized, which continues to separate Eli's from other store-bought cheesecakes today.