When restaurateur Eli Schulman created cheesecake as the signature dessert for his legendary steakhouse, little did he know that by breaking all the rules of traditional cheesecake baking, he would invent “Chicago-Style” cheesecake: richer and creamier than its New York counterpart, with a shortbread cookie crust.
In 1980, Eli decided to offer his cheesecake at a booth at the first Taste of Chicago, a food festival dreamed up by his good friend and fellow restaurateur Arnie Morton and Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne. The first Taste was a single-day event, held on the Fourth of July on Michigan Avenue in front of the Tribune Tower. No one knew what to expect. The street was packed with people, and Eli’s booth was among the busiest. Eli feverishly cut cheesecake all day long, as fast as he could, all while wearing a suit and tie.
After the Taste, many other restaurateurs wanted to serve Eli’s cheesecake, but he couldn’t produce enough cakes at the restaurant to keep up with demand. He was at a crossroads— make the cheesecakes for his restaurant and his restaurant alone, or begin a separate cheesecake business. Four years later, Eli’s son, Marc Schulman left behind a successful legal career to head up The Eli’s Cheesecake Company. Initially, the company rented a bakery on Chicago’s Northwest Side, but it grew quickly. In 1996, Eli’s Cheesecake World, a 62,000 sq. ft. bakery, café, and retail store, opened at 6701 W. Forest Preserve Drive in Chicago.
