CHICAGO — The Democratic National Convention has some big plans for the Convention – and by big, we mean two 1,000-pound cheesecakes made by Chicago’s famous Eli’s Cheesecake. The first big cake served at Saturday’s Welcome Party at Navy Pier was decorated with all 50 state placards, and the crowd loved it! In fact, Convention goers will have consumed over 5,400 lbs. of Eli’s Cheesecake, Chicago’s favorite dessert, by the time the Convention is over. CLICK here for B Roll of making, decorating and serving the cake and CLICK here for photos.
“As one of Chicago’s and Illinois’ most famous foods for more than 40 years, we are thrilled to be a part of Chicago history by creating two giant celebratory cheesecakes for the Democratic National Convention welcome parties, especially because of Vice President Harris’ passion for cooking,” said Eli’s President, Marc Schulman. Click here to learn more about Eli’s and view photos of our famous giant celebratory cakes (like the ones Eli’s made for both the Obama and Clinton Inaugurations, and Bill Clinton’s 1992 visit to Eli’s during his first presidential campaign).
Additional Information:
One of our main decorators is Ivanna Yatskiv, from the Ukraine, one of 80 refugees working at Eli’s.
About Eli’s Cheesecake:
It all started in 1940, when Eli Schulman found a foreclosure sign on the door of his favorite coffee shop. On a whim (he never ran a restaurant before) and armed with his mother’s recipes, he bought the place and the rest is history! Forty years and a few restaurants later, Eli declared cheesecake to be the signature dessert at the legendary Eli’s The Place for Steak, where he dreamed up a new way to make cheesecake. His unconventional fast and hot baking method resulted in the creation of “Chicago-Style” cheesecake: known for its beautiful caramelization, creamy texture, and shortbread cookie crust. The cheesecake made its public debut at the first Taste of Chicago, July 4, 1980.
Eli’s, third generation and family owned, is referred to as a Chicago food icon, and a symbol of the city. The bakery has created celebratory cheesecakes for Chicago’s big moments including the inaugurations of Chicago Mayors for the last 35 years, Illinois Governors from Jim Thompson to J.B. Pritzker, President Barack Obama (both) and President Bill Clinton (both). We attribute Eli’s success to our founder’s words of wisdom: “Charity will never bust you,” and “Treat others as if you were the other.”
