Commercial Baking is proud to present a new annual recognition: Social Impactor of the Year, highlighting one company’s dedication to philanthropy, education and social change with the goal to make a positive impact on its workforce and the communities it serves.
KANSAS CITY, MO — Guided by the mantras, “Treat others as if you were the other,” and “Charity will never bust you,” Eli’s Cheesecake Co. has supported the City of Chicago since 1940 when founder Eli Schulman opened the doors to his first restaurant, Eli’s Ogden Huddle, followed by Eli’s Stage Delicatessen, and then Eli’s The Place for Steak. Though cheesecake would later become the staple for the business, the call to support the community remained.
A passion for a legacy recipe combined with an even greater ambition to make a difference drove Eli to bestow a sense of solidarity within his community. The corporate social responsibility status Eli’s is known for today started with an inherent empathetic outlook on life that would ripple through generations of Schulmans committed to philanthropy.
“It goes back to my grandfather,” said Elana Schulman, VP of Eli’s Cheesecake. “During the war, he had a sign in his restaurant that said, ‘If you’re hungry, come in and we’ll feed you for free.’ Those words and the golden rules he lived by are our daily inspiration.”
Today, the company is a third-generation, family-owned bakery specializing in cheesecake, layer cakes, tarts, bars and mini pies for restaurants, airlines and supermarket bakery cases. To reach its loyal consumer base, the bakery relies on its powerful team — from operators to executives — to maintain the level of success that started with the family’s dedication to the craft. Eli’s hiring practices are one of many facets that reflect its commitment to Chicago.
Of the roughly 300-person employee list, resettled refugees account for more than 30% of the workforce. Elana and her father, Marc Schulman, president, support employee recruitment, including refugees. Through a partnership with RefugeeOne, a Chicago-based organization that provides free holistic services to help newcomers flourish in their new lives, Marc and Elana carry on the tradition of Eli’s origin story.
“It’s a part of our restaurant heritage to support other refugees. We don’t hire temporary workers. We have a commitment to our people.” — Marc Schulman | president | Eli’s Cheesecake Co.
“My father was a child of immigrants who came to the US in 1907,” Marc explained. “It’s a part of our restaurant heritage to support other refugees. We don’t hire temporary workers. We have a commitment to our people.”
RefugeeOne serves more than 2,500 refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants of all ages, ethnic groups and backgrounds. In collaboration with the organization, Eli’s has hired refugees from countries including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bhutan, Kosovo, Congo, Myanmar, Syria, Rwanda and Tibet.
Eli’s provides the refugees with more than just a paycheck and economic opportunity; the business’s commitment to empowering resettled individuals enriches the lives of new Americans. Treating others as they want to be treated has forged the Schulmans’ corporate ethos, and for the past 40 years, Eli’s has transformed the city’s landscape and unlocked the potential of its people
One such example of this is Elias Kasongo, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After resettling in Chicago in the early ’90s, he found opportunity at Eli’s as a dishwasher and quickly advanced through various roles — from sanitation to front office — as he became acclimated. Today, Kasongo is the VP of purchasing and oversees the company’s more than $25 million scope of ingredient purchases.
This story has been adapted from the 2024 Innovations Annual of Commercial Baking. Read the digital edition here.
