Kravitz now serving corned beef with a view

By JORDYN GRZELEWSKI

jgrzelewski@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Politics has nothing to do with corned beef sandwiches.

That’s the position that Kravitz Deli owner Jack Kravitz took several years ago when The Vindicator interviewed him about a ballot issue, and it’s the attitude he has going into his new venture at Mill Creek MetroParks.

Kravitz’s Garden Cafe & Inspired Catering opens today at Fellows Riverside Gardens’ D.D. and Velma Davis Education & Visitor Center, replacing Friends Specialty which was removed from the location by the MetroParks board Aug. 15.

Alluding to the controversy that’s publicly played out at the MetroParks over the last several months, Kravitz said he hopes the cafe will act as a unifying force.

“I know there’s been a lot of issues with the park board and other groups. We’re not part of that. We’re not political. We’re not taking sides,” he said. “We’re trying to put people together. We hope this will be a place that people see as a unification, maybe healing some of those divisions.”

Kravitz’s menu is, in many ways, a reflection of that attitude. It ranges from signatures such as the Kravitz Original Corned Beef Sandwich, to new options like stuffed grilled cheese sandwiches, to lighter fare such as salads and hummus plates.

There are vegan and vegetarian options, a full kids’ menu, and baked goods.

It’s designed to provide something for everybody.

“We don’t want to just appeal to any one group,” Kravitz said. “Mill Creek Park is for everybody.”

The cafe is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, and will feature made-to-order omelettes and corned beef hash as part of its Sunday brunch offerings.

Kravitz’s opened informally on Tuesday, and drew a steady stream of customers.

Retired Youngstown State University professors Dr. Joan Boyd and Alice Guerra stopped by for lunch.

“I’ve always come here. We love the atmosphere,” said Boyd. “Today everything seems to be working out fine, and the meal is good. I think I’m going to like it here.”

Guerra is both a longtime park-goer, and a big fan of Kravitz Deli.

Kravitz Delicatessen, which first opened on the city’s North Side in 1939, operates multiple locations throughout Mahoning County. Kravitz Deli has operated its Belmont Avenue location in Liberty since 1970, and opened a cafe in the Poland library several years ago.

Kravitz also recently opened its Inspired Cafe at the Canfield Library.

Inspired is the business’s catering brand, which now is the Gardens’ exclusive caterer.

That stipulation is included in the lease agreement recently approved by the MetroParks board, and is one that could irk some area caterers and party-planners.

“I think they’ll take some getting used to the idea,” he said. “I think once people learn to trust and see what we can do, they’ll be very pleased.”

He requested exclusive catering rights because he believes it’s the only way to succeed financially.

“We’ve taken the position that, in the captive cafes, here and Poland and Canfield, the only way of really making money in those kinds of venues is in catering,” he said.

Of the sales that Kravitz makes at the cafe and through catering, 6 percent will go back to the park, per the lease agreement.

The arrangement is one that Kravitz views as mutually beneficial.

“We’ve been in this community for 77 years,” he said. “Being here and being able to support the park is very exciting, so we have no problem with that percentage.”

Another aspect of the cafe that excites him is its proximity to downtown Youngstown, not far from the North side where Jack’s mother, Rose Kravitz, opened the first deli.

“It’s an evolution,” Kravitz said.

“Now, during the revival of downtown and the revival of YSU, we’re able to be back in the city – in one of the most beautiful spots in the entire Valley.”