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Kravitz Garden Cafe honors 101st birthday of deli’s founder REMEMBERING ROSE
By SHAIYLA B. HAKEEM
YOUNGSTOWN
There will be a day when people must physically leave us, but it does not mean they leave us entirely. Memories – and recipes – can last forever.
A unique birthday celebration took place Sunday at the Kravitz Garden Caf inside Fellows Riverside Gardens in honor of the late Rose Kravitz’s 101st birthday. It featured traditional Jewish dishes served as a buffet-style brunch.
In 1939, Rose founded Kravitz Delicatessen on the North Side of Youngstown in a former knitting shop on Elm Street. Today’s deli owner, Jack Kravitz, said he wanted to celebrate the legacy of his mother by traveling back to some of the basic dishes that were prominent during the deli’s earlier years.
There are multiple Kravitz Deli locations, but none seemed as fitting as the one in Mill Creek MetroParks.
“We do a lot of things that aren’t traditional to a Jewish deli, but that’s what gives us our life,” explained Kravitz, “So we decided to go back to the city, back to the roots of the business.”
Rose was born Jan. 29, 1916, in the era of World War I in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She relocated to the United States in 1924 at age 8 and later started a business in the deli industry. Unbeknownst to her, she would gain the title as one of the first female entrepreneurial trailblazers in the Mahoning Valley.
When Kravitz Deli opened in 1939, during the later years of the Great Depression, money was scarce, Jack Kravitz said.
“The first day of business, they had no money,” he explained, “They actually had to borrow money just to make change for their first day of work.”
Rose would walk to work so she wouldn’t have to spend money on the bus. She was determined to make Kravitz Deli a success.
“It was more grit and determination than it was knowledge,” said Kravitz.
Rose was not born as a businesswoman, but she paved her way and learned how to become one. The original hours of the deli were from 7 a.m. until midnight, seven days a week, with her and her family living above the business. They began as a full-service deli and later converted its services to a sit-down dining experience to keep up with the economic advances and amenities of the modern-day supermarket.
“Now, you can get everything from your dry cleaning to beer, to your deli meats and bakery, to your hammer and nails within the same store,” said Kravitz, “It wasn’t like that back then.”
Now, more than seven decades later, Kravitz Delicatessen is still in business and offers far more services, including an upscale catering service, Inspired Catering. It features sushi, pork carving tables and many more entrees. The legacy of Rose’s caring personality and strong will lives on within the community through her customers and her food.
Siblings Judy Metzler and Margie Metzler, both of Liberty, exchanged memories of Rose as they waited in line Sunday for the buffet. Margie remembers the Deli’s original location on Elm Street.
“After school, we would stop by there and buy huge pickles,” she recalled, while Judy chimed in with, “Rose was a lovely woman, and her wedding soup was to die for!”
The two met with mutual friends and admired the Kravitz Garden Caf for its calming view.
Jeff Cipperley and Emily Stran of Youngstown’s West Side were impressed by the variety of Jewish dishes featured on the brunch buffet. Their favorite dishes included the corned beef, egg omelets and, of course, the bagels. They both are frequent customers of Kravitz Deli, visiting the Liberty location at least once a week. Cipperley can recall several encounters with Rose that left a lasting impression on him, but her nonstop work ethic stood out the most.
“She was a sweet old lady and a hard worker,” he said.
Rose worked full-time until she turned 88 and then continued working part time until her death in 2011 at 95. According to Kravitz, Rose was a wise woman and was admired for her motivational quotes and words of knowledge. His family calls these pep-talks “Rose-isms.”
Rose’s 101st birthday celebration will continue throughout the week until Friday as an Old World Food Fest. The deli will feature different traditional Jewish dishes daily that were loved by Rose. A full menu and location information can be found at www.kravitzdeli.com.