National Deli Month returns to communities across the country in August. Kravitz Delicatessen in Youngstown and Cleveland’s Davis Bakery & Deli are representing Ohio during the 9th annual observance which occurs through Aug. 31.
National Deli Month celebrates the American heritage of Jewish delicatessens and raises money for charitable organizations in their respective communities.
Participating states include Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas and Virginia. And this year, Canada is represented. For locations, menus and charities, visit here.
Rose Kravitz and her husband, Herbert, opened Kravitz’s Delicatessen in 1939 to meet the specialty food needs of Youngstown’s Jewish community. The Mahoning Valley institution was recently sold by her son, Jack Kravitz, to the Rydar Group, LLC, owned by Matt Rydarowicz. Kravitz Delicatessen is located at 3135 Belmont Ave. in Liberty.
Rydarowicz has been involved in food service at Dairy Farmers of America. He has worked at Kravitz Delicatessen and area catering events for a number of years. He’s joined by his mother, Patricia Rydarowicz, who has operated Inspired Catering by Kravitz for the last decade. She’s chief operating officer at Kravitz. Additionally, Brianna Rydarowicz continues as the manager of Garden Café by Kravitz at Mill Creek MetroParks.
“Kravitz started as a family business and will continue as a family business,” Rydarowicz said.
Kravitz has chosen the Mahoning Valley Fatherhood Coalition as its preferred charity. Kravitz will donate $1 from every pound of deli meats, salads and Pastrami Northside Reubens or piled high fries sold to the organization. In addition, customers adding an individual donation will be entered into a drawing for a $50 deli/bakery gift certificate.
Davis Bakery and Deli in Cleveland features handcrafted baked goods and premium deli products. The deli offers Russian tea biscuits, coconut bars, old world Jewish rye bread and hot corned beef sandwiches. They have two Cleveland locations.
Davis Bakery & Deli will donate 5 percent of every deli platter sold during August to the ALS Association.
Roots of the observance – National Deli Month was created in 2016 by Ziggy Gruber, owner of Houston’s Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen & Restaurant and Jay Parker, owner of Ben’s Best Deli in Rego Park, N.Y.
The 2014 documentary film “Deli Man” raised awareness of how delicatessens – an integral part of every Jewish community in the first half of the 20th century – were rapidly disappearing. Since then, more have closed, including the Time Deli in San Jose, Calif., New York’s famed Carnegie Deli (which opened in 1937), Jack’s Deli in Philadelphia, and Lenny’s Deli on Baltimore’s Corned Beef Row.
A Facebook page, Save the Deli, is also reviving interest in these iconic dining destinations.
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