As the High Holy Days approach, local delis are adapting to the busier time of the season to ensure that longtime customers and new faces alike can trust their business as an option for the season.<\/p>\n
Jay Davis, an owner of Davis Bakery and Delicatessen in Woodmere and Warrensville Heights, and Alex Crum, general manager at Jack\u2019s Deli and Restaurant in University Heights, spoke with the Cleveland Jewish News about the options customers have to choose from during the Days of Awe and how are they have been preparing for the increased traffic.<\/p>\n
Davis\u2019 Bakery and Delicatessen<\/p>\n
Since 1939, Davis Bakery and Deli has served the community with a focus on preparation, ensuring loyal customers turn to its Woodmere and Warrensville Heights locations for their High Holy Day needs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Challah, specifically the raisin challah, is one of Davis\u2019 Bakery and Delicatessen\u2019s most popular items during the High Holy Days.<\/p>\n
CJN Photo \/ Jimmy Oswald<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the holidays end, we immediately document all of our notes,\u201d Davis told the Cleveland Jewish News. \u201cIt\u2019s almost expertise at this point. We document what our parts need to be for the next year, where some of points of weakness for the holiday was, what we did well. We try to carry it over to next year and refer back to our notes to start bumping up production.\u201d<\/p>\n
While most of the items are made fresh for the holidays, Davis noted that when you see an increase of up to 500% in store traffic, working ahead is critical.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sausage and beef sticks are just a few of the favored picks from the deli at Davis\u2019 Bakery and Delicatessen, which has a location in Woodmere and Warrensville Heights.<\/p>\n
CJN Photo \/ Jimmy Oswald<\/p>\n
\u201cWe start bringing in raw materials early,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe\u2019ll start three or four weeks in advance. We\u2019ll buy pallets of raisins for our raisin challah, and we have lots of eggs on hand for the holidays. You also (have to) try to bring on some part timers, retirees will come in and help us with the extra volume.\u201d<\/p>\n
The most popular choice for the High Holy Days?<\/p>\n
Davis said without a doubt it is the raisin challah, with the store selling \u201cthousands this time of year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the Jewish new year and the tradition of apples and honey, we\u2019ll sell a lot of our honey cakes that we make,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Apple coffee cake is another popular selection while mandel bread goes quickly because of the exclusive nature of the product, which Davis Bakery and Deli start producing and baking to have in store about a month before the holiday to offer \u201ca little teaser\u201d because it is only sold for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe put it on the table and it\u2019s gone in a couple of hours,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
At the deli, Davis said that beef brisket is always in high demand and matzo ball soup is popular while roasted potatoes, Israeli salad and noodle kugel are favorites, as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur quality and service is definitely the primary reason people shop here,\u201d Davis said. \u201cPeople are appreciative of that. And another factor is tradition. Our challah bread has been on a lot of family\u2019s tables for, in some cases, people\u2019s whole lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack\u2019s Deli and Restaurant<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Rashard Vancant, the deli manager at Jack\u2019s Deli and Restaurant in University Heights, poses in front of the counter filled with an array of meats that customers flock to buy up during the High Holy Days.<\/p>\n
CJN Photo \/ Jimmy Oswald<\/p>\n
Jack\u2019s Deli & Restaurant at 14490 Cedar Road in University Heights was sold by former co-owners Alvie Markowitz and Gary Lebowitz. Alvie, his brother Harry, and their father Jack Markowitz opened the restaurant in 1980, which was sold in February to Cleveland Restaurant Management Group.<\/p>\n
With it being the first High Holy Days since the change in ownership, Crum said that it has been a bit of an adjustment getting ready for the season for the first time. But patrons can still expect high-quality products and exceptional service.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pastrami is one of the favored selections while roast beef is a frequent purchase, as well, at University Heights\u2019 Jack\u2019s Deli and Restaurant during the High Holy Days.<\/p>\n
CJN Photo \/ Jimmy Oswald <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been some mixed signals, but overall (the lead up to the High Holy Days) has been pretty good,\u201d he added. \u201cWe haven\u2019t done this since the owners changed over, but we ordered a little more stock than usual to prepare.\u201d<\/p>\n
The brisket and matzo ball soup are the go-to for many this time of year, Crum said, and Thursday through Saturday is usually the busiest time for the store.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In addition to its meats, Jack\u2019s Deli and Restaurant in University Heights also offers baked goods like bagels and breads.<\/p>\n
CJN Photo \/ Jimmy Oswald<\/p>\n
People continue to come back for \u201cthe culture and the food,\u201d he added. \u201cWe try to keep the same standards that they had here before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rashard Vancant, the deli manager at Jack\u2019s, said that pastrami, reubens and fish products become more frequent purchases at this time of year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey start coming for the cream herring, the white fish and the sable,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the High Holy Days approach, local delis are adapting to the busier time of the season to…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":239064,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[17382,18120,128001,128004,127996,22132,40228,210,128002,127995,117106,127994,127997,128000,127998,1182,128003,125123,67,132,68,127999],"class_list":{"0":"post-239063","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-cooking","9":"tag-cuisine","10":"tag-delicatessen","11":"tag-european-cuisine","12":"tag-food-and-drink-in-judaism","13":"tag-food-and-drink-preparation","14":"tag-foods","15":"tag-health","16":"tag-high-holy-days","17":"tag-jewish-cuisine","18":"tag-jewish-holidays","19":"tag-jewish-holy-days","20":"tag-jewish-law-and-rituals","21":"tag-jewish-observances","22":"tag-jewish-practices","23":"tag-nutrition","24":"tag-religion-based-diets","25":"tag-rosh-hashanah","26":"tag-united-states","27":"tag-unitedstates","28":"tag-us","29":"tag-western-cuisine"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115231339592247566","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}