OUR STORY
It all started many years ago in what seems like another lifetime! My dad and uncle owned a very famous Jewish delicatessen in Lynn, MA on the north shore of Massachusetts. Mel is my dad and Murray my uncle.
Mel & Murray’s Delicatessen & Restaurant was a huge 6000 square foot deli with a banquet room in back. It was THE place to go! They had Bar-Mitzvahs, weddings, private parties, and even political fundraising events, along with the daily running of the restaurant. The 24 feet of deli case was a marvel to behold filled with smoked fish, cheese, kugels, salads, and all the freshly cooked meats, like Corned Beef and Pastrami, as you would expect. The hanging Hard Salami and Rolled Beef were my favorite. For those of you who don’t know what Rolled Beef is, all I can say is you probably won’t find it anywhere anymore, but if you do, it is heaven in a sandwich. (Send me an email and I’ll describe it to you)
The menu was enormous with massive combination sandwiches called “Combinations in Orbit”. They were truly out of this world. My dad even made up a sandwich for a good customer named Harvey. Harvey couldn’t decide what to have one day so he said, “Hey Mel make me something special”. My dad sliced some pastrami and laid it on the grill, put some Swiss cheese and onions on it, served it on some nice Sissel bread with sliced tomato and voila! The Harvey Special was born.
Everything was so delicious at the deli, but there was one item that made my stomach warm and full like no other.
My dad’s blintzes were amazing. Truly Jewish soul food. Just one problem. They weren’t my dad’s blintzes, they were my Bubbe’s. Bubbe was the mastermind in the kitchen. My dad was a great cook but he learned from his mom, my Bubbe!
The deli was a family affair as most are. Dad did most of the cooking. His brother Murray helped and took care of the take out, My mom, Loretta and Aunt Myra ran the register. My sisters, Sheila and Stacie, and cousins Martha and Ann, all helped waiting on tables and whatever needed doing. My brother Harris was one of the best short order cooks I have ever seen. Cousin Ned became a great cook also. Even my little sister, Alissa, got into the business later when we moved into Boston.
I started working at the store when I was ten years old, helping my mom take cash at the register. As I got older I moved on to bus tables, wash dishes, run the deli counter, and become a short order cook. you name it, I did it.
Bubbe and Zayde lived next door to the deli. Bubbe was getting older by the time I became more involved with everything, but she still would come down and do some cooking at the restaurant. This was my time to learn how to make the blintzes from the maven. She taught me how to mix the cheese and how it should taste (never from a recipe). The Bletlach (the crepe like pancake that is used to wrap up the sweet cheese) was the key and tough to master. She was tough! If the bletl ripped you don’t throw it away. You use it to patch up another ripped or imperfect one. I think she got this from Zayde as he was a tailor many years before.
I got good at it and became the chief blintz maker. We went on to open five locations in the local malls and then moved into Boston. Many years passed, the family grew and lots of things changed. In 1991 My mom & dad retired to Florida. Dad then went to work in a deli of course. He could never sit around and do nothing. I Got out out of the food business to raise a family. In 2019 My dad passed away at the age of 96.
Twenty eight years later I have decided to get back into the food business (like I had nothing to do). I have teamed up with my brother-in-law, Henry, and sister, Sheila, to bring you the same great blintzes that Bubbe Cohen taught me how to make forty five years ago. It is like I never stopped making them. Actually, I never did. I’ve been making them for my kids for years.
Now our unique Blintz Truck is ready to serve you hot, fresh blintzes and cater your next event. Look for us at all the food truck festivals, artisan markets, wineries, and more...
You will be overcome with “Outrageous Deliciousness” with your first bite into Bubbe's Blintzes!
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