Schwartz's, also known as the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen is a delicatessen established in 1928 by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

. It is a landmark at 3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard and the most famous Montreal-style smoked meat

Montreal-style smoked meat

Montreal-style smoked meat, Montreal smoked meat or simply smoked meat in Montreal , is a type of kosher-style deli meat product made by salting and curing beef brisket with spices...

 restaurant. Schwartz's often has a line extending out of the store, whether it is the middle of the day or late at night. The company also sells smoked meat by mail order. It is kosher style

Kosher style

Kosher style usually refers to food that is not kosher, but is a type of food that could be produced as kosher. Generally, kosher style food does not include meat from forbidden animals, such as pigs or shellfish, and does not contain both meat and milk. In some U.S...

 rather than strictly kosher.

The staff of Schwartz's credits the unique flavour of their smoked meat to their mandatory 10 day meat curing time, the high turnover of their meat, and their brick smoke-house covered with 80 years worth of schmutz.

Smoked meat

Schwartz's main offering is smoked meat, which is typically served as a sandwich on seedless rye bread and slathered with French's mustard. The two slices of sandwich bread is typically rotated 90 degrees from alignment and cut down the center. The meat is ordered by the fat content, from lean, medium, medium-fat, or fat, with medium and medium-fat being the most popular and by opinion, the most delectable since lean tends to be dry and fat may be an acquired taste. The classic Schwartz's meal include a medium-fat sandwich, fries, half-sour pickle, coleslaw, red pepper, and a black cherry soda.

Montreal steak seasoning

Schwartz's also credited with the creation of Montreal steak seasoning or Montreal steak spice when Morris "The Shadow" Sherman, a broilerman working at Schwartz's in the 1940s and 1950s, began adding the deli smoked meat pickling spices to his own rib and liver steaks. Due to its popularity of the seasoning with the customers, eventually it became a trend in Montreal delis and steakhouses to spice their steaks similarly with similar spices.

History

The deli has passed through several owners since its foundation:

1. Reuben Schwartz (1928–1971): Founder the "Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen" in 1928. Reuben Schwartz was described by many as a bad businessman and a supposed nasty character whose family could not stand.
2. Maurice Zbriger
   Maurice Zbriger
   Maurice Zbriger was a Canadian violinist, composer and conductor. He began learning violin as a child, and continued his studies at the conservatory in St...
   
   (1971–1981): A violinist and composer, Zbriger was eventually made a partner, and eventually, sole owner of Schwartz's, until his death in 1986. Zbriger made Schwartz's a great success, and with the profits from the business, Zbriger spent many thousands of dollars organizing free concerts of his music. His story was documented in the National Film Board of Canada
   National Film Board of Canada
   The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
   
    production The Concert Man.
3. Armande Toupin Chartrand (1981–1999): She began as a professional organizer and care-taker to Maurice Zbriger and through her service to him she was willed the delicatessen.
4. Hy Diamond (1999–Present): The current owner of Schwartz's. The only owner who has a business background.

Expansion

Several restaurateurs have offered to build Schwartz's as franchise operations in cities across North America, to which the owners have always refused. The idea of franchising Schwartz's in Montreal, despite the customer demand has also been rejected. In the fall of 2008, Schwartz's opened an additional take-out location next door.

In media

In 2006, Montreal Gazette columnist Bill Brownstein wrote a book about Schwartz's, Schwartz's Hebrew Delicatessen: The Story, published by Véhicule Press

Véhicule Press

Since 1973, Véhicule Press has published poetry, fiction, translations, and social history by Canadian authors, with a commitment to publishing first-time authors—a third of its list....

. Schwartz's has also been the subject of numerous articles and features in Canadian and international publications. The book and the newspaper column that inspired it, eventually became the inspiration itself to a stage production about the deli: Schwartz's: The Musical.

Along with Concert Man, the restaurant was more recently the subject of a documentary film, Chez Schwartz, by filmmaker Garry Beitel.

External links

• Schwartz's Deli - official homepage