Interview: Talking 100 Years Of Serving NYC At Russ & Daughters Café

The Russ & Daughters café opened in May of last year. "We took the foods that have been sold for a hundred years at the store," Niki explains, ‘We created the menu comprised of all of our favorite things.’ The Russ & Daughters café allows first-time visitors and loyal followers alike to sit at a table and enjoy the traditional offerings of the store alongside newbies like cocktails, sharing platters and brunch dishes. The menu reads like an edible history of Jewish culture, from pillowy knishes and chopped liver to matzo ball soup and luxurious caviar, all the way to their famous smoked fish and herring. "People come to Russ & Daughters because the food and the place is so charged with history," Josh, also a fourth generation Russ, tells us. "The food is a conduit for memory." Last year, the Russ & Daughters store was awarded an Official Resolution by the New York State Senate, marking its 100 years of serving the city’s people. It has long been recognized as a staple of New York’s diverse culture, and serves the same food now as it did when it first opened in 1914. "For us, it’s not about doing things differently," Niki explains. "It’s about doing things traditionally, and the best. We want our foods to taste the same way to customers as they did when they were a little kid, eating them in their grandmother’s house."