Miami Beach Dubrow's reference

I found some writing about the Miami Beach Dubrow's Cafeteria, which was located on Lincoln Road.

"From the late ’40s through the ’50s and ’60s, the Collins area between 20th and 25th streets was one of the liveliest in Miami Beach. Martha’s Five O’Clock Club was on the corner of 20th and Collins; Collins and 22nd housed “Wolfies,” the quintessential New York delicatessen. The Grate, the Pin Up, the Place Pigalle and the Night Owls clubs were within blocks; the Embers restaurant and Dubrow’s cafeteria were nearby; Junior’s deli and the old Roney Plaza hotel were just off 23rd. The 22nd Street public beach, between the Roney and the Sea Gull hotel, was well known as the gay beach."

-- Max Dertke, Dec 31,2014 in a Miami Herald article titled "Miami Stories: Glamour and seaside adventures lured this Midwesterner to Miami Beach."

Updated photos

It came to my attention a few weeks ago that the Buzznet, where I was previously storing all the Dubrow's photos, just up and disappeared from the internet. So I've now re-uploaded all the photos, and re-tagged some that I missed tagging the first time. Check them out.

Also, here's a photos of a Dubrow's matchbook from Eastern Parkway I never uploaded.   Enjoy!

Manhattan Dubrow's photo

Found this photo after searching Google images for Dubrow's cafeteria.  It's credited to Elaine Norman, 1985, which is the year the last Dubrow's location (Manhattan) closed.

Dubrow's reference in The Daily Beast

I periodically Google and see what comes up for "Dubrow's Cafeteria".  It never fails to amaze me how it pops up often.  It was such an important fixture in New York City for so many decades.

This reference comes from an article by Michael Horowitz in The Daily Beast:

"In 1952, my father, his wife, and his daughter immigrated to New York. Based on his stellar reputation, he was able to join the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union, then one of the largest unions in America. Eventually, he was hired to be a “finisher” and sample maker for Oscar de la Renta, whose shop was on 39th Street between Broadway and 7th Avenue. It was across the street from Dubrow’s cafeteria, where we’d often meet him after work. Then we’d walk down to Macy’s, which at the time had a butcher shop on the ground floor where we’d buy meat."

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/21/my-father-made-jackie-s-pink-suit.html

Dubrow's on Miami Beach

My cousin, Joe Adler, sent me this email:

"Ray Fisher, a photographer who has documented Miami Beach for the last 70 years, just mailed me the attached picture of DUBROW'S on Lincoln Road.  Does it bring back memories?"

Bernie Sanders hailed from Brooklyn in the Dubrow's era

A New York Times article about a contemporary politician gave a shout out to Dubrow's Cafeteria today!  Apparently Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders hails from Brooklyn and lived close to the King's Highway location growing up.

The one detailed reference to Dubrow's comes with this strange line: "While others would eat pizza at Louis Gino’s, hang out at the Avalon Tearoom or avoid Dubrow’s Cafeteria after school, Mr. Sanders’s free time was spent on the track." 

Why were people avoiding Dubrow's after school?  Thoughts?

Clarification and family history review

My cousins Joe and Robert Adler wanted me to clarify that they, and their father, Benjamin Adler, also worked at Dubrow's Cafeteria for many years.  Benjamin was also an owner and manager for a period of time.

We also now know that all five of Benjamin Dubrow's children managed and/or owned Dubrow's for some period of time: George Dubrow, Benjamin Adler (married to Lila Dubrow), Max Tobin (married to Minnie Dubrow), and Irving Kaplan (married to Sylvia Dubrow). According to her daughter, Joanne Dubrow, the youngest of the Dubrow children (Ruthie) "worked at the Eastern Parkway store, albeit for only one day; her father fired her when he discovered at day's end that there was more money in the cash register than represented in the receipts, i.e., she'd overcharged someone." 

 Grandchildren also worked at Dubrow's: Bonnie Kaplan Lyons, Beth Kaplan Wald, Joe Adler, Robert Adler, Irwin Dubrow, and Paul Tobin.  Probably others.  Paul Tobin was also a co-manager, but to the best of my knowledge he is the only grandchild to take on a management role. 

New York nostalgia

Check out this great blog post about the demise of a number of familiar New York landscapes, with photos of what's there in their place.  Included is the former location of the Eastern Parkway Dubrow's, and a reprint of the Brian Merlis photo of the original Dubrow's. 

Another Dubrow great grandchild blogging

My goodness how time gets away from me.  I blame parenthood.  It can't be a coincidence that my son was born about a month before my last post here.

Still, I couldn't help but share this link to a blog poet by another one of Benjamin Dubrow's great grandchildren.  Mitch Tobin is the son of Paul Tobin, and grandson of Max Tobin.  He adds great detail to the story of JFK coming to stump at Dubrow's - check it out!

Dubrow's on StoryCorps

So, I yesterday I received a call from Michael Garofalo, who was fact-checking  a story for StoryCorps.  It's a really sweet story that involves Dubrow's Cafeteria: Apparently Van and and Shirley Harris met at the Eastern Parkway location.  Check it out!

The story mentions several colorful characters they knew at Dubrow's - anyone else heard of Herbie the Nibbler, One-Ball Barney, Mendel Berman (he had a leaky ear), or Filthy Miltie?

Another Dennis Ziemienski painting

"Dubrow's Cafeteria"
Oil on canvas, 36x48

This painting looks very similar to the one in this previous post, but the dimensions are different.  Also, this one is little lighter, as though it were the same scene, but in daylight instead of at night.   If I had the money I would totally buy this painting.  Go here if you can do so in my stead.

Reader John Stanton recollects

It's been a long time since I posted anything here - sorry about that. But a reader wrote me to offer recollections of his parents, who both worked at Dubrow's at met there, so I thought that was a good opportunity to jump back in:

"My father was John Stanton (he was known as Jack) and he worked at one of the Brooklyn Dubrow's I believe from the 40's until the 60's, and then worked at the Manhattan location until he retired I think in 1970. My mother's maiden name was Ming Chang, and she started at the Brooklyn Dubrow's (thus why she is in the picture of the cleaning crew, which she said occured on Yom Kippur.) She said she only worked a few months in Brooklyn and then transferred to Manhattan. As to whether my father followed my mom to Manhattan or vice versa, I don't know, but they met while working at Dubrow's. My mom immigrated from China to attend college and she fondly remembers Irving Dubrow who allowed her to have a flexible schedule in order to attend college. She had no set start or end time, he told her to work around her schooling needs, he always needed the help so any time she could work would be acceptable, so my mom was able to come and go and earn money without interfering with her schooling.

My mom laughingly told me the other night that after she graduated she left Dubrow's to work at Metropolitan Life Insurance, and would often go at lunch time to see my dad and the people she used to work with. One day Irving pulled my dad aside to tell him to only charge my Mom half since she was a former employee, and my dad said I have only been charging her half since the day she left! My mother and fathers romance was a true May/December romance, my father born in 1908 and my mother in 1935 so I am sure that people who worked there when they did would remember them since it was such an unlikely couple (my father a hard drinking Irishman, and my mother a petite demure Chinese woman.)

My mom has been in the hospital the last week and I have been visiting her every night and she has been reminiscing about the corned beef and pastrami sandwiches at Dubrow's which is how I came across this blog. I brought her a pastrami sandwich from Katz's Deli Friday night and all she did was complain that it didn't compare to a Dubrow's pastrami sandwich. I barely remember Dubrow's since my sister and I used to go there as young children, but that basically ended in the early 70's.

To give you a bit of trivia and a small laugh, when my parents married in the early 60's my father was interviewed by the FBI to make sure it wasn't a marriage of convenience for immigration purposes due to the disparity in age, and I wouldn't doubt that some of the employees at Dubrow's were also interviewed.

As to what my mom remembers of Richard Hackett, she said he was the driver for old man Dubrow (a.k.a. Benjamin Dubrow - ed.) who would sometimes come in, and greet customers and troubleshoot complaints. Richard Hackett ended up doing some of that and that is why she referred to it as customer relations. (Note: Joe Hackett was the driver for Dubrow's. Richard Hackett is his nephew and a reader of this blog. - ed.)

Unfortunately my father who would be the true treasure trove of information since he worked there so long passed away in 1998, so most of the information I have on Dubrow's is only from my mother who only worked there 3-4 years."

Ming Chang, I hope you recover well in the hospital. You are in my thoughts and my prayers. I've said here before that I think Katz's is the closest thing NYC has left to Dubrow's.

Interesting tidbit about immigration interviews by the FBI - that's the first I ever heard of it. Anyone else recall these interviews?

A Garment Worker recalls

Mark Weiss writes to share this recollection of Dubrow's:

"I began my career in the garment center in 1980 when I started work at Heath Tex children's wear. On my very first day my new buddies took me to lunch round the corner at Dubrow's. I loved Dubrow's and the unique feel of the place. In this day of cold noisy chain restaurants that decorate to look like they understand the locale, Dubrow's needed no such decorations. It was New York."

Puts a personal touch on the image I have of the thousands of garment workers who enjoyed the Manhattan Dubrow's on their lunch break.

Eastern Parkway Dubrows, 1945

Reader Brian Merlis sent me this photo of Dubrow's on Eastern Parkway, circa about 1945. What a great find!

Tracking Nathan Rappel

I got an email in recent weeks from Aileen Bordman, who writes: "my Grandfather Nathan Rappel worked at Dubrow's on Kings Highway for a zillion years of course that was a zillion years ago..I heard great stories growing up. You have such a lovely tribute to your family..."

I am wondering if Nathan Rappel is the same person that my aunt Ruthie referred to as "Nathan Make-a-Line" in this piece of oral history I recorded. I've never heard of another Nathan at Dubrow's.

Anyone else recall Nathan Rappel? Aileen would very much like to hear from you if you have.

Story about Benjamin Dubrow

This one comes from my mom, Bonnie Lyons, from our recent visit to Miami for Passover. Apparently, Benjamin Dubrow was famous for being evasive about his age, and would never tell people when he was born. At some point, he settled into being 62 years old, and never changed from that age. He was just 62, from then on. It got to the point where his son, George Dubrow, turned 59, and someone asked Benjamin about his age in light of this fact: "Pops, how can you be 62 if George is 59?" To which Benjamin, undeterred, replied "That's his problem."

EDIT: Of course, this just illustrates how family stories can play with actual facts.   Based on the actual lifespan of George Dubrow's life, he never lived to be 59 and would not have been 59 in Benjamin Dubrow's lifetime.  But it doesn't mean the spirit of the story isn't still true, right?

Photo from the nephew of a former employee

This photo comes from reader Richard Hackett, who writes "I have attached a photo of a tray that has been in my family for as long as I can remember. As you can see I still use it.It was given to us years ago by my uncle, Joe Hackett. I believe he worked for many years in the Manhattan Dubrow's."

Always great to hear about another Dubrow's employee. I've asked Mr. Hackett if he knew what his uncle did there. If anyone has recollections of Joe Hackett, post 'em here.

Benjamin Dubrow's Passenger Manifest

Man, it has been a long time since I posted anything around here. I'm sorry about that. I've still got stuff to share just sitting on my hard drive.

Today, my mother sent me something she retrieved for me when she visited Ellis Island months ago.  It's the print out of information about Benjamin Dubrow upon his first arrival to this country.  It lists his full, Russian transliterated name as being Mowsoha Bencian Dubrowensky.  He was 36 when he came here on July 9, 1914, already married.  His last place of residence was Bolruik, Russia and his port of departure was Libau, Russia. I'm guessing "Bolruik" is related to "Belarus" which is the name of the country which didn't exist in 1914, but is the region of Russia from which Benjamin and his family came.

This is where it all began. He didn't want to come, but he came, and he stayed. And he wound up opening a successful chain of cafeterias for several decades.  It really is the American dream.

Dubrow's was the site of the movie Boardwalk

Henry and Dorothy Jablonski's daughter, Elaine, sent me a TON of photos taken from when the 1979 movie Boardwalk was filmed there.  It featured the actor Lee Strasberg playing an employee of the Dubrow's on King's Highway - I believe that's him in the photo above.  I've started uploading the photos at the Buzznet site where I store copies of the photos.  Check back often, because it's going to take me a while to upload all the pictures.

But I'll post some of the best photos on the blog, as well. As you can see, there's some great shots of Dubrow's, including some more photos of the famous murals at the King's Highway location.

Photo of Paul Tobin

This is a pretty decent photo of Paul Tobin, who along with my grandfather Irving Kaplan managed the Manhattan Dubrow's for many years. He is the son of Max and Minnie Tobin; Minnie was one of Benjamin Dubrow's five children.  It's from the Daily News, March 21, 1985, so it's about the impending end of Dubrow's that happened a few month after this article was written. We learn who Dubrow's accountant and lawyer was through this article: Marvin Margolis.  He's quoted just before the article is cut  off.

What's interesting to note is that if you compare this article to the one I posted in the last entry, it becomes obvious that the previous article didn't use a current photo of Paul Tobin!  Look at the change in how much hair he has now and how much he has in the previous photo.

The man on the right is part of another story about a different Manhattan eatery.