back to florida xmas 2001The Miami Herald
March 29, 2002
WOLFIE'S CALLS IT QUITS, FOR NOW
JOAN FLEISCHMAN AND TERE FIGUERAS, jfleischman@herald.com
Wolfie's Restaurant, the venerable Miami Beach delicatessen famed for its corned beef, cheesecake and celebrity corner, is closing Sunday.
The announcement came Thursday, 15 days after the death of Joe Nevel, its owner since 1984. The last year was a "financial disaster'' because of rubble and road closures brought on by a street-improvement project on Collins Avenue - as well as the aftermath of Sept. 11, said Nevel's son David, a North Miami attorney. Besides, Nevel said, the building at 2038 Collins Ave. dates back to 1936 and needs major work.
Nevertheless, he said, his dad tried to keep the place alive.
"He kept it going for reasons other than profit,'' Nevel said. "It was more than just a restaurant to him - he saw it as the preservation of the old Jewish tradition of kibitzing around the dinner table.''
Nevel, 81, died March 13 of prostate cancer. But Sunday's closing might not mean the end of Wolfie's. David Nevel is talking about reopening.
"We love that corner,'' he said. In its half-century as a Miami Beach landmark, Wolfie's has served a slew of famous - and infamous - patrons.
"Meyer Lansky, the gangster, used to come here,'' said longtime cook James Williams. "Muhammad Ali. Deion Sanders. Liza Minnelli sat in that booth by the kitchen.''
The original Wolfie's opened on the Beach before World War II as Fan and Bill's. Commandeered by the Army during the war to feed the troops, the restaurant reopened in 1946. Owner William "Bill'' Sherman ran a contest to name it and the winner was: Wolfie's - also the name of his business partner Wolfie Cohen.
The Nevels took over in 1984, buying it from Ed Lassman, who had owned it for 36 years.
David Nevel said he is in serious discussions with a developer interested in buying and revamping the building. Nevel, 52, is president of the Wolfie's corporation, which owns the name. The Collins Avenue property is co-owned by David and his late father's estate. Nevel declined to name the developer but said Wolfie's could reopen in the same spot.
"It will be very nice if we can be part of that - as a restaurant tenant.''
If not, he said, he will either renovate the old location or open elsewhere.
The 7,000-square-foot restaurant employs more than 100 people - chefs, bakers, dishwashers, waiters - presiding over a place known as much for the contents of its kitchen as its kitschy appeal. Cartoonish pickle figures - bedecked in tourist-inspired garb - parade above the booths and banquettes. The back wall boasts framed black-and-whites of Clark Gable, Judy Garland and Katherine Hepburn. An etched-glass wolf - dressed as a waiter, of course - greets guests as they pass through the front doors.
The neighborhood outside those doors has changed in the 35 years since Jose Francisco Saieh Bendeck and wife Maria Ines had their first meal as husband and wife.
"It was our honeymoon, and it was a late breakfast,'' he said with a laugh. "Such is love. And we loved this place, too.''
Now, the 40-story Setai Resort & Residences is going up across the street. Within the Museum District, now home to the Miami City Ballet, the new Miami Beach Library is under construction and the Bass Museum is undergoing a long-planned expansion.
Some things didn't change, though. A sampling of Wolfie's trademark fare: overstuffed pastrami sandwiches, stuffed cabbage and giant slices of Wolfie's "World Famous Cheesecake.''
Upstairs is the bakery that churns out the rolls, rice pudding and rugelach, all tasted by a diverse cast of patrons that has included everyone from local club kids to the late Gov. Lawton Chiles.
But, Nevel said, "the bedrock of Wolfie's has always been tourists and what we affectionally refer to as the 'old-timers' '' - the Beach's elderly Jewish residents.
Wolfie's staff will work through the weekend, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner on Easter Sunday - and "well into the night,'' Nevel said. "If we don't run out of food.''
back to florida xmas 2001