CREVE COEUR — After the region’s last kosher deli abruptly closed earlier this month, a new operator is taking over the Kohn’s Kosher Deli space here.
The Vaad Hoeir of Ƶ, which provides kosher certification to Kohn’s, said this week in a statement that Nate’s Kosher Deli will soft launch out of the restaurant, at 10405 Old Olive Street Road, patching the hole of kosher services that was left by Kohn’s departure.
Nate’s Kosher Deli is owned by Avi Rosenberg, former director of operations of the Simply Sushi kosher franchise, which has locations in New York and New Jersey. Nate’s will consist of a butchery dine-in and take-out deli services and take-out catering.
No opening date has been announced yet.
Rosenberg and his family will relocate from New York to Ƶ to manage day-to-day operations, according to the Vaad Hoeir. Nate’s will be in the former Kohn’s space until a permanent location is found.
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Kohn’s Kosher Meat and Deli Restaurant is currently listed for sale on a real estate website at $1.7 million.
Along with the 7,795 square-foot space, the listing includes existing equipment, full kitchen and hood system, furniture, fixtures, products and the business name and trademarks of the kosher deli, bakery, grocery store and catering business.
Last month, an Illinois-based food distributor sued the deli’s ownership company, Bayk Kohns LLC, for failing to pay nearly $150,000 for the sale and delivery of goods. One of the company’s members, Yehuda Kestenbaum, was also named in the suit.
Earlier this month, Kestenbaum told the Ƶ Jewish Light that “For some time, we have been actively looking for an operator who might be interested in continuing the legacy of Kohn’s.”
He said they hope to have a new operator shortly and declined to answer questions about the pending lawsuit.
The Vaad Hoeir said in a July 9 statement that individuals were working to perhaps reopen Kohn’s, but “numerous practical and legal issues need to be sorted through by the parties involved.”
“The Vaad is acutely aware of the need in Ƶ for fresh kosher meat, kosher catering and a kosher restaurant,” the statement reads.
Simon and Bobbie Kohn, Holocaust survivors, founded Kohn’s in 1963. The Kohns’ adult children, Lenny Kohn and Rosemary Kohn Cooper, operated the business until new owners took over in 2022.
Kestenbaum did not immediately respond to requests for comment.