When I was a young boy in the fifties and early sixties, every sunday morning the family would pile into the station wagon and travel to the delicatessen.The epicenter of Jewish life in San Diego, especially for a non-religious family like my own, was not a temple or a synagogue but a wonderful deli on 54th street, the street we lived on, and El Cajon Boulevard, called Blumers.
Now you can have your Carnegie or your Stage, your Zookies, Cantors and Langers, DZ Akins or even Nate and Als, for my money there's never been a deli that compares with Blumers. Their bakery was paradise, managed by a large man named Saul (who eventually left for FedMart). The large display case was filled with plates and platters of every kind of delectable cookie imaginable. Kaiser rolls, crescent rolls, good pumpernickel bread, bialys, salt sticks - when was the last time you had a salt stick? There really has never been anything like it. Cakes to order. Authentic bagels. Seeded corn rye, fresh out of the oven. I can smell it! Every time my brother and I walked in, one of the waitresses would bring us each a cookie with sprinkles on top.
The older waitresses in their starched white dresses were all like family. I still remember their names - Sylvia, Yola, Pearl and Olive. My grandfather would come in for stuffed kishka. My father liked the Matzoh Ball soup and a lox and bagel with the perfect green olive. Big pickle jars on every table, with new pickles mixed in with the half sours so you would have to dig. Belly Lox, Nova, Whitefish. Corned beef and tongue.
Eventually Mrs. Blumer sold the place to some Israelis. The neighborhood got not so good. It managed to hang on for a while but lost its way a little bit and closed down. Maybe it lost its schmaltz. As I said, I am not a religious person, but if there is an afterlife and it is blessed with a deli, lord, please make it Blumers.
18 comments:
Yep, my version of the afterlife includes Blumer's. It wasn't only grandpa who liked the stuffed kishka.
I still dream of the salt sticks.
Wow, a comment from my semi-estranged sister. I'm blown away. Thanks! (and it only took a salt stick...)
I was a regular at Blumer's when I was in college, ca. 1977-79. Used to eat there almost every day. I remember when I could get a nice pastrami sandwich for $2.00. I remember waitresses named Stella, Yola, and Tina. I think that my all time favorite dishes were the Brisket of Beef and the BBQ Beef.
One amusing incident occurred when the cook and my waitress (Tina) got into an argument over her sloppy handwriting on the ticket. I'd ordered a BBQ beef sandwich, but the cook made me a pastrami. The waitress argued she wrote "BARB," but the cook insisted all he could read was "PAST" and this went back and forth for a while. In the end I got my BBQ beef sandwich. I really enjoyed the banter that went on there!
Yeah, Ernie, never had better myself. Really miss the place. thanks for posting,
Robert
Born and raised in San Diego. First in Talmadge Park then Del Cerro. I do miss Blumers. They had the best corn rye anywhere. Always went there either with one of the parents or grandparents. Do you remember Wolf's bakery? They were about a block east of the State Theater on El Cajon blvd. They were around from about the forties until about the early seventies. My grandmother also liked this place.
Don Another jewish San Diegan
Don't remember Wolfs but I remember Manny's - both locations.
I'm third of five generations of San Diegans...Do you remember Blumer's rum cakes, back in the 60's? To die for!
LOL I worked here as a bakery counter girl in the early 80's and learned how to decorate cakes...nice people and was a fun high school job
Their 7 layer rum cake was superb, but still not as good as my grandmother's. As a weird aside, as a long time fan of the grateful dead, I was surprised to be talking to their uber roadie, scary guy Steve Parish one night on stage and he confided to me that the Blumers were his cousins. Never knew he was even jewish!
Sylvia and Yola were there when I was there but Pearl and Olive might have been before my time, I do remember many of the employees though. I remember the 7 layer rum cake, the italian rum cake etc..Oh the wedding cakes we made, sometimes 4 or 5 on any given Saturday...with fountains and stairs! The eclairs were devine. I left working there when I went to college but the memories stay and I still put my decorating skills to use once in awhile LOL too bad it went kaplunk after they sold it. Remember Jack Lalane's next door and the florist on the corner too. Haven't been back to that neighborhood in years.
Blumers was on El Cajon near 54th. On the corner was Newberry's, maybe it is still there?
Sylvia was Syrian, she was married to Jim a housepainter who was once a lawyer and hated it. They used to come to our home for parties, they were like family.
Blumers had the best lox, the best bakery goods, the best pickles I have ever tasted.
Wonderful memories of Blumer's in the mid-to-late 60's, when visiting my sister, who was a student at San Diego State. Went back there a good 10 years later (late 70's, early 80's?) and it seemed a bit dreary and the neighborhood was on a downhill slide. In it's prime, though, going to Blumer's was a delightful experience. BTW, I have never been impressed by DZ Akins. Their rye bread was like rye-flavored Wonder Bread when I last went there - but the place is always packed.
I agree Jeff. D.Z.'s sandwiches are tasteless.
I worked there as a cake decorator for a couple of years and learned my trade to go on to higher places but the food and atmosphere there was incredible and the people I worked with wonderful, if not a bit eccentric! I love that place and how kind they were to me, a young mother at her first job ever. Bless you all! I will never forget that place!
My highlight was going to Blumer's and getting their yummy cream horns! I loved them so much, I would have my little brother go by himself -- isn't that what little brothers are for? Ha! Ha! This was around 1964 or so. I remember Newberry's and Thrifty's (I think was in that area). Wasn't there a Heavenly Donuts by or before the Florist? O'Brien's Fish and Chips in that area too -- such great memories!!
I worked there in the seventies what a great place one of my jobs was the season and cook the corned beef everyday
I LOVED Blumer's when I was kid (1970s). To this day I remember their delicious cookies.
The coffee at Blumer's was so sweet it didn't require any sugar, and the treats from the bakery were heaven. I miss Blumer's, but I realize part of this nostalgia comes from missing breakfasts with my mother or my best friend back in the 70s.
Post a Comment