Schwartz’s

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Frank Silva, the soon-to-be 63-year-old general manager of Schwartz’s, let The Suburban know that he’ll soon be capping his 45-year career at the legendary deli. So the restaurant that he’s managed for nearly two decades being entered into the Michelin Guide “is a nice little souvenir for me.”

Silva started as a bus boy, moving up to waiter, then counter-man, and then eventually general manager. Mayor Valérie Plante was supposed to pop in to see Silva, and to present him with a plaque, last Friday after 5 p.m. But Silva said he wouldn’t be there. The man works Monday through Friday from around 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. “My days are long. Come Friday around 3 I’m outta here,” he told The Suburban. “Nobody’s gonna keep me here.”

Needless to say, Plante didn’t end up going to Schwartz’s. But someone from her office left the plaque with the assistant manager.

Did Montrealers really need for Schwartz’s to be listed in the Michelin Guide? Probably not. But it is nice to know that one of Montreal’s longest-standing culinary landmarks – a sacred spot that even Montrealers make regular pilgrimage to – is recognized as such by so august an institution as the Michelin Guide.

Last month it was announced that three Montreal gourmet eateries were given one star each by the new Quebec edition of the vaunted restaurant guide, Jérôme Ferrer– Europea, Mastard, and Sabayon.

But Schwartz’s Deli – officially Charcuterie Hebraique de Montréal Inc. – was put on a lengthy list of “selected restaurants,” a list of recommendations that includes worldclass gourmet spots like Au Pied du Cochon, Joe Beef, and Toqué!

Schwartz’s is only 28 years younger than the Michelin Guide as we know it. It started as a marketing gimmick by the 136-year-old tire company, a free booklet for drivers in France, listing things one might need on a road trip, like a mechanic, a hotel, or a gas station. They soon added versions for Belgium, Algeria, Tunisia, and others. By 1920 they started adding restaurants.

Eight years later Reuben Schwartz, a Romanian Montrealer who, according to legend, was a cantankerous, womanizing drinker, founded the deli. Not the oldest in the city, but certainly the most well-known.

The deli has changed hands several times in its 97 years. Current co-owners are the Nakis family and the Angélil-Dion family. Little else has changed about Schwartz’s, except, perhaps, the prices.

Silva can add this to the growing list of honours he and Schwartz’s have received over the years, being featured on TV shows Somebody Feed Phil, Anthony Bourdain’s The Layover, The Rachael Ray Show, the Garry Beitel film Chez Schwartz, Bowser & Blue’s Schwartz: The Musical, and Bill Brownstein’s book Schwartz’s Hebrew Delicatessen. “But this, I think, takes the cake,” he says.

Silva turns 63 later this year. He says he’ll see the restaurant through to its centenary, and then “maybe” retired after that. n