A Taste of Tradition
The Original Wolfie’s and Rascal House
“They’re getting an authentic New York deli experience.”
Let’s get right into it: The Original Wolfie’s & Rascal House is the real deal when it comes to authentic delicatessens. At Wolfie’s you’ll find staples like pastrami on rye, matzo ball soup, latkes, knishes, corned beef, and of course freshly-baked in-house deserts. The menu is—to say the least—robust.
But it’s more than the food that makes Wolfie’s a destination. It’s the ambiance, the mise-en-scène, the energy of an authentic deli that produces almost all of its food in house.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House was an iconic hangout that opened in 1954 in the Sunny Isles section of Miami Beach, Florida. The Sarasota iteration in the Rosemary District is billing itself as a revival of the original Rascal House—although the new location likely won’t be seen in a Bee Gees music video or mentioned in a “Golden Girls” remake (the original could claim both of those honors). The Rosemary restaurant will, however, stay true to the menu that cemented Wolfie’s in the annals of delicatessen history.
Wolfie’s is now owned by a company called JFD Parent, with CEO Jonathan Mitchell at the helm. We chatted with him about what you can expect when you check out the deli.
“They’re getting an authentic New York deli experience,” Mitchell says. “They’re receiving the absolute finest-quality ingredients, and we make most of what we sell in-house. So we bake all of our own bread. We make our own chopped liver. It’s everything. Everything is made fresh.”
As for what people are crowding the doors for, there’s the classic pastrami on rye, the corned beef on rye, the reuben, and their chicken soup. “Our chicken soup is the number one seller. That recipe actually came from the mother of my late business partner. That was the chicken soup that we used at Jerry’s Famous Deli in Los Angeles. And the day that the Jerry’s closed its doors, there was a line around the block of people carrying five-gallon containers to hope to fill with that soup,” Mitchell says.
The atmosphere of Wolfie’s is also part of what makes this deli so unique. The outside is made to look like a Broadway theater, and upon entering, one gets the feeling of being on stage—with stage lights above and an “audience” in front. “You’ll have people looking at you, which are characters, friends of mine, people that I’ve known in the city. People who come in and frequent the restaurant. I have characters made of each one. And they’re up on the wall looking at you when you walk in. So, you know, kind of a New York Broadway experience. We also have a lot of posters up and pictures of New York,” says Mitchell.
And for those of you out east in the Lakewood Ranch area, you’re in luck. Wolfie’s has a new location out there that is serving as a food production facility and commissary—where they have the space to produce en masse and send Downtown in a refrigerated truck. As for the menu, you’ll find pre-made sandwiches, soups, bagels, salads, and some select frozen items. They also offer a delivery option through DoorDash.
It’s a labor of love, and one that is surely paying off in the community. “What I enjoy most about the deli and what we’re doing is talking with the customers,” Mitchell says. “So many of them have had unique experiences—family experiences—coming to Wolfie’s in Miami. And they went with their parents, their grandparents, whoever. They have very fond memories of the places. And to hear those stories and to watch their faces, their smiles, and sometimes tears, it’s so gratifying to me that I can bring that out.”
The Original Wolfie’s & Rascal House: 1420 Boulevard of the Arts., Sarasota., 941-312-4072; originalwolfies.com
