The Borscht Belt Delicatessen opened in the Market at the Fareway on Thursday, July 31, dishing out sandwiches and American Jewish deli food. Named for the resort region in New York’s Catskills mountains, The Borscht Belt is “a love letter to classic New York delis and the Catskills resorts,” said Mike Dalewitz, the company’s co-founder and executive chair.

Dalewitz and celebrity chef Nick Liberato — who has appeared on the Bravo, Food Network, and Spike TV channels — began The Borscht Belt in New Jersey in 2021. The business spread to locations in Newtown, Bucks County, and Trenton, New Jersey, adorned packaged products, and offered franchise opportunities.

It all started five years ago when Dalewitz’s rabbi connected him with Liberato, who was looking for a business partner. The two originally planned a tri-level sushi and seafood restaurant in New York City, but were derailed by the pandemic.

While restaurants shuttered, the Fareway remained open. Liberato and Dalewitz, who was living in Chestnut Hill at the time, saw an opportunity to offer comfort and nostalgia during a period of isolation.The Chestnut Hill Business District (CHBD) and community were equally interested. In June 2023, Amy Edelman, owner of the Night Kitchen Bakery & Cafe, contacted Ann Nevel, the Chestnut Hill Business District retail advocate, and suggested that The Borscht Belt would be a great addition to the neighborhood. Nevel agreed, believing the business would fill what she described as a “Jewish deli desert.”

Nevel quickly sent a handwritten letter to The Borscht Belt expressing interest, but didn’t hear back. Meanwhile, the restaurant’s team had already been looking for a market space in the Philadelphia area and quickly moved to fill one of two open Fareway spaces.

Dalewitz said The Borscht Belt hopes to create a safe place where everybody feels at home. Some of his greatest memories are of New York’s famous Jewish delis: Ess-a-Bagel, Katz’s Deli, Russ & Daughters, and the restaurants his family operated in the Catskills.

The Borscht Belt will offer nostalgic noshes through partnerships with some iconic New York pickle palaces. Shelsky’s, a Brooklyn institution, advised the chef on the menu and taught knife skills for cutting paper-thin Nova lox slices. Bagels are brought in fresh daily from Ess-a-Bagel.

Dalewitz stressed that The Borscht Belt is not about religion or ethnicity, but about community. To that end, he calls the restaurant “Jew-ish.” He said Liberato, who is from Yardley, Bucks County, and is not Jewish, puts a modern spin on classics. For Dalewitz, this blend embodies the U.S. “cultural melting pot,” resulting in delicacies such as a sandwich combining Chinese roast pork and garlic bread. Not kosher, but certainly delicious.

“We wanted to recreate that magical feeling where everyone’s welcome, the food is unforgettable and every visit feels like a celebration,” Dalewitz said. The Borscht Belt’s menu features hot sandwiches with hand-carved turkey, corned beef, pastrami, and brisket, potato latkes, breakfast, bagels and smoked fish, and soups.

They also offer catering. “We hope the Borscht Belt becomes this place where people come together, they celebrate, they create new traditions, and we’re here to serve that community; every community, one epic sandwich at a time,” Dalewitz said.

Dalewitz said The Borscht Belt takes dietary restrictions, such as gluten sensitivity, seriously, and hopes to hear feedback and suggestions while innovating. “We love our community and customers. Even when things don’t go right, we’ll make it right, we’ll make changes. We’re not perfect, but we have a big heart when it comes down to what we put on the plate and how it’s presented.”