Mannys Cafeteria & Delicatessen

Family tradition is nothing new at Mannys. It can be traced back (along with some of the recipes) to more than 50 years ago. When Jack Raskin joined his brother Charlie in the first of the Raskin cafeterias located on Van Buren and Halsted streets. The Russian-born brothers specialized in Jewish cooking served up quickly and in large portions - the way Charlie had learned by watching his mother. Mannys Coffee Shop & Deli came into being shortly after World War II, when the Raskin brothers split up so that Jack could open his own restaurant on Roosevelt Road near the open-air market area known as Maxwell Street. It was a shoestring operation at first, with Manny serving as the cook (he had learned by watching his uncle). The address changed a few times, and then in 1964 Mannys moved to its current spot on Jefferson Street. Ken remembers his father saying, I know what the people around here want, and Im the only one left who can do it. Even when Mannys opened at this location mo...