THE JEWISH HOME
DECEMBER 12, 2013
62
Abba’s
Kelly Benarroch greets me with a warm hug as we enter Abba’s restaurant at 129 N. La Brea on a cold Thursday night. It makes me feel good when she inquires about my family; my parents had been her customers for over 20 years at her former location, La Glatt on Fairfax. I remember going to La Glatt with my mom and grandfather for a classic deli sandwich and some meatballs, and eating Kelly’s delicious Pesach catering long before Pesach hotel programs were in vogue. But, I know I am not getting special treatment; Mrs. Benarroch and her husband Shimon treat everyoneyoung, old, rich, homeless with the same love and respect. Shimon Benarroch is a shochet by trade and as a young couple, Kelly and Shimon were willing to live “anywhere there were cows and a Jewish school.” They originally resided in St. Paul, Minnesota, home to Rabbi Manis Friedman, frigid winters, and a small Jewish elementary school which the Benarroch’s helped start. The Benarroch’s opened a small butcher shop/Kosher grocery store while Shimon commuted an hour to do shechting in Laverne, Minnesota. When their older children reached high school age they had to be sent away to continue their Lubavitch educationthe girls to New York and the boys to Los Angeles. On a trip California to visit their sons, the Benarroch’s decided to move their brood out West so that the rest of their children could attend a local school and not be sent away. They spent a couple years in Long Beach operating a popular catering company, and when they found an appropriate space, they opened the doors to their first restaurant La Glatt. La Glatt opened in 1988 and remained in the same location until about 2 years ago when the Benarroch’s found out that their lease would not be renewed. They consider this tremendous Hashga-
cha Pratis and love their new location, as it enables the local community to walk to Abba’s and use the space for Shabbos kiddushes and simchas. Abba’s is a lovely space, very clean with beautiful lighting and lavender décor. It was decorated with love by her daughter Miriam Rav Noy and daughter in law Breindy Benarroch; son Moshe took care of the extensive contracting work, re-plumbing the entire place and taking a run down restaurant space into the twenty first century. Today, a grandson helps Kelly, talking comfortably as he stacks napkins. This is a family business, and every customer is treated as such. We scan Abba’s homey, classic menu
and order a falafel plate, schnitzel and grilled chicken salad. The quantities are generous, the care in making good food the old fashioned way is apparent. Everything is tasty and arranged neatly. She brings a dish of pickles and olives while her husband plates our food. We decline her fresh, delicious bread and the overwhelming scent of freshly baked challah wafts through the room taunting my low carb ways. She won’t let us go without sending the challah home with us. We reminisce with Kelly about “old L.A” when Fairfax was very, very Jewish and Pico had nothing but Nagila Pizza. Lots of Los Angeles restaurants struggled in the 80s and early 90s, and being raised by my restaurant-loving family, together
we can list a dozen restaurants that came and went: Ole’, Fish House, Mosaic, Rib Tickler… I ask Kelly what the secret to her restaurant’s longevity is and, in typical humble Benarroch fashion, she looks heavenward and says, “The Abeishter” (Hashem). She thinks for a moment and adds, “Also, we’re friendly, we work hard, and if you want your business to survive the owners need to be there every day.” I completely agree with all of this, Shimon and Kelly seem to never leave their restaurant, cooking, serving, smiling, listening, offering a kind word to their loyal customers day in and day out for over 25 years. Aside from a classic lunch and dinner menu, Abba’s offers legendary take out. Try the savory yapsik- a crispy, potato based, cholent competitor, Abba’s potato kugel, or their famous, homemade herring that people stand in line for and talk about all week. Mrs. Benarroch’s dream had always been to run a Simcha hall, and now she has it on a bit of a smaller scale. Abba’s operates as both a daily restaurant and party room for private affairs. The room is large enough to host a Shabbos Sheva Bracha, shul luncheon, bris, or small bar mitzvah, and Abba’s is always available for in-house catering. A customer waits while we chat and grows antsy. She wants her Shabbos take out and also Kelly’s motherly conversation. She is a regular and stands close as Kelly wraps her kugels and salads, she says “I don’t only come here for the food, I come for the company.” Call (323) 6587730 for more details.” Estee Cohen is a California native and goes out to eat more than is appropriate. She is a kosher food insider, has a patient husband and 3 little kids. She is passionate about restaurants, science education, and collects rooster figurines.