San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
New deli plans on family-style Jewish soul food, bagels
San Antonio will have another spot for Jewish deli dishes in September with the opening of Bubby’s Jewish Soul Food, located at Northwest Military and Wurzbach Parkway near the Barshop Jewish Community Center.
When the Express-News talked this week with Jason and Charlie Nuttall-Fiske, the couple behind Bubby’s, they were in New Jersey attending “bagel boot camp” with renowned bagel consultant Beth George. That’s what you do when you plan to make eight varieties of New York bagels, starting with core favorites like plain, everything, onion and sesame, then branching out from there with seasonal variations and something called a San Antonio bagel.
“We’re here in New Jersey with a book full of handwritten recipes, ready to scale them up,” Charlie said.
Bubby’s gets its name from the Yiddish endearment for
“grandmother.” It’s a family vibe that resonates through the menu, an all-star list of Jewish deli standards including bagels, bialys, rye bread, babkas, challah bread, deli meats and the
sandwiches made from them, as well as spreads and fish. Many dishes carry the names of the friends and family members who inspired them, such as Bubby Bea’s Chopped Liver,
Bubby Christine’s Deviled Egg Salad and Bubby Leila’s Gefilte Fish.
The menu runs dozens of items deep, but it will contract and expand with the seasons, availability and demand, Jason said. Bubby’s will be open for breakfast and lunch six days a week, with the exact days and hours still being worked out. Service will be casual with delistyle counter ordering, and there will be room to seat about a dozen people inside and 18 on the patio.
While Bubby’s will not be rabbi-certified kosher, the menu will be “kosher respectful,” Jason said. “We are going to keep the foods separated according to rules. No dairy touching meat, no pork, separate cutting boards,” he said.
The Nuttall-Fiskes hope to open Bubby’s the first week in September, in time for the Jewish holidays Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
Bubby’s marks the first foray into the restaurant business for the couple, who met working for the airline industry in California.
When they used to visit San Antonio to see Jason’s family for Passover, their cooking became an event, with some finding its way to a San Antonio Spur, who they would not name. His enthusiasm and their family’s encouraged the couple to consider opening a place of their own, Jason said.
“Then COVID came along,” he said. “And we said, ‘... let’s change the course of our lives.’ ”
The couple moved to San Antonio in April 2020. Charlie, now a tech expert who works in sales consulting and training, will work behind the scenes while Jason handles day-to-day operations at Bubby’s, with the goal of both of them running the restaurant full time.
Meanwhile, back at bagel boot camp, they’re learning the finer points of the New York bagel: Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and not more than 5 ounces.