What does Corky & Lenny’s deli have in common with Elvis?
They’ve both left the building.
The iconic East Side deli opened in 1956, the same year Elvis had his first #1 record. The King had his last #1 (the “Aloha from Hawaii” LP) in 1973 - the year Corky & Lenny’s moved from Cedar Road to its Woodmere location.
On Tuesday, the building on Chagrin Boulevard abruptly closed after 67 years.
Amanda Vaccarelli and her mother, Maryann Laspina, were disappointed to see the doors closed and hope it’s only temporary. They’ve been visiting for a decade, since Laspina’s kidney transplant. After travelling from Rochester for follow up work at the Cleveland Clinic, they try to have what Laspina said is “the best corned beef I’ve ever had.” Their order on Tuesday was going to be “a Reuben, potato salad and noodle soup.”
“It’s a sad day,” manager Adam Siegel told Cleveland Scene. He's been at the restaurant for 26 years.
A message at the bottom of its website read, “We are closed until further notice. Thank you to our loyal customers and staff! We enjoyed over 67 years of success. We sorry we couldn't continue at this time.”
The menu was a throwback to classic deli staples which have disappeared from typical supermarket deli counters: lox, whitefish, chopped liver, gefilte fish, latkes, rugelach and tongue. More traditional fare also dotted the menu, including corned beef, turkey, roast beef and pastrami.
Corky & Lenny’s was founded by Corky Kurland and Lenny Kaden, who passed away in February. Corky’s son, Kenny, has co-owned the business since 1990, according to his LinkedIn profile. His father passed away in 2011. His mother, Gloria, has been a daily presence at the deli. A second location, at what’s now JACK Casino, operated from 2012-21.
News 5 Cleveland reports attempts for the Woodmere deli management to find a partner have been unsuccessful, but the business could reopen at a smaller location.
A longtime employee, who asked to remain anonymous, told Ideastream she was told not to come to work today. She said the restaurant had been having trouble staffing. As recently as October, the deli posted a “we’re hiring” notice on its Facebook page.
Kenny Kurland and business partner Earl Stein were the lead plaintiffs in a 2007 class-action lawsuit against the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. The duo said at the time that businesses were being overcharged by the state’s insurance fund for injured workers. In 2014, a judge ordered the BWC to refund $859.4 million in excessive insurance premiums collected from Ohio employers from 2001-08. Corky and Lenny’s share of the claim was reported to be about $37,000 by the Cleveland Jewish News.
