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October 31, 2003/Cheshvan 5 5764, Vol. 56, No. 6
Kosher eatery finds niche
ANNE BRADY
Special to Jewish News
When Alex Tevyagatov ate at Yaffa Restaurant recently, he left his credit card behind, and it was no accident.
"I just tell them they can charge what they want (for a tip), the service is so good," says Tevyagatov, a native of the former Soviet state of Uzbekistan. "It reminds me of home."
Indeed, glatt kosher Yaffa Restaurant owners Isaac and Ludmila Gadaev are Russian immigrants who moved to Israel in 1979 and to New York City in 1985. Five years ago, they visited Phoenix and "we fell in love with the place," says Isaac Gadaev.
"We grew up with hot, dry weather," he notes.
In New York, the Gadaevs ran a supermarket, and when they moved to Phoenix, they originally intended to do the same.
It was their real estate broker who pointed them to what was then La Polermo Italian Restaurant, 3527 W. Bethany Home Road. The owners were retiring and the venue was available at a discounted price.
"I went to Chabad, to Rabbi (Zalman) Levertov, and he said, 'We need a kosher restaurant to do catering,' " Gadaev recalls. "He said, 'We need the kosher food.' "
However, when he first opened his restaurant in February, it was without Vaad Hakashruth certification.
"When I advertised in the Jewish News, I got 1,500 phone calls from people asking, 'Are you kosher-certified?'" Gadaev recalls. "I didn't have certification. They said, 'We appreciate what you're doing, but get the certification.' "
They closed the restaurant for Passover and reopened afterward with certification.
"So long as we're healthy and God gives us this, we need to do something to help people ... to stay religious," says Gadaev, who estimates that 70 percent of his customers are Jewish.
The Gadaevs also help people keep their stomachs full, with a variety of mostly Middle Eastern dishes, such as shish kabob cooked on a charcoal grill, stuffed cabbage and blintzes.
Items are served individually when ready, much like when dining in western Europe.
Ludmila works in the kitchen, preparing food the way her mother taught her, while Isaac, like any red-blooded man, works the grill.
"They told us people will drive here for our food," he says, "and people come from Flagstaff for our food. It's the best service in the neighborhood. Sometimes it's slow, but it's worth the wait."
The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Take-out is available. Call 602-973-8110.
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