BK 50
ELYSSA HELLER
Founder and CEO, Edith’s Eatery & Grocery
Jun 14, 2022
Elyssa Heller’s grocery store in Williamsburg, called Edith’s, doubles as a classic Jewish deli and appetizing counter — and triples as a full-service restaurant.
In fact, the current Edith’s mini-empire, which Heller started during the early pandemic as a pop-up at Paulie Gee’s and today also includes one of Brooklyn’s best sandwich shops — also called Edith’s — was inspired by her wanderings through Zabar’s when she first moved to Brooklyn from Chicago 10 years ago.
“If I’m stressed, I go to the grocery store and walk around like a crazy person,” Heller told Brooklyn Magazine earlier this year. “And Zabar’s was just so overwhelming. Such an amazing experience. And I thought that there was an opportunity to bring more of the global Jewish story to light, like they do in Zabar’s, through food. I always say ‘more is more,’ and I wanted to capture that wonderful spirit and give people my version of it with Edith’s.”
Anyone who’s pored over Heller’s personally curated selection of groceries, all reflecting and celebrating the Jewish diaspora, knows that she’s succeeded. Especially if Heller is around and starts telling you stories about every single item on the floor-to-ceiling shelves. Plus, the food served at the eatery part of the operation is excellent, and Heller has managed to create a comfortable, welcoming gathering space amid all the groceries.
And while Heller’s attachment to her native Chicago remains undiminished — the menu from the Jewish deli of her youth, Evanston’s Barnum and Bagel, is prominently displayed — she has made Brooklyn her home. The name Edith’s has deep roots in the county of Kings, too; the whole operation is named after Heller’s great-aunt, who owned a Jewish deli in Brooklyn in the early 1950s. “It was called Tony’s,” Heller said, “because she got it from a guy named Tony and she didn’t want to change the name.”