Gail Fraiberg: Bringing Jewish love to the kitchen at Grumans Deli

by Regan Lipes

(AJNews) – When Montreal-born fashion designer Gail Fraiberg and her family picked up and relocated to Calgary nine years ago they were excited for the adventure ahead. “I spent 30 years working in the fashion industry. I’d spend half my time traveling the world, learning about the latest trends and meeting with international representatives within the industry,” explained Gail Fraiberg in a recent phone interview with Alberta Jewish News.

Fraiberg and her family now call Calgary home, and they could not be happier. “I was ready for a change and my brother suggested to come to Calgary and work with him at his restaurant. He said, ‘I need some Jewish love in the kitchen and you can help me with the business.’ It was the perfect opportunity at the perfect time.”

Her brother Peter’s restaurant was, of course, the much-celebrated Calgary hot-spot Grumans Delicatessen.  Peter Fraiberg, a career restaurateur, opened the doors of this iconic Jewish inspired eatery in 2005, and the rest is history. “We’re Montrealers,” commented Gail, “so we grew up with wonderful Jewish delis all around us – this is the food we were raised on. Peter’s vision was to bring all those delicious foods that he loved to Calgary.

The recipes that come alive in the kitchen have been passed down from generation to generation. “Grumans is very much about carrying on the traditional Jewish home cooking that I grew up with, and learned how to cook from my mom,” Gail explained.

“Just as she taught me traditional Jewish cooking, she in turn learned it from her mom, and her mother’s mother before that. Recipes are like family heirlooms, and those same recipes are what we continue to use at Grumans today for everything from chicken soup and knishes to rugelach and chopped liver,” she added with pride. “I even have the rolling pin my mother used to make knishes and rugelach, the same rolling pin that belonged to my grandmother and great grandmother.”

Gail opened her location of Grumans Delicatessen seven years ago with the help of her brother who has since retired. He is still very much a part of the business though, providing support and sharing his years of experience. Now as the sole restaurant carrying on the Grumans’ legacy, the success of Gail’s business is the result of dedication and love. “My approach to business is very hands on. I’m blessed with amazing staff, and whatever it is that needs to be done, we always work as a team. My favorite place to be though is in the kitchen.”

Fraiberg continued to reminisce about her mother’s cooking as one would speak about their first love. As she pronounced each syllable of each word – matzoh ball soup, knishes – the flavours themselves sprang to life. “Gruman was our mother’s maiden name, and we honour mom by preparing the dishes that she fed to us at home,” Fraiberg added with tenderness.

Grumans Delicatessen is a staple of the Calgary food-scene with a steady clientele from the Jewish community and beyond. “I love the community here in Calgary because everyone knows each other. I know the people who come in, and they run into one another, and Grumans becomes this wonderful hub of Jewish activity,” she explained enthusiastically. “But we also have a large non-Jewish customer-base. They have their favorites too, and enjoying the food becomes this amazing way for them to get to know and appreciate Jewish culture.”

Fraiberg sees food as integral to all things Jewish: holidays, family celebrations, history, cultural traditions, you name it. Now it brings her great joy to fill Calgarians’ bellies with the wholesome foods that have always fed her Jewish soul. “For me so much of what it is to be Jewish is about family. But food plays such a huge role in this; what do families do when they’re together? They eat!” she said with conviction.  “Holidays are about sitting down to that big meal together. It’s our culture, our history, our traditions, and I get to share that with all of our customers.”

“In the old days, when I was cooking at home just for my family, I’d have one cabbage that I’d use to make about 16 cabbage rolls, and it would be an all-day affair. Now we’re making upwards of 200 cabbage rolls at a time in addition to all our other menu items. We are committed to maintaining the quality of our dishes, so it takes a lot of planning, and a lot of organization,” she explained. “We must think ahead not just to tomorrow, but to next week, and the next upcoming holiday, and then we also have our catering. But we never run out of anything – we make sure of that.”

Fraiberg’s other brother, Howard, a documentary filmmaker, is the Executive Producer of The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution. “It’s a fantastic documentary, and it looks at how challenging it is to make it as a female chef,” Fraiberg explained. “The restaurant business is really male dominated, but I was kind of used to that having been in the fashion industry for 30 years where most companies are owned by men.” She continued to elaborate about her own philosophy of how to make it as a woman in the professional world: “Yes, women still fight for equality, but I don’t have time for people’s prejudice. I know that I’m capable, and I love my work.”

The Fraibergs have distinguished themselves as respected and easily recognizable faces within the Calgary Jewish landscape and local culinary industry. As for the move to Calgary, Gail says, “You couldn’t pay me to be anywhere else. Montreal is my favorite place to visit, but Calgary is my favorite place to come home to.”

Although Calgary is her home base, Fraiberg and her Grumans team have also begun to reach out to the Edmonton Jewish community with door-to-door delivery of some of their signature favorites. Pre-ordering wholesome traditional goodies from their menu is a great way to bring a taste of “Jewish love” to Edmonton homes. Click here to visit Grumans Delicatesssen.

Regan Lipes is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.