
Russ & Daughters is an
appetizing store
An appetizing store, typically in reference to Jewish cuisine in New York City, particularly Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, is a store that sells "food that generally goes with bagels", although appetizings can also be served with a variety of breads. ...
opened in 1914. It is located at 179 East
Houston Street
Houston Street ( ) is a major east–west thoroughfare in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs the full width of the island of Manhattan, from FDR Drive along the East River in the east to the West Side Highway along the Hudson River in ...
, on the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally ...
of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
. A family-operated store, it has been at the same location since 1920.
History
Joel Russ, a Jewish immigrant from Poland who arrived in Manhattan around 1905, started the business to cater to the Jewish immigrants settling in the Lower East Side of New York. He began by carrying Polish mushrooms on his shoulders, and saved enough money to purchase a pushcart. He then expanded his operation and sold pickled herring as well as Polish mushrooms. Then in 1914, Russ opened J Russ International Appetizers, a storefront around the corner from the current location.
In 1920, Russ opened his store at the current location of 179 East Houston Street. In 1933, he renamed the business "Russ and Daughters" after making his three daughters, Hattie, Anne, and Ida, partners in the store.
Historically, businesses typically took on the name "and sons", but since Russ and his wife Bella had only daughters, his business became Russ & Daughters. However, Russ was not a feminist ahead of his time. For him, getting his daughters into the business was not a matter of women's rights, but a matter of , or surviving to make a business. As he put it, he was concerned with , meaning 'From where do we take our living.' According to Hattie, she and the other daughters had all worked in the store "since they were 8 years old" on weekends, fishing out the herring fillets from the pickle barrels. Once each one of them finished high school, they all worked full-time. Moreover, Russ kept the store open seven days a week.
Calvin Trillin
Calvin Marshall Trillin (born 5 December 1935) is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist. He is a winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor (2012) and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts an ...
wrote about Russ & Daughters in the 1970s in his ''
New Yorker
New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to:
* A resident of the State of New York
** Demographics of New York (state)
* A resident of New York City
** List of people from New York City
* ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925
* '' The ...
'' food pieces.
In 2008 ''The Jews of New York'' documentary premiered on PBS, featuring three generations of the Russ & Daughters family (Anne Russ Federman and Hattie Russ Gold, the two surviving Russ daughters; Mark Russ Federman, then the proprietor; Niki Russ Federman; and Josh Russ Tupper.) The documentary tells, among other things, the story of Russ & Daughters from the early 1900s to the (then) present.
The third daughter, Ida, had died.
''Russ & Daughters: Reflections and Recipes from the House That Herring Built'', by Mark Russ Federman (grandson of Joel Russ), with an introduction by
Calvin Trillin
Calvin Marshall Trillin (born 5 December 1935) is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist. He is a winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor (2012) and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts an ...
, was published in 2013.
Russ & Daughters received the 2013 Jewish Cultural Achievement Award, making it the first restaurant to receive a Jewish Cultural Achievement Award.
In 2014, ''The Sturgeon Queens'', a documentary about Russ & Daughters, premiered. It features, among others, Anne Russ Federman, 92 years old at the time, and Hattie Russ Gold, 100 years old at the time, who were the two surviving Russ daughters.
The Sturgeon Queens was Joel Russ’ affectionate nickname for his daughters.
Josh Russ Tupper and Niki Russ Federman, cousins, now run Russ & Daughters, the 4th generation of Russes to do so.
In 2015 the New York state Senate honored Russ & Daughters with a resolution marking its 100th anniversary; the resolution had been drafted in June 2014 but was presented to the Russ & Daughters staff on January 7, 2015.
Additional locations
In May 2014, Tupper and Federman opened the restaurant Russ & Daughters Café on Orchard Street.

In late 2014, a restaurant cafe was announced for the
Jewish Museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area.
List of Jewish museums
Notable Jewish museums include:
*Albania
** Solomon Museum, Berat
*Australia
** Jewish Muse ...
.
The Russ & Daughters restaurant in the Jewish Museum opened in February 2016.
In popular culture
Josh Russ Tupper appeared on ''
The Martha Stewart Show
''Martha'', also known as ''The Martha Stewart Show'', is an American cooking show hosted by Martha Stewart. The series premiered on September 12, 2005, in syndication until it was picked up by the Hallmark Channel in September 2010 as part of a ...
'' to make Chopped Liver, the Oy Vey Schmear sandwich, Whitefish & Baked Salmon Salad and the Super Heebster sandwich.
The Leonard Lopate Show on NPR discussed Russ & Daughters.
WNYC featured Russ & Daughters when Amy Eddings reported on "Last Chance Foods", in a segment called "A Palatable Passover: Russ & Daughters explains matzo, gefilte fish and charoset."
Russ & Daughters was also featured on two episodes of the TV series ''
Louie'' and in the theatrical movie ''
Lola Versus''.
Anthony Bourdain covered Russ & Daughters in the 'Disappearing Manhattan' episode of ''
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations'' (Season 5, Episode 6) with American journalist and novelist,
Joel Rose
Joel Rose is an American novelist.
Career
His novels include ''The Blackest Bird'' (2007), '' Kill the Poor'' (1988), and ''Kill Kill Faster Faster'' (1988). He also authored the urban historical, ''New York Sawed in Half: An Urban Historical'' ( ...
.
In 2021, the ''Financial Times'' ranked it as one of the “50 greatest food stores in the world.”
See also
*
List of Ashkenazi Jewish restaurants
Following is a list of Ashkenazi Jewish restaurants:
* Attman's Delicatessen
* Canter's
* Caplansky's Delicatessen
* D.Z. Akin's
* Henry S. Levy and Sons
* Katz's Deli, Houston
* Katz's Delicatessen, New York City
* Kenny & Zuke's Delicate ...
References
;Further reading
* "A fourth-generation business, Russ & Daughters is a reminder of the people that, historically, make this city what it is. You know them, you trust them, and they promise to do right by you." ''The New York Times Magazine''
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russ and Daughters
1914 establishments in New York City
Appetizing stores
Ashkenazi Jewish restaurants
Food and drink companies of the United States
American companies established in 1914
Food and drink companies established in 1914
Retail companies established in 1914
Jewish delicatessens in the United States
Jews and Judaism in Manhattan
Kosher style restaurants
Lower East Side
Polish-Jewish culture in New York City