1904-1907

Joel Russ, a Jewish immigrant from Strzyzow, Poland, peddled herring from a pushcart in the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York.

1914

Russ saved enough to sign a lease for an appetizing shop on Orchard Street.

1920

The appetizing shop moves to its current location on 179 East Houston St.

1933

Joel Russ renamed the business "Russ & Daughters," after his three daughters, Hattie, Ida and Anne. It is the first known American business with “& Daughters” in its name.

2014

Fourth-generation owners and first cousins, Josh Russ Tupper and Niki Russ Federman, opened Russ & Daughters Cafe for sit-down dining.

2019

Brooklyn, here we come! We opened another retail counter and our own Jewish bakery, where customers can watch how we craft NY-style bagels, babkas, and other traditional treats. Our Brooklyn location is also our nationwide shipping hub.

2023

Hudson Yards welcomed Russ & Daughters 34th St. The new 4,500-sq. ft. location at 502 West 34th Street, on the corner of 34th Street and Tenth Avenue, provides an immersive appetizing experience that celebrates our roots in the Lower East Side and the innovative spirit of New York. A glass encased bakery lets you watch how our bagels and bialys are made. There’s also an appetizing counter and seat-yourself dining area to enjoy our food in comfort.

Today

Russ & Daughters continues to spread (well, schmear) the delectable tradition of appetizing foods nationwide and to visitors from around the world. The family legacy lives on through fourth-generation owners and cousins, Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper.

WHAT IS APPETIZING?

“Appetizing” is a Jewish food tradition that is most typical among American Jews, and it is particularly local to New York and New Yorkers. The word “appetizer” is derived from the Latin “appete,” meaning "to desire, covet, or long for.” Used as a noun, “appetizing” is most easily understood as "the foods one eats with bagels.” Its primary components are a variety of smoked and cured salmon, homemade salads, and cream cheeses.

Eastern European Jews started meals with cold appetizers, known in Yiddish as the “forshpayz.” In New York, the popularity of forshpayzn among Eastern European Jewish immigrants led to the creation of the institution known as the appetizing store.
 
Appetizing also originated from Jewish dietary laws, which dictate that meat and dairy products cannot be eaten or sold together. As a result, two different types of stores sprang up in order to cater to the Jewish population. Stores selling cured and pickled meats became known as delicatessens, while shops that sold fish and dairy products became appetizing stores.
 
In New York City, until the 1960’s, there were appetizing stores in every borough and in almost every neighborhood. On the Lower East Side alone there were, at one point, thirty appetizing shops. Though one of the last of its kind, Russ & Daughters is committed to preserving and promoting this important food culture. So, now that you know, please don’t call us a deli!
 
To be literal, the dictionary definition of “appetizing” is, “appealing to the appetite especially in appearance or aroma; also, appealing to one's taste.” And that applies to Russ & Daughters as well.