The delish knish… … and other tasty treats at Primo’s Deli By: Eva Wasney Posted: 4:09 PM CDT Tuesday, Sep. 12, 2023

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This article was published 12/09/2023 (1081 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Like all good ideas, the groundwork for Primo’s Deli was laid at 4 a.m., in the early morning fog following a very late night.

“We were hanging out in my backyard and Kadin had this crazy idea for a bike shop-barber shop-restaurant,” says Mischa Decter, 30.

“And flower store,” Kadin Gray, 35, adds with a laugh.

“I was like, hold on, let’s just do a restaurant,” Decter continues. “And then we’ll do all those other things later.”

The pair have been friends for a decade and were looking for a change from their day jobs — Gray works in the film industry and Decter has a resumé full of restaurant experience.

“I’d worked at so many places from the ground up; starting (at restaurants) right when they opened and building them up,” he says. “I felt like it was finally time to do something myself.”

It’s been a year since that fateful late night conversation and they’ve checked at least one item off their wide-ranging business plan.

Primo’s launched in late 2022 as a pop-up sandwich shop and catering company. In June, after months of hosting events at local bars and breweries, the restaurant moved into the Good Will Social Club on Portage Avenue.

Bagels were the initial idea, but, with a flood of specialty bagel shops opening up in Winnipeg in recent years, Decter and Gray figured the local market was already over-saturated. Instead, they decided to put a spin on the classic delicatessen model.

“I’m Jewish and I started realizing as we did more pop-ups that we should lean into Jewish food more,” Decter says.

“It’s something that’s a little bit underrepresented in the city.”

Primo’s aims to go beyond meat, bread and mustard with unexpected flavour combinations and decidedly more greens.

“We’re just kind of elaborating on what was already there,” Gray says. “Making it a bit more modern and fresh.”

Often, the menu items are inspired by food Decter grew up eating — even if those formative foods weren’t always enjoyable.

“Brisket is the pot roast you’d have at a lot of holiday meals and it’s just always so bad and dry and sweet … I just wanted to take brisket and make it nice and delicious,” Decter says of Primo’s Randy Newman sandwich, made with tender slices of brisket.

“Not that my family are bad cooks, they just didn’t know how to make a brisket.”

While Gray and Decter were keen to open a brick-and-mortar business, starting out as a ghost kitchen allowed them to soft launch their concept without a major upfront investment.

“There were less strings attached,” Gray says. “We could build out the brand and build a following and not be tied down to a lease at a specific place.”

The partnership with the Good Will has been a win-win for both parties. The concert venue has re-opened for daytime service and Primo’s has been able to court a new clientele in a promising neighbourhood.

“We always wanted our real restaurant to be in the West End,” Decter says.

The deli shares counter space with Supercaffeinated, a coffee shop concept from Abi Torquato, former owner of Garry Street Coffee.

Primo’s owners are hopeful the combination of coffee and affordable food will be an attractive draw for students from the nearby University of Winnipeg.

“It’s a fantastic space for studying,” Gray says of the sunlit nooks and ample table space. “And we have free Wi-Fi.”

With a more permanent home, the friends are working on turning Primo’s into a New York-style bodega complete with house-made food products — such as pickles and mustards — and even flowers (Gray’s wife runs a local floral business).

“This still isn’t our final form,” Decter says.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @evawasney