experienced both success and failure. I
left the delicatessen business more than
once to pursue other interests.
"I am presently retired. However, I
can be found in the morning at one of
the three delis owned by my wife,
Dianne. They are Esquire Delis. One is
on Dexter and Leslie, one on Schaefer,
and one on Gratiot near Russell. All are
in Detroit and now carry-out only."
Dave Raben is only 64, but has prob-
ably owned and operated more deli-
catessens in Michigan than any other
person. Yet he is perhaps the least
known of all ... except to deli people ...
and arguably the most controversial.
Dave and Seymour Kirsch worked
together as countermen at Fredson's
Delicatessen on Wyoming ... Today,
Seymour is owner of Lefkofsky & Co.
... Sy Ginsburg and Dave toiled side by
side at Lou's Delicatessen on Six Mile
... and Sy is now one of his suppliers as
owner of United Meats.
Mickey Chudler worked for Dave on
Seven Mile in the `60s ... and went on
to open Highway Ribbery on Coolidge
and then to the Southfield Road loca-
tion that became Restaurant Duglass,
Bangkok Club and East Side Mario's ...
Dave's first landlord on Seven Mile was
Max Krugel, former owner of the origi-
nal Modern Delicatessen on Fenkell.
People wondered where George Fink
got the name, Danny's Delicatessen
when he opened on Greenfield and 10
Mile in Oak Park ... Nobody in his
family had that name ... The money to
open it was loaned to George by
builder Danny Klein ... The deli had
been Katz's Delicatessen and Joey's
Delicatessen, owned by George Fink
and Joe Cohen, before George bought
out Joe ... Then came Northgate
Delicatessen, Deli Unique, Deli & Co.,
and a couple of versions of Modern
Delicatessen ... Today, Danny Klein is
Dave and Dianne's landlord at Esquire
Deli on Schaefer.
Sol Shpargel and Dave worked
together at Best Dairy Delicatessen on
Livernois around 1954 ... where people
had corned beef sandwiches, sodas,
malteds, milk shakes, banana splits,
etc., at the full soda bar ... Then they
both later owned delicatessens on the
same street ... Sol's on Seven Mile and
Schaefer, and Dinty Moore on Seven
Mile west of Greenfield ... Each also
owned delicatessens at the same locale
... Nine Mile and Coolidge in Oak
Park ... It was first Sol's, then after
Sabra and Benny's, became Esquire II.
Even Dave Dubbs got into the "Dave
Raben Act" ... The former owner of
Dubb's Beef Buffet on W. Seven Mile
Road and then New Orleans Mall on
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4/13
2001
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