I fondly remember working part-time after High School for "Wally's Kosher Deli" in the Milk Pail at 3320 West Devon Avenue, just west of McCormick Boulevard in Lincolnwood, Illinois. Before the Milk Pail, it was Blanche's Super Milk Market.
A BIT ABOUT WALLY BRIN'S YOUTH:November 04, 1941, Chicago Tribune: Crane Tech High Defeats Anundsen in Soccer, 8-0, in a north section Chicago Public High School soccer league game in Winnemac park. Wally Brin, playing center forward, scored four goals for the west siders. It was the fourth win in six games.May 02, 1942, Chicago Tribune: Wally Brin hit a home run in the last half of the seventh inning after two were out to give Crane H.S. a 12 to 11 victory over Foreman H.S. in Altgeld park. It was Crane's sixth straight win and left it the only undefeted team in the west section.October 22, 1942, Chicago Tribune: Wally Brin is the captain of Crane Tech H.S. soccer team. Undefeated Aledo H.S. with only one game to play, clinched at least a share in the Little Six Conference championship last Friday night, October 16, when it downed Avon H.S., 33 to 13. All other conference teams have lost at least one game.June 03, 1943, Chicago Tribune: Crain Tech H.S., defending west section champion, defeated Steinmetz H.S., 6 to 4, in Altgeld park, cutting Steinmetz's lead in the current race to half a game. Wally Brin caught the first six innings for Crane H.S. and then when to the mound in the seventh, relieving Gene Revell and checked the rally after Steinmetz had scored four runs.Wally was a minor league baseball player for the Chicago White Sox before he entered the Army. He was an Army MP for three years during WWII.
I worked part-time after High School for Wally's Deli in the Milk Pail, which was 5 blocks from my house, for 4 years, most nights but some weekend mornings too.
It was a great job and pay, especially for a high school student. Wally was a great guy to work for. We cooked the best brisket corned beef, 15 briskets at a time, three days a week, in the back room of the Deli.We were free to eat anything from the Deli except for the Lox and Smoked Chubs (small white fish), which I ate nearly every night for 4 years. Wally knew!
Rosen's Rye Bread was delivered into a locked box in the alley behind the building every morning around 4 o'clock. They were so hot that you needed gloves to handle the loaves.
The top sellers were the 1. Meat, 2. Cheese, 3. Fish, and 4. Vegetable Lazy Susan Trays. The average order was 3 types of trays, feeding anywhere from 30 to 300 or more. Being Kosher, we catered to Synagogue events, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Weddings, Funerals, Shiva (a week-long mourning period in Judaism, [aka Wake; non-Jewish]), Family Reunions, Sweet-16 parties, and other special events. We delivered at no cost.
Wally's made a killer 3-bean salad, chopped chicken liver, lox cream cheese, and many other Jewish favorites that people would drive 20-plus miles to purchase.
Wally found me a part-time day job two summers in a row with one of his restauranteur friends. One was a fast-paced breakfast and lunch sit-down restaurant downtown with a deli/sandwich counter where customers lined up outside waiting to order. Another summer job was with the "Bagel Nosh" in the Gold Coast neighborhood on State Street in the Rush Street area.
Wally found me a part-time day job two summers in a row with one of his restauranteur friends. One was a fast-paced breakfast and lunch sit-down restaurant downtown with a deli/sandwich counter where customers lined up outside waiting to order. Another summer job was with the "Bagel Nosh" in the Gold Coast neighborhood on State Street in the Rush Street area.
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Wally's served sandwiches, hot and cold. One evening, a regular customer, a complainer, came in, "Last night, my sandwich didn't have enough corned beef on it." Wally's served huge sandwiches. He ordered a hot pastrami sandwich with heavy mustard on both sides and a half-pound of coleslaw. I put a lot of mustard on both sides of both slices of rye bread so he couldn't pick it up with his hands. Wally asked me if that guy had been in a few days later. I told him I hadn't seen him since I put mustard on both sides of both slices of the rye bread. Wally burst out in laughter. He said he didn't know how to get the guy to stop complaining. While he gave me a hug and thanked me, he said, "That's the funniest way to rid the Deli of an unwanted customer I've ever heard."
You knew he was genuine because Wally was always upbeat, in a good mood, and treated everybody respectfully and kindly.
The Milk Pail closed its doors in 1992.
Not to be confused with the Milk Pail Restaurant in Dundee, Illinois.
Not to be confused with the Milk Pail Restaurant in Dundee, Illinois.
Copyright © Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.
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