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Roasters' n Toasters - The Story |
Opened in 1984 by Al and Sandy Burger, it started as a coffee shop that roasted
its own coffee beans with high-end pastries.
In 1985 they developed and patented the World Famous Bagel
Ball. Roasters' n Toasters quickly became bigger and well known around Florida and
the entire US. By 1998, we had expanded to a larger location and attempted to develop
a healthy choice restaurant complete with calorie counters on every menu item.
In 1996, Roasters was sold to Jack Kantrowitz
and Dan Kaplan. Jack, having been a customer of Roasters since their inception had
seen a decline in the concept and felt that the area could use a good NY Deli and
so he offered Al & Sandy a deal they could not refuse. The Deli was a hit. It
quickly became the place to be seen in the Pinecrest & Kendall area.
In 2000, we were hit the untimely death
of our founder Jack Kantrowitz in a tragic motorcycle accident. We did not allow
this to slow us down. With our yearly growth in the triple digits, we decided it
was now time to expand.
We purchased our main competitor and moved
into our new location in October of 2002. This move doubled our space and gave us
the opportunity to serve our clientele better.
Then in February, 2005 we suffered
still another tragedy when our restaurant had a major fire. The damage was immense.
In the wake of the fire, we did everything possible to keep our employees and loyal
customers as happy as possible, vowing to return from the devastation as quickly
as possible.
By August 1st, 2005, we were fortunate enough
to re-open our store. The location is the same, the staff is the same, but the customer
base has increased in great numbers. The new restaurant has all the bells and whistles
of a new, more user-friendly facility.
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Dan Kaplin - "a Deli Man" |
Born into the Deli Business in 1970, his parents owned
numerous delis in the New York area; Daphil in Roslyn, Long Island, Irving's in
Bringhton Beach, Brooklyn, The Round-Up in Monticello, NY Deli in Manhattan, The
Corned Beef Factory in Middletown and George & Sid's in Brooklyn. He learned
from the ground up, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up to busboy. Eventually,
he settled in as a Deli Man. His personality with the customers has made he one
of the most important people in restaurants.
After working his way through high school, he decided the deli business wasn't for
him and went to college in Queens, NY with the hopes of becoming an accountant.
In May, 1989, he received a phone call about a job in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
It was actually the opening of the New Dehli Deli in the Trump Taj Mahal. They needed
someone that knew the deli business inside and out and would be able to teach the
trade.
The
only position that paid well enough was the Chef, so that is what He became. He
spent 5 years in that position, where he watched, learned and worked along some
of the most talented chefs in America. Dan then followed the Vice President of Food
& Beverage to Philadelphia as Executive Chef of Holiday Inns of Pennsylvania.
After a year, and a lot of politics, he decided that the hotel industry was not
for him and found his calling. He went to work for a Deli & Market in Lafayette
Hill, Pennsylvania called Top Shelf Market. He stayed there as Executive Chef and
General Manager from 1993 to May, 1996.
The rest is history.
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Born in 1953 in the Bronx, He worked at his uncle's family
restaurant as a busboy; when he saw the action he loved it. He left the restaurant
and went into his father's pet store business, but still loved to cook for family
and friends.
In 1978, he moved to Miami and decided
to fulfill his lifelong dream. Pedro enrolled in Robert Morgan Cooking School and
received numerous awards while graduating in record time.
Pedro then went on to become
Executive Chef of Grove Isle for 8 years. From there, he went to work as Sous Chef
for Mark's in the Grove where he learned and honed his craft under Florida's most
famous Chef, Mark Milletello.
He then became Banquet Chef at the Sheraton Bal Harbor,
and had the opportunity to meet Jack and Danny and took on the responsibility of
Corporate Executive Chef at Roasters.
In 2002 he became a partner.
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