Today's Case:
Jerry's Famous Deli or Wolfie's Deli Matzo Ball Chicken Noodle Soup
Re: Jerry's Deli Chicken Soup Recipe
From: Judy
To: Phaedrus
Date: 3/1/2025, 7:51 AM
On 2/28/2025 2:04 PM, Judy wrote:
Hi, Phaedrus,
I have tried and tried to get the recipe for Jerry's Deli Chicken Noodle Soup
(they were in Los Angeles). Before they went out of business, I even tried
employees and corporate, but they were considering reopening, so they
wouldn't give it to me. If I could just get the soup base they used--someone
said it was JMH, but they have many varieties, and it's a huge tub to just try
them. It's been almost five years, and I still think about it. If there's any
chance you can do your magic and get it, I'd be forever grateful!
Thanks!
Judy
Hello Judy,
Let me begin by clarifying a few things for people like me, who are not Jewish and are not familiar with Jewish food and who are not from Los Angeles or from Miami and who have never eaten soup from Jerry's Deli. Let me tell you what I found and the thoughts that I have on your request:
Most of what I am finding is about "Jerry's Famous Deli", which actually had multiple locations in the LA area and elsewhere, including Miami, Florida.
Also, most of the items that I am finding are about Jerry's Famous Deli's "Matzo Ball Soup", not "Chicken Noodle Soup." Customers loved the Matzo Ball Soup and there are many, many more mentions of it. Jerry's matzo(matzo, matzoh, matzah) ball soup contained chicken as well, but along with noodles, it had a big matzo ball in each serving. I am finding very few mentions of Jerry's "Chicken Noodle Soup," and no description of it at all. Certainly not a recipe.
I found this description of the matzo ball soup at : All is not Lost
"The matzo ball soup, which is made using Isaac Starkman's mother's cherished recipe that was served at Jerry's Famous Deli, symbolizes the eatery's spirit. With a giant but light matzo ball, carrots, celery, noodles and shredded chicken, this “Jewish penicillin” is like a hug in a bowl."
According to this, the famous soup had both noodles and a matzoh ball. So, are "Jerry's Chicken Noodle Soup" and "Jerry's Matzo Ball Soup" one and the same? "Matzo Ball Chicken Noodle Soup" appears to be a thing, so I speculate that they are. Remember, it's usually called "Matzo Ball Soup", not "Chicken Noodle Soup."
I also found this: "JFD Parent owns all of the ("Jerry's Famous Deli")brand names and uses their recipes at The Original Wolfie’s & Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House." It was repeated more than once that when "Jerry's Famous Deli" closed it's doors, the ownership of the brand and recipes of Jerry's passed to "Wolfie's Deli," which seems to be based in Sarasota, Florida now, although it may have originated in Miami, FL, closed for a while, and then reopened. Whatever. They say they use the Jerry's Famous Deli Matzo Ball Soup recipe, and they have even called their soup "Jerry's Famous Deli Matzo Ball Soup" on their menu at times. There do not appear to be any Wolfie's Delis anywhere near Los Angeles.
"Original Wolfie's" in Sarasota, FL has a website at: Original Wolfie's
Let's talk about Jerry's Famous Deli's matzo ball soup for a bit. I would be skeptical about the chicken base being JMH. Isaac Starkman's mother seems to have been a traditional Jewish cook, and I think it might be unlikely that she used a commercial food service chicken base in her original soup recipe. That may have been a change that was made later, by Jerry's Famous Deli, I suppose, to keep up with an increasing demand.
I did not have any success finding a recipe or a copycat recipe for either Jerry's or Wolfie's Matzo Ball or Chicken Noodle Soup.
I will post this for reader input. Perhaps someone can recommend a recipe that tastes similar.
Other than that, my suggestion to you would be to make your own chicken base. There are several matzo ball soup recipes on the web (not Jerry's or Wolfie's) that call for making one's own chicken base and give instructions for how to do it. I hesitate to send any of these recipes because I am not familiar with these soups, but if you want, write back and I will send you some.
Phaed
