The love of food shared between longtime friends Shelly Lewis and Christina Balazs hit a roadblock upon their move to Washington.
Once used to finding Italian delis on practically every corner in California, Lewis was busy at work putting the finishing touches on a gourmet gift basket for her sister, but to no avail.
“Looking for pâtés in Port Orchard,” Balazs said. “There was not a thing, and that was back in February of 2000. There wasn’t really any place to get the kind of food we were used to getting.”
September will mark 25 years since the pair’s Cosmo’s Ristorante and Delicatessen filled that void, first occupying one-third of the nearby Starbucks building before expanding into its 1821 SE Lund Ave. location in 2005.
The coming weeks will mark the establishment’s end. Lewis and Balazs announced Aug. 14 that they had decided to retire and close the restaurant and deli, adding that plans are already in the works for a new restaurant to take its place. Details are expected to be released while Cosmo’s winds down its operations.
“Our customers are what we’re going to miss the most,” Balazs said. “Yes, we will miss the food, but more than that, they’ve been fantastic through the ups and the downs.”
Balazs recalled the educational process they went through when first trying to build a customer base, introducing Port Orchard to foods she said its residents had never even heard of before. “But once it was in their mouths, they knew exactly what it was,” she said. “They were ordering it again, and it was incredible to see.”
The tastes and smells of the kitchen and deli were gradually embraced by the South Kitsap city, dedicated customers making regular visits throughout the years. “This has been our lunch spot out here,” said Chris Neman, who sat down for a meal with his mother. “I live in Seattle, but I spend a lot of time over here, and we’ll need to get out here for one last time.”
Another customer, Karen Spellman, said, “It’s really hard to have a sit-down restaurant that’s not a chain restaurant leaving the area. Hopefully, the next place that comes in will fill the gap a little bit.”
The restaurant’s last day will be Sept. 7, with the deli closing a week later. As for retirement, Balazs said the pair plan to stick around Port Orchard. “Hopefully, we’ll be going to some other places to eat too,” she said.
