Gavi's Restaurant is closing DECEMBER 19TH

Gavi's closing date has been moved up to December 19th.

Very nice video on the CJ website: http://www.courier-journal.com/videos/l ... um=twitter


My friends at Gavi's posted the following news release on their Facebook page. I've known about this for a couple of weeks but didn't want to say anything until it was officially announced. I'm terribly sad about this news but understand their decision and wish the whole family only the very, very best!
Lois

Dear Friends & Customers of Gavi's Restaurant:

Gavi's Restaurant would like to thank all of our wonderful friends and patrons for this special opportunity. 33 Years is a great achievement, and now it's time to say Good Bye! Be sure to come by and get your favorite things and to say hello before Dec. 31st!!!

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gaba Gavi
502.583.8183 (office)
502.817.9573 (mobile)
gavisrestaurant@aol.com

Gavi’s Restaurant to Close After 33 Year in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, KY - For more than 32 years Gavi's Restaurant has been serving the city of Louisville and offering the only place to find Russian style fare. At the end of December 2014, Gavi's will be saying good-bye.

Started in 1982 by the Russian-Jewish immigrant family of Joseph & Ida Gavi, and their son & daughter in law, Isaac & Zina Gavi, and later handed down to their grandchildren David & Gaba Gavi. What began humbly as a prospect of achieving a small slice of the American Dream, turned into the staple restaurant of Downtown Louisville.

Situated in the heart of the civic district, Gavi's has always been a place that welcomes everyone from high powered attorneys, newcomer public advocates, to the most decorated of public servants. Providing an atmosphere where - if you come once you’re a friend, and when you come back, you're family - Gavi's proves to be that search for authenticity.

Throughout the years, Gavi's Restaurant offered an opportunity for this city to experience different cultures through food, and this city offered the Gavi family an opportunity to share it's story.

Joseph Gavi and his wife Ida, both survivors of the Holocaust shared their experiences with countless customers, turned friends. Their story, having such reach even brought to fruition the publication of a book based on Joseph's life - a hero of the Nazi resistance as a boy, an educator, a renowned athletic trainer, a mountain climber, and finally, a business owner in Louisville, Kentucky. Joseph subsequently went on to tour schools throughout the region discussing the topics of his life and sharing his philosophies with countless students, enriching both their lives and his own.

Ida & Zina continued this legacy even following the passing of Joseph, and soon after, David & Gaba Gavi stepped in to continue the business. Even from its modest beginnings, Gavi's Restaurant has always been something more than simply a place to eat, it has been a place to share in the human experience.

We are grateful to all the patrons that have stepped through the doors over the years, and wish the best to those that continue to be friends.
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[Robin Garr]

Awww! That's sweet but sad. Thanks so much for posting, Lois.

It's been an intriguing little spot throughout my downtown working career, but I'm sad to say I've never been inside. Has Gavi's always been in that location? I thought Mazzoni's was there later than 1982.

That sucks. I really like that place, eaten there many times, and when on jury duty, I eat there every day!

[Robin Garr]

It's been an intriguing little spot throughout my downtown working career, but I'm sad to say I've never been inside. Has Gavi's always been in that location? I thought Mazzoni's was there later than 1982.

That general range feels about right, Gordon. I worked at The Times and CJ from 1976-90. and Mazzoni's was a regular lunch spot for the first few of those years.

Back at the start, Gavi's struck me as a very forgettable diner, but maybe I was just grieving for Mazzoni's. I never noticed anything ethnic about it, so I said "Meh" and drifted away. Now I'm feeling guilty that I never bothered to go back and see if it had evolved.

They were in the Legal Arts Building (other side of the alley) at 7th & Market in the early years (circa 1981) until after 1986, on the first floor. They eventually moved over to old Mazzoni's spot.

They were also incredibly nice. I always wondered what happened to the one kid who worked there (I believe his name is Anton, but my memory could be faulty), who got hit by a car right near the restaurant. I think he managed to get back up and on his feet.

Gaba Gavi was on his bike a couple of years ago and was hit by a car. Are you thinking of him? If so, he's okay.

That's him, good to know.

The C-J's posted a very nice video about the closing of Gavi's restaurant on December 19th:

http://www.courier-journal.com/videos/l ... um=twitter