On a street corner in West Newton, the smell of fresh soup mingles with the soft croons of Ella Fitzgerald, and the warm yellow glow of Judith’s Kitchen may just draw you inside.

“I want people to walk in and just feel happy and like they want to be here,” owner and head chef Judith Kalish said.

At face value, Judith’s Kitchen is a gourmet sandwich shop and deli, but beyond that, it’s the culmination of experience from high-pressure restaurant kitchens to a community-built business focused on affordability, quality, and family.

Kalish got her start in the food industry as a 21-year-old waitress. She became a chef shortly after, when the chef at her first restaurant job didn’t show up. 

“I got thrown into the kitchen, and I was nervous,” Kalish said. “But then, it came naturally, and everyone loved what I made. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I really love this.’”

It was there that she began designing her own recipes, starting with a curry lentil soup that she still sells in-store. 

After earning a degree from the New England Culinary Institute, Kalish got a job at Hammersley’s Bistro, where she worked under Chef Gordon Hamersley for eight years, moving up from the lowest position to sous chef.

“He had never hired a cooking student, so it was kind of like an experiment for him,” Kalish said. “He was an amazing cook and a great teacher. I learned everything from him.”

Despite her dedication and evident success, it was an uphill battle.

“I was highly stressed out,” Kalish said. “I would feel sick every single day when I got to work. I was terrified.”

The harsh environment often consisted of aggressive orders and gender discrimination, Kalish said. The experience showed her a side of the restaurant industry that she didn’t want to emulate. 

“I learned how not to treat people,” Kalish said. “I’m very big on the people that work for me, that they’re super happy here, and they never feel stressed out that we’re gonna be mad. We kind of treat everyone who works here like family.” 

She became an assistant manager at Whole Foods so she could continue cooking while raising her children, and later moved to Foodie’s Urban Market, where she managed the prepared foods department and learned the finer details of running a deli.

The experience taught her how to operate her own store and inspired her to open her own. The result is a Newton staple that combines the managerial skills of the supermarket and the cooking skills of fine dining.

“This place opened, and I live just a few blocks away, so it was perfect,” Kalish said. “I’d wanted to own my own place my whole life, but it was just the right time.”

After opening Judith’s Kitchen, Kalish’s first challenge came with being the only one on the staff who had ever worked in a deli. 

“I was teaching everyone how to do everything, which was pretty stressful at the beginning,” Kalish said. “Once everyone learns everything, then it makes your life so much easier.”

Another challenge of starting a new restaurant is recognizing that profit doesn’t come right away, according to Kalish.

“When you start, you make no money,” Kalish said. “You have to pay for everything. You have to pay for all the food and pay the employees and pay rent, and you’re not really making money yet.”

Judith’s Kitchen’s saving grace during COVID-19 was that it was already designed for takeout. In that period, their ties with the community only grew stronger.

A top priority for Kalish is keeping her ingredients close to home.

“It’s nice to deal with small companies and give them the business, and then if it is local, it’s often fresher,” Kalish said. “I’d rather someone come to me and buy soup than Whole Foods or something where they make it in a commissary with a big machine, whereas [here] I’m just stirring it myself in a small pot.” 

Another thing that sets Judith’s apart is the pricing: a sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast burrito runs $7.99, a scone costs under $3, and even a full turkey breast is $11.99.

“I care about making the prices affordable so not just super-rich people can eat here,” Kalish said. “I want normal people to be able to come here. Maybe they can’t get the salmon or the flank steak, but everyone can get a sandwich.”

Working with her husband, John Demaris, also shapes the way the business feels.

“It has its ups and downs to work with your husband,” Kalish said. “If you’re in a fight, it’s not a fun day, because it’s hard for me to separate work from personal. But in other ways, it’s good. You can count on the person you’re comfortable with, and you can just be yourself.”

Their children grew up in the shop, often stopping by after school and watching the community embrace the place their mother built.

“My kids would say, ‘Mom, you’re like, famous in our high school,’” Kalish said. “Everyone knows Judith’s Kitchen.”

That sense of family extends into the space itself. The store’s interior carries the same warmth Kalish cultivates in her cooking.

“When the sun is coming in the window, with the terracotta tiles and the blue and yellow colors, it’s really nice when it’s freezing outside,” Kalish said.

Her food reflects that personal touch as well. The soups, her earliest original recipes, remain especially important.

“The soups I make feel very personal to me because I haven’t gotten those from anybody,” Kalish said. “I’ve made all those recipes myself. That probably feels like the most personal of everything I sell.”

The rest of the case carries her own personal touch, as well—the items are a result of years of hard work and humble sacrifice.

“A lot of people really like the salmon that I make, and they say it’s better than other places,” Kalish said. “I’m kind of proud of that.”