The history of kosher food in Orange County is not a long one, but one man stands out as having been involved in almost every early venture: Irvin Levin. Levin was born in Sioux City, Iowa in 1925 and moved to LA when he was 17 years old. After serving in WWII, he became involved in the food business, opening his first restaurant, a pizza joint, near USC in 1964. To make it sound more Italian, he named it “Irvino’s.” Soon came locations in Costa Mesa, Stanton, and La Mirada, before Irvin, an elite member of the Certified Chefs de Cuisine Association of America (now the American Culinary Federation), decided to “go big” with Ristorante Ervino in Santa Ana. This was a step up—it had a maitre d’, white tablecloths, and a tux-wearing staff, and it was a critical and financial success. In terms of kosher facilities in OC, the first kosher caterer was Irvin’s—Catering by Irvino—in 1978. Chaim’s Kosher Market also opened (and closed) the same year. The Masada Room and Camelot Catering followed in 1983, and Irvin’s Ristorante Ervino, opened in 1979, went kosher in 1985. Unfortunately, it closed within a year, most likely due to the high cost of kosher food. Irvin then became the food supervisor at Heritage Pointe, and he continued to teach kosher cooking classes. Orange County today has only two certified kosher restaurants (Nosh House in Tustin and Cafe at the J in Irvine) but as we continue to grow, it’s important to recognize how much we owe to OC kosher food pioneer Irvin “Irvino” Levin for his part in the rich tapestry that is Orange County Judaism.
Dalia Taft, archivist of the Orange County Jewish Historical Society, highlights images from the archives every month. For more information, please visit https://www.jccoc.org/pages/oc-jewish-historical-society. You can also contact Dalia at daliat@jccoc.org or at (949) 435-3400, ext. 360. The Orange County Jewish Historical Society is a program of the Merage Jewish Community Center and is funded by the Jewish Community Foundation Orange County.