Though Hack’s Cutting Board sits at the corner of Willis Avenue and Goodrich Street, one of many storefronts that cut through Williston Park, it is unlike most of its neighbors. It doesn’t have a big neon sign above the door, beckoning potential customers – and likely has more history than many other local businesses combined.
Hack’s is the descendant of John’s Delicatessen, a fixture in the Williston Park community for more than 50 years and one of the town’s oldest landmarks. Only a few local businesses have stood as long as John’s.
After closing its doors in 2011, John’s re-opened in Oct. 2012 under the management of lifelong Williston Park resident Robert Hackenjos, 46 – known better to some as “the Hacker,” or “Hack” – following a string of unsuccessful owners and surviving the ire of Hurricane Sandy.
“We took [on re-opening the deli] fully aware of the history,” Hackenjos said. “I’ve been a resident for over 46 years. I grew up coming here to get my candy.”
Owner of Cerrone’s Market in East Hampton for more than 15 years, Hackenjos was already a veteran in the delicatessen business. When the lease on Cerrone’s ended shortly after John’s closed, Hackenjos decided to move the store to his hometown.
One of the first changes Hackenjos made to the deli, even before he began selling food, was re-establish the relationship between the business and its customers, he said.
“We did our construction with our doors open so that people could come in and see what we were doing,” Hackenjos said. “Everyone was very excited. Williston Park needs this deli.”
Williston Park resident John Burdewick bought John’s Delicatessen in the early 1940s and maintained it through 1968, when he sold to Glen Head’s Herman Hahn, who owned it until his retirement in 1994.
According to lifelong customer Earl Higgins, 75, the delicatessen became a fixture in the community due to its acclaimed potato salad and rice pudding.
“I knew people who would come up from New Jersey for that potato salad,” Higgins said. “It was the perfect balance of sweet and sour. It became county famous.”
As the delicatessen went through a series of owners on the downturn of the 20th century, its moneymaker changed as well. Higgins said he noticed a dip in the quality of the deli’s food, most glaringly in his beloved potato salad, which he and Hackenjos said underwent a recipe change.
“They changed the recipe, can you believe that?” Higgins said. “The town was furious. It really seemed like the owners at the time were out of their depth, like they didn’t understand the complications of running a business, let alone one that was so significant to the community.”
In early 2011, following financial troubles, John’s Delicatessen closed its doors without a hint of warning to the community.
“It was a shock, a total shock,” Higgins said. “Many of us relied upon that deli for the delicious salads or a quart of milk, but it was one of the only delis in the area for many years where you could get the daily newspapers.
“When you’ve been going to a place for so many years, you trust them for price and convenience.” Higgins said. “You grow up with the place.”
When Hackenjos began the process of re-opening John’s, he wanted to bring back its traditions. That meant reinstating the deli’s classic interior, rustic signage and even the deli’s beloved recipes.
“We wanted to restore the place to the older days of John’s Deli,” Hackenjos said. “After all the damage that was done to the place’s reputation with the previous owner, we felt it was best to distance ourselves from the deli’s recent history and change the name.”
John’s Delicatessen re-opened in Oct. 2012, this time under the name Hack’s Cutting Board, shortly before Hurricane Sandy rocked Long Island.
When the super-storm hit Williston Park, Hack’s did not go unscathed.
According to Hackenjos, the deli lost power for days, food expired, and some of the flooring and equipment had to be replaced.
“It was a very trying time for us in having to start over, but luckily we had the support of the good people of Williston Park to get us through it,” Hackenjos said.
Hack’s Cutting Board is embedding itself into the community the way John’s Deli had, sponsoring the local Little League teams and Girl Scout troops as well as catering events.
Even Higgins approves of the new ownership.
“People got into the habit of saying that the deli was closed and it wasn’t coming back,” Higgins said. “Well, it is back and you know something? The potato salad tastes just like it did in 1948.”
