In the dairy chain鈥檚 heyday, many people remembered the spelling of Islay's using the mnemonic 鈥淚 Shall Always Love You Sweetheart.鈥� Today they could use 鈥淚saly鈥檚 Stow, amazingly, ladles your sustenance.鈥�
It鈥檚 been in a variety of buildings housing some combination of deli, dairy or restaurant - each one near the corner of routes 59 and 91 in Stow - since 1929. The current iteration opened in 1998 as Isaly鈥檚 II but closed last Christmas Eve when owner Ed Fox retired. Three days later, Samar and Jason Covel bought the place, changing the name to Isaly鈥檚 Cafe and Catering.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to do Isaly鈥檚 III, I wanted to focus on catering and 鈥榗afe鈥� is a nice touch to add,鈥� Jason said.
The couple, with decades in the hospitality business, jumped at the chance to buy a restaurant. After getting the keys in January, they enlisted friends and their 17-year-old twins, Meghan and Michael, to spend several weeks repainting and revising the menu before reopening last month. Prices might be a big higher due to the economy, Samar said, adding that customers are happy with the revamp and the use of so many Summit County-sourced ingredients.
鈥淥nce they see what they鈥檙e getting, the service, the local vendors, they say it鈥檚 well worth it,鈥� she said.
Kathy Lowrey lives nearby and was a regular until last year鈥檚 closure. On Thursday, she made her first visit to the new spot.
鈥淲e had good experiences at the last Isaly鈥檚, and so far I鈥檓 impressed with the service,鈥� she said after ordering one of her favorites, a BLT.
She also remembered going to Isaly鈥檚 for milk or chipped chopped ham when she was growing up in Akron鈥檚 Kenmore neighbors. Her husband, Robert, grew up in North Hill.
鈥淲hen I was a kid, we used to go to Isaly鈥檚 for Skyscraper ice cream. It was 10 cents for a cone,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I was in high school, we used to go over to the Isaly鈥檚 and have coffee and a sandwich.鈥�
For his first return visit, he tried a wrap, one of the new menu items.
The Covel鈥檚 said the new avocado toast has proven most popular, and they鈥檝e retained past favorites like the scrambler, a mix of eggs, potatoes and bread. Some customers have requested the chopped ham salad from the former menu, and Samar is trying to find the recipe.
鈥淚鈥檓 Lebanese," she said. "We鈥檙e used to making a lot of food!鈥�
Swiss cheesemaker Christian Isaly started his namesake dairy in Monroe County in 1833. The chain grew to 300 locations that once stretched throughout the Midwest and introduced items like the Klondike Bar. There is at least one other Isaly鈥檚 restaurant in the Pittsburgh area, where the chain thrived for decades after it began closing facilities in Ohio in the 1960s.
