Spartak Brings International Food to Whitefish Bay

You start with a shot of Russian vodka. Then you can properly smell the food. You take a second shot. Then you can eat one of the marinated tomatos. You take a third shot, and then you enjoy a cucumber and some rye bread.

As Russian food connoisseur Greg Manouilov tells it, this is the best routine for consuming the jarred marinated vegetables in abundant supply at international grocery stores like in Whitefish Bay.

"It's the full flavor of life," he said. "It's not 'fast food,' but it's 'fast serve.'"

At 5587 N. Diversey Blvd., just a block from Sendik's, Spartak owners Anna and Fima Basin provide a wide range of niche nostalgic foods primarily from countries of the former Soviet Union.

"They are coming here to buy anything they can't buy in American stores," said Spartak employee I.O., who didn't want to share his full name.

The Basin family moved to the United States from Isreal, and is originally from Russia. Their store attracts customers from throughout the midwest, I.O. said.

The Basin family now lives in Chicago, where much of the food is imported or produced. They commute to Whitefish Bay every day to bring in the unique range of products.

I.O. suggested he speak about the store because the owners are more comfortable speaking in Russian. At the store, most customers come in speaking Russian to each other and the employees, even when they might be accustomed to speaking English outside of the store. It suits the atmosphere of Spartak, allowing customers to take a moment to remember something of the place many of them have come from, to feel at home.

I.O., who married into the family, said about 90 percent of their customers come from immigrant families, with the other 10 percent often wandering in from other stores or coming for the special Thursday supply of smoked herring.

But there is plenty of meat on hand throughout the week, with bagged slabs of herring in the cooler, vacuum packed fish next to the sunflower seeds on the floor, and salmon locks on display. The fish supply is rivaled by the sausages stacked on several cooler shelves in as many forms as cereal brands, made in Russian style with meat from the U.S.

The most abundant product is the candy. More than 50 kinds of chocolate and wafer bars are piled on the shelves, stacked also in carboard boxes on the floor to maximize the supply.

Also overstocked onto the floor are jars jammed full of marinated tomatos, pickles, peppers, cabbage and other vegetables.

Nearby in Shorewood, also helps feed Milwaukee's ample population of immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

International Food appears to have fewer items in stock than Spartak, but they also offer many homemade meals and sides to eat at the store or take to go.

Shopping at International Food Thursday, Manouilov said canned vegetables are an especially strong tradition for people from Russia and surrounding countries because people had to find ways to preserve food during the long winters.

"There is no chemical here," Manouilov said. "There is no artificial stuff. It's hundreds of years of people using this way of preserving food."

International Food owners Irene Valler and Svetlana Ragozin, a former teacher and a former engineer, met in an English class at MATC and opened their store in 1992.

"People like to continue their traditions here," Ragozin said.