Cosmo owners announce retirement; new restaurant expected

The love of good food shared by longtime friends Shelly Lewis and Christina Balazs hit a roadblock after they moved to Washington.

Lewis, who was used to finding Italian delis on practically every corner in California, was busy putting the finishing touches on a gourmet gift basket for her sister, but to no avail.

“I was looking for pies in Port Orchard,” Balazs said. “There was nothing there, and this was in February 2000. There was really no place where we could get the kind of food we were used to.”

September will mark 25 years since the joint venture Cosmo’s Ristorante and Delicatessen filled that void, initially occupying a third of the nearby Starbucks building before expanding to its location at 1821 SE Lund Ave. in 2005.

The coming weeks mark the end of the eatery. Lewis and Balazs announced on August 14 that they had decided to retire and close the restaurant and deli. They added that plans are already in the works for a new restaurant to take its place. Details are expected to be released as Cosmo’s winds down its operations.

“Our customers are what we will miss the most,” Balazs said. “Yes, we will miss the food, but more than that, you have been fantastic through good times and bad.”

Balazs recalled the learning process they went through when they first tried to build a customer base by introducing Port Orchard to foods she said residents had never heard of. “But once they had it in their mouths, they knew exactly what it was,” she said. “They ordered it again and it was incredible to see.”

The tastes and smells of the kitchen and deli gradually became adopted by the town of South Kitsap, and over the years loyal customers began to stop by regularly. “This was our lunch spot,” said Chris Neman, sitting down to eat with his mother. “I live in Seattle, but I spend a lot of time here, and we have to come here one last time.”

Another customer, Karen Spellman, said, “It’s really hard to get a non-chain full-service restaurant out of the area. Hopefully the next place that opens will fill the gap a little bit.”

The restaurant’s last day will be Sept. 7, with the deli closing a week later. As for retirement, Balazs said the couple plans to stay in Port Orchard. “Hopefully we’ll go to other places to eat,” she said.