This Fresno deli broke hearts when it closed in March. Now, there are plans to reopen

Sunnyside Delicatessen is back. Or, it will be soon, anyway.

Many will remember when the southeast Fresno staple closed in March. The news was met with some serious mourning from longtime customers who lamented the loss of the deli’s fresh-made sandwiches and salads and its community-minded charm.

That included Megan Husak, who occasionally worked at Sunnyside Deli during summers home from college. She’d make “fire sandwiches” for the firefighters up in the mountains.

Husak and her family took over the business and started teasing a reopening in a series of Facebook posts earlier this month.

“We thought this opportunity was too good to pass up,” Husak says of the venture.

This is the first restaurant the family has owned, but several of the family member have restaurant experience

The delicatessen will reopen at its familiar location on Kings Canyon Road a block east of Clovis Avenue, with a few small renovations to the interior.

Before anyone freaks, the menu and deli offerings — like the Turkey, Bacon and Avocado sandwich, the various salads — will be coming back.

And, like the deli’s previous owner, the Husaks will keep this a family operation. Each member of the family is helping out in some capacity. Husak herself is moving back from New York where she went to college and was working as a teacher. She’s putting that on hold to spearhead the operation.

The deli will also hire and train 10 to 14 part-time employees over the next few months. It plans to be open by early September.

“We know we have high standards to live up to, “ Husak says.

“We hope to uphold the legacy that the former owners created.”

This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 10:00 AM.