Non-kosher ‘mom’ quits

Mother Kelly’s, one of the last remaining treif restaurants in Cedarhurst, is closing following the sale of its building, the Nassau Herald reported this week.

Mother Kelly’s will end 45 years of service at its prominent location opposite the Cedarhurst train station on Sunday, Aug. 31, said Glenn Gobetz, who runs the establishment with his brother Mark and sister Lisa.

“Over the years the local community has become an Orthodox town,” Glenn said. “Our father was Jewish, but our mother isn’t. We would have to keep kosher to run this restaurant.”

In 1969, Marvin Gobetz and his wife, Dorothy, took over the restaurant, originally located on Columbia Avenue. Its previous owners named it Mother Kelly’s, and Dorothy decided to retain the name. Marvin died in 1984.

Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department Commissioner Joe Fitzgerald praised Mother Kelly’s philanthropic efforts. “I have never known them to turn down anyone’s requests to donate to charities,” he said.