Caulfield locals lamented the closure of Marie Chan’s Goodies cafe last December: the coffee was perfect and the house-made chilli oil went with everything. Those same people are now breathing a sigh of relief to see Ruzia’s open in its place, especially as it’s anointed by the previous owner.

“Marie asked if I was keen to take over the space,” says long-time chef Ravi Presser. “I grew up around here and saw a gap in the market for a community wine bar.”

It’s Presser’s first business after decades in the industry, including time at early Andrew McConnell restaurants Mrs Jones and Three One Two, all the way through to a recent stint at McConnell’s Fitzroy hotel Builders Arms.

He was part of the opening teams at Fonda Mexican and social enterprise Feast of Merit. “Working for other people is good, but I had a burning feeling that I wanted to do this project,” he says.

Ruzia’s is named for Presser’s Holocaust-survivor grandmother. “She was a big influence on my life in regards to her spirit, always being open and accepting of everybody, and being a Polish-Jewish lady, she was a feeder who passed on an ethos of bringing people together via food.”

The offering at the 50-seat bar centres on Eastern European preserves, cured fish and smallgoods. “We are pickling King George whiting, making our own ocean trout gravlax, and sourcing presswurst and Viennese frankfurters from Andrew’s Choice,” says Presser. “If I took one thing from working with Andrew McConnell, it’s about great produce: if you work with good suppliers, you don’t need to do too much.”

Larger dishes include Ruzia’s beloved chicken meatballs served with kasha (buckwheat). The most expensive item is a $32 deli plate of pickles, cheese, meats and rye-and-caraway loaf.

The short wine list is all local except for the Beulah Violetta 2023 Stesso Stesso, a light red field blend produced by Australian couple Annie Conley and James Hird at their vineyard in Umbria.

“We want to work with good people doing good things,” says Presser. “People just want a drink, they don’t need the spiel, but it’s all quality.” An extended liquor licence means bottles can be bought to take home.

Community flocked even before Ruzia’s opened. “I designed the place on a piece of paper, and mates from the local football club came to help with the fitout,” says Presser.

His wife and brother are lending a hand during service, and an uncle is making cheesecakes for the cabinet in the window, where there’s also plum cake from southside institution Fleischer Cakes, and babka by Woodfrog.

“It’s been really wholesome to do it this way. We are small and humble, but we want to do really good stuff.”

Plans include opening the rear courtyard in time for summer and extending to lunch with New York deli-style sandwiches, featuring pastrami from new player Zaidy’s.

Wed-Fri 3.30pm-late, Sat-Sun 2pm-late

215 Balaclava Road, Caulfield North, ruzias.com.au