“Good food is good food, but ours wasn’t just food — it was an event,” Louis “Lou” Bluefeld once said, explaining what set his kosher catering business apart.
For much of the 20th century, Bluefeld was a familiar presence at Baltimore-area weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, anniversaries and communal gatherings. His work helped define how Jewish celebrations were staged and remembered in the city for generations.
Bluefeld died on Jan. 4 in Boca Raton, Florida, just four days shy of his 105th birthday.
“For almost half a century, Bluefeld dominated the kosher catering business in Baltimore as no other kosher catering business has done before or since,” historian Gilbert Sandler wrote in his 2000 book, “Jewish Baltimore: A Family Album.”
Bluefeld Caterers began in the early 1930s with Bluefeld’s mother, Bessie Bluefeld. An immigrant and entrepreneur, she prepared food for early catering jobs in Baltimore. After her death at 51, the business was carried forward by two of her seven children, Lou and Philip. The scale of the business necessitated that the two brothers work from an early age.
According to daughter Bette-Lynn Steiner, her father left school at age 13 to help support the family. “He went to work because the family needed him to,” she said.
Over time, the business expanded into a major kosher catering operation serving Baltimore and beyond. Family members said Bluefeld’s role centered on clients and logistics — making sure each event ran smoothly and that families felt confident everything had been handled.
“He was the one people trusted. They knew if Lou was involved, it would be done right,” said Steiner, who has a brother, Barry.
That reputation carried Bluefeld Caterers far beyond local synagogues and banquet halls. The company was the first kosher catering operation to kasher the White House kitchen, according to published accounts and family recollections. Everything was cooked in Baltimore and delivered to D.C. The Bluefeld brothers also catered events for members of Congress, served Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in Washington during the announcement of the 1978 Camp David peace accords, and provided kosher catering for a presidential inaugural event for President Richard Nixon.
“They needed a kosher caterer, and they knew he was the best,” Steiner said.
Despite those high-profile moments, relatives said Bluefeld cared most about community celebrations. In a 2016 interview with Baltimore Jewish Times marking his and his wife Edith’s 75th wedding anniversary, he emphasized the everyday events that filled the calendar. “Our business was a joy,” he said. Edith Bluefeld said that catering meant being present for “a good time in people’s lives.”
Those occasions created lasting relationships. Steiner said people frequently approached her father years later to say he had catered their wedding or bar mitzvah — and were surprised when he remembered details. “He remembered names, dates, stories,” she said. “People were always amazed by that.”
Bluefeld worked closely with his brother Philip, who focused on the kitchen and food preparation. His niece, Honey Bluefeld Litman, said the partnership worked because the brothers stayed in their separate lanes. “Uncle Lou was the salesman,” Litman said. “My father was the cook. Together, they made it work.”
Litman also recalled that the family emphasized presentation and service. Longtime employees often stayed for decades, she said, and servers were known for careful attention to guests. The goal, she said, was to make every event feel generous and complete.
Bluefeld met his future wife, Edith Seidel, as a teenager at a party at the old Howard Hotel in downtown Baltimore. They arrived with other dates, but he asked for her phone number by the end of the night. He called two days later, and their first date took place on a catering job because he was already working in the family business. They were married in 1941 and stayed married for 83 years. He once said that the key to such a long marriage was never going to bed angry at each other.
During World War II, Bluefeld served in the Pacific theater. Steiner said he volunteered for kitchen duty and was quickly promoted to manager. “He knew how to organize,” she said. “He knew how to get things done.”
After the war, he returned to Baltimore, to his family and to the growing business until 1984. That year, the family sold Bluefeld Caterers after more than four decades. Steiner said the company did not last long without her father’s involvement. “It really was him,” Steiner said.
Bluefeld was closely connected to synagogue life in Baltimore. He was active for many years at Beth El Congregation, where the family were members.
Bluefeld and his wife retired to Boca Raton in the mid-1980s, where he remained active and social well into his later years. Steiner said he played golf, later played cards and continued to leave the house daily. “Even at 104, he was still going out,” Steiner said.
In his final years, Bluefeld became the primary caregiver for his wife as she developed dementia. Steiner said he refused to place her in memory care. “He said, ‘She took care of me all my life, and now it’s my turn.’” She died in January 2024 at age 103.
Family members said Bluefeld never lost sight of where the family began. Litman said he often spoke about early help and support and remained conscious of the family’s origins.
“He was proud of what they built,” she said, “but he never forgot the beginning.”
Steiner said her father returned often to one piece of advice, which she said captured both his outlook and his priorities: “Always be good to each other,” he would say, “because even at its longest, life is short.”
Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer.
