The Storied Origins of Hester Street

WINES ARE, for those who appreciate their intricate elegance, transformational. Beyond something that we simply sip, the best wines are experienced. They are shared, both at the table and in stories. Some would even say that the very best wines are those that are imbibed with an equally rich history. Hester Street is one such wine.

The Street That Started It All

Take a look at any map of New York City’s Manhattan and, after several minutes and squints, you will likely spot the name “Hester Street.” It is not an overly historic street and is otherwise entirely unremarkable except for its role in the rather remarkable story of the Rosen family.

In the early 1900s, Harris Rosen’s paternal grandfather, Harry Rosenofsky, immigrated from Russia (now Ukraine) with the intent of securing a better future for the wife and four children he had left behind. Arriving at Ellis Island, he, like so many immigrants before and after him, had his surname shortened to “Rosen.” And, just like countless others, he headed to the island of Manhattan to seek the prosperity that had lured him around the world. There, amidst the bustling streets and tenements of the Lower East Side, Harry Rosen made a home for himself and began to actualize the American Dream he was so eager to make a reality for himself and those he missed.

Driven to succeed in a country that had promised great opportunity, Harry Rosen was eventually able to rent a storefront on Hester Street where he opened a small, 25seat restaurant. He was the restaurant’s only server, only cook, only everything. While small, it welcomed all and fed many. After some time, Harry Rosen was able to bring his family home.

Decades later, in 1939, Harris Rosen would be born to Harry Rosen’s fth son, Jack, and his mother, Lee Rosen, whose father’s surname, Rosenhaus, had also been shortened to “Rosen” upon arrival from Austria many years before.

The entrepreneurial spirit that compelled both his grandfathers, Harry and Samuel, to succeed would also drive Harris Rosen to eventually resettle in Central Florida, where all the Rosen properties reside.

A Name That Speaks Volumes

Manhattan may be where the name “Hester Street” originated, but why does it t so perfectly? Explore any Rosen property and you will stumble across restaurants and outlets whose names, themselves, tell a story. Harry’s Poolside Bar & Grill is not named after Harris Rosen, but his grandfather. Jack’s Place in Rosen Plaza is named after his father, who was an accomplished caricature artist. Sam & Bubbe’s honors Harris Rosen’s maternal grandparents, Sam and Rose “Bubbe” Rosenhaus—“bubbe” meaning “grandma” in Yiddish.

Recognizing the importance of family and the Rosen family’s humble beginning in New York City a century ago, “Hester Street” came to embody the entrepreneurial spirit, fearless determination and unfaltering hope that led his grandparents to seek a better life. Three things that still drive Harris Rosen to this day.

A Label That Tells a Story

The inspiration for the Hester Street label was drawn, quite literally, from the classic brownstones that still line Hester Street and continue to de ne Manhattan’s unique architectural character.

Through an original illustration that captures the historic feel of the reimagined Hester Street restaurant, Harry Rosen’s

neighborhood eatery is given an artful, inviting presence on innumerable tabletops on Rosen properties and in homes.

The label was designed to t the three California wines that currently carry the Hester Street name—a crisp chardonnay, a succulent pinot grigio and a bold Napa Valley red. A hanging tag brie y shares the story of Harry Rosen and the meaning behind a name that, like the wines themselves, deserves to be relished.

What had begun as a relatively straightforward idea to create a wine we would welcome at our own tables became something more—a new addition to the Rosen story that would beg to be poured, to be savored and to be shared.

They say that behind every great wine, there is a story. Hester Street is no exception. And we know that with every bottle, every sip, the story of Hester Street and Harry Rosen will continue to live on, humbly, in the hands of all those who choose to make our story part of their own.