Iconic Phoenix deli Cheese 'N Stuff prepares to close after 76 years

For decades, the scent of fresh bread, sliced Boar’s Head meats and exotic cheeses has greeted Valley customers the moment they walk into Cheese 'N Stuff on the corner of Camelback Road and Central Avenue. The longtime uptown Phoenix staple is part sandwich shop, part deli and part-time capsule.

Now, the iconic spot is preparing to close on April 30, ending a 76-year run of stacked sandwiches, handwritten menus and multigenerational memories.

Crystal Zawatski, who co-runs the shop with her father Stan Zawatski, confirms the news during a recent visit. She explains the timing behind the decision, as she juggles taking orders, ringing up customers and building sandwiches with her dad — a rhythm she has known for the past 17 years. Her father, who's been working at the deli since 1974, is ready to retire, and she’s about to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in early May.

“It just felt like the right time for both of us," she says, "and I can't wait to be a nurse.”

On a recent Thursday afternoon, a line of roughly a dozen loyal patrons snaked through the shop and spilled outside beneath the iconic Cheese 'N Stuff neon sign.

Many customers ordered two or three sandwiches and took time to say goodbye to Stan as he stacked sandwiches behind the counter, and chat with Zawatski at the register. Some longtime regulars watched Zawatski grow up at the small shop.

“My youngest recollection would be when my grandpa taught my sister and me how to count change back to customers at the age of 5,” Zawatski remembers.

The deli was originally opened in 1949 by Robert Allen. It landed with a few different owners in its early years, before Zawatski's grandfather, Emil, purchased it in 1972.

“He ran it first as a cheese shop,” she says. “Then started turning it into a deli like the ones he owned and ran back in New York.”

As a little girl, Zawatski couldn’t wait to eat one sandwich in particular that her grandfather made.

“I always wanted a tuna sandwich when I got out of school,” she recalls, smiling, “but I didn’t want the water chestnuts that we put in our tuna salad, so he would make my sister and me a small batch without them.”

The Tuna Salad Sandwich, with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, is still a hit with regulars. But nowadays, her go-to order has evolved.

“My favorite sandwich is the Number 12, a turkey sandwich on a bed of sauerkraut, but I put pepper jack cheese, a little bit of mayo and add banana peppers to it,” she says. “It’s amazing.”

Zawatski grins when asked about the most popular sandwich in recent years.

“It is my creation: the Cactus Jack with turkey, salami, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a sub roll,” she says.

The sandwich shop's menu is displayed on haphazard signs, some printed and others handwritten with a magic marker. Vintage decor hangs on the walls alongside framed Best of Phoenix awards dating back to the 1980s.

Family photos are spread throughout the shop. Dozens of photos show Emil, who passed away in 2008, Stan, who has worked in the shop since he his teen years, Zawatski as she grew into the family business, and now of her children. One was darting around in the back on the day we visited, charming everyone she saw.

After ringing us up, Zawatski reflected on what might come next.

“Another family is looking into taking it over, but we are not sure if it will stay a deli,” she says. “This is sad because the customers who come in there are used to that and know what they are getting when they come in.”