Local aficionados looking for a great fish sandwich in the Pittsburgh area often would make a beeline to Emil's Restaurant and Lounge and Catering in Rankin.
It's a popular destination every Friday night, and in 2002, public television producer Rick Sebak listed the battered and fried sandwich among "Great Pittsburgh Sandwiches That You Will Like."
Until six months ago, you were likely to be greeted by Emil Luzaich himself, who ran the business for nearly 55 years. He often bought his customers drinks. "How 'bout a shot?" was the famous line.
Mr. Luzaich died Friday at Manor Care Health Services in Green Tree. He was 85.
"He built his reputation on homemade 'Hunky' food," said his daughter, Kristine Kochis, of North Versailles. "Everything at Emil's is big. He always gave you a portion where you'd have to take some home." The restaurant can hold up to a hundred people, and it often fills up on Friday nights when they serve prime rib and stuffed salmon.
Mr. Luzaich was known as a hard worker.
About six months ago, she said, Mr. Luzaich was injured in a fall that left him unable to walk. "It was probably the first rest he'd ever taken," his daughter said.
Born in Ohio, he moved with his family to Rankin when he was a child. He attended Rankin High School, and after he and his brothers graduated, they founded Glasser Hauling, which hauled everything from coal and ice to Christmas trees.
He worked as a bridge inspector for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and served as a Rankin councilman. He also was a volunteer firefighter and used to play the trumpet in the volunteer firemen's band.
But most of all, Mr. Luzaich is remembered for Emil's Restaurant. The restaurant on Hawkins Avenue was included in "Routes to Roots," a 228-page driving guide of the Mon Valley, published by Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area.
After her father died, Ms. Kochis went straight to the restaurant. "Where else would I be?" she asked. "He loved his customers and they loved him." She plans to keep the restaurant open and will continue to run it.
Mitchell Hoffman, owner of Penn Fixture and Supply in the Strip District, recalls waiting on Mr. Luzaich, when Mr. Hoffman's father owned the company. "He was a burly kind of guy. I was a little bit intimidated as a kid," recalled Mr. Hoffman. " I think he was a very honorable person, a hard worker."
Besides Ms. Kochis, Mr. Luzaich is survived by another daughter, Kim Skoro, of Zagreb, Croatia, and three grandchildren.
A blessing service at 10 a.m. today will be followed by a burial service at 11 a.m. in St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church, 2110 Haymaker Road, Monroeville.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Rankin Volunteer Fire Company, 320 Hawkins Ave., Rankin, PA 15104.
Correction/Clarification: (Published Mar. 12, 2009) Memorial contributions for Emil Luzaich, who died Friday, Mar. 6, 2009 may be made to the Rankin Volunteer Fire Company, 320 Hawkins Ave., Rankin, PA 15104. The wrong ZIP code was used in this obituary as originally published Mar. 10, 2009.
First Published: March 10, 2009, 4:00 a.m.
