For more than five decades and generations of families, Leonard Schleider’s name was synonymous with kosher and non-kosher catering and dining in the Baltimore-Washington area.
A longtime Baltimore resident who was born in Brooklyn, New York, Schleider died on June 4. He would have turned 85 on Saturday, June 18.
“My name is Jules Leonard Schleider, but I am known as Leonard, Lenny or Mr. S.,” Schleider wrote in his memoir, “Rainbow and Storms: My Life.” “In 84 years on this earth, I have lived through the standard process of birth, school and work. I have been a son, brother, husband, father and grandfather. … I’ve had my ups and downs. As the saying goes, ‘The Devil is in the details.’”
At Schleider’s funeral on June 7 at Sol Levinson & Bros., Rabbi Etan Mintz of B’nai Israel Synagogue described him as “truly an incredible and unique person. It’s hard to eulogize someone as multi-faceted as Mr. Schleider. … He was absolutely the sweetest, warmest person you’ll ever meet …. the quintessential mentsch.”
A 1955 graduate of Forest Park High School who attended Louisa May Alcott Elementary School (School No. 59), Schleider served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
In 1960, he graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and business management. That same year, after the death of his father Max, Schleider joined his family’s small catering business full-time. Schleider’s Catering was founded a dozen years earlier.
In 1961, Schleider started a frozen kosher food business, the second of its kind in the nation. That business closed eight years later.
In 1963, Schleider opened the Emerald Gardens catering hall in Northwest Baltimore. Over the years, he and his staff catered countless weddings, b’nai mitzvah, brises, anniversary celebrations, reunions and other occasions.
Schleider’s Catering was sold in 1997.
From 1985 to 2017, Schleider operated Cameo Caterers, which primarily served film production companies in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., as well as provided corporate, social and events catering.
Schleider provided kosher catering for the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C., and the White House. Notably, Schleider catered meals during the Camp David peace talks in 1978. He also provided non-kosher catering at the Summer Olympics in 1984 in Los Angeles and in 1996 in Atlanta.
He also catered more than a dozen runnings of the Preakness Stakes and the 1983 World Series.
“My father touched and affected so many individuals, families and generations in his lifetime and career,” eulogized Aleck Schleider. “My family and I could not be prouder. As a caterer for close to 58 years in Baltimore and Washington, my father dedicated himself to literally thousands of families and the community as a whole, ensuring that some of their most important life cycle events were done to perfection. … Whether it was for a family of six at a Passover table or for the president of the United states, my dad put the same amount of dedication and energy. We couldn’t be prouder.”
A congregant of Beth Tfiloh and B’nai Israel congregations, Schleider was a co-founder and chairman of Baltimore’s Jewish American Festival from 1978 to 1994.
In addition, Schleider served as marketing and sales director of the Black-Eyed Susan, a 149-passenger paddlewheel dinner boat that cruised Baltimore’s Inner Harbor from 2000 to 2017.
A board member of several local nonprofits, Schledier sponsored Wounded Warrior Project startup events and luncheon cruises aboard the Black-Eyed Susan for wounded soldiers and attendants from Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval hospitals.
Schleider was also a supporter of Beans & Bread, a food bank program operated by the St. Vincent de Paul charity.
“[A Baltimore Sun] story said no one was feeding the homeless on Sundays,” Schleider told Jmore in a 2018 profile. “I took one of the trucks down and we set up around noon. I guess we fed about 150 people each week until the food ran out.”
In his eulogy for his father, David Schleider said, “You always tried your best, and your intentions were always pure. You always saw the beauty in life. You taught us how to be, and we thank you. … Thank you for being such an amazing father and friend.”
After retiring in April of 2017 at the age of 81, Schleider worked as a patio chef at Blakehurst Senior Living Community in Towson and as a dining room supervisor and host at Roland Park Senior Living Community. He also served as a consultant to Attman’s Delicatessen in Potomac.
“Leonard Schleider was a Baltimore kosher food/catering legend for decades,” said Jeremy Diamond, author of “Tastemakers: The Legacy of Jewish Entrepreneurs in the Mid-Atlantic Grocery Industry.” “Dating back 50-plus years ago, Schleider Caterers and their Emerald Gardens catering hall in Baltimore were top rated for great food and the phenomenal service of Leonard Schleider and his staff. Founded by Lenny’s parents Max and Esther Schleider, many ‘old Jewish Baltimore’ families utilized Schleider’s culinary expertise for their weddings and bar/bat mitzvot.
“When Lenny was running the event, you knew it would be done right.”
Schleider — who self-published a book of poetry and wrote a political opinion piece for Jmore in 2020 — attributed his drive and tenacity to a lifelong sense of creativity and knack for not letting things bother him for too long.
“If I didn’t have the ability to daydream, I don’t know what I’d do,” he told Jmore.
Schleider is survived by his children, Leslie (Steven) Hyman, David Schleider and Aleck (Randi) Schleider; his siblings, Anita (Kenny) Baum and Philip (Rita) Schleider; his grandchildren, Liana (Billy) Vadala, Lila Schleider, and Ben Schleider; and his companion, Julie Hoffman.
He was predeceased by his daughter-in-law, Supranee Schleider; and his parents, Max Schleider, Esther Schleider, Lester Ronay, and Marcia (Cohen) Schleider.
Interment was at the Beth Isaac Adath Israel Cemetery in Dundalk. The family asked that contributions in Schleider’s memory be sent to the charity of your choice.
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