Shubie's Market Keeps It Fresh And In The Family

There's a very good chance that regular shoppers at Shubie's Market know at least one of the Shubes by name. And why not? The Shube family has been running the Marblehead business for 62 years.

What started out as a small wine and spirits shop in 1948 has grown into a thriving business, selling exotic and fine wines, gourmet foods made from scratch and a range of desserts, sandwiches, soups, and packaged foods.

Since moving to its current location, built especially for the market, in January 2005, Shubie's has expanded its business to include cooking classes and wine tastings in its second-floor function room, as well as event catering. 

The prepared foods are all made in-house under the direction of chef Lynne Aronson, who formerly ran the kitchen at two restaurants in Manhattan, N.Y.

"Her palate is really spectacular," said Doug Shube, the youngest son of owner George Shube. "She's also an artist, which makes for great presentation. It's not just how it looks, but the taste, touch and smell."

Shubie's hasn't always offered such an enormous variety of food. It wasn't until George Shube's wife, Carol, began selling cheese and homemade specialty foods in the mid-1990s that the market moved beyond wines and spirits.

"We originally just did salads, soups and pastas," George Shube said. "By our third year, the food business was doing so well we put in a six-burner stove and a grill."

George's father Bill Shube bought the liquor license in 1948 from the Colbert family and kept the name Colbert's Market. When Bill died, the business passed to his wife and was taken over by their son in 1986. That year, the business moved across Atlantic Avenue to the building now occupied by West Marine, where it remained until 2005.

Now in its sixth year in the new building, Shubie's is still a family affair. George Shube's wife and three children all play a role. 

The family could be described as food and wine evangelists, spreading their knowledge and appreciation of the finer tastes to customers through daily free samples, frequent wine tastings and the recommendations of the family and staff.

George Shube's oldest son, Bill, has followed in his father's and grandfather's footsteps to become a wine specialist. Most of the dozens of varieties of wines are selected by George.

"My father is really good at finding great, unusual wines," Bill Shube said.

Shubie's has recently begun offering cooking classes, with lessons given by local chefs. One course offered in the spring was taught by Liz Walkowicz of Eurostoves in Beverly, who helped the Shubes expand into the food business back in the mid-'90s.

This summer, cooking instructors have taught teens and 'tweens how to make simple dishes like chicken parmesan and macaroni and cheese, Italian foods likes calzones and hand-made breads.

Heidi Greenbaum, a buyer at the market, is working to establish a new slate of adult cooking classes for the fall. 

"The classes have been sold out and it's been a lot of fun," Greenbaum said.

Apart from a love of good food and wine, a dedication to freshness and quality drives the business.

"Everything is totally fresh, which makes a huge, huge difference in quality," Doug Shube said. "It really sets us apart."

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