Sometimes it takes more to save a deli than just writing a book or blog post about it. Sometimes a deli’s salvation needs people to pitch it, help out, and take risks. Sometimes, just sometimes, it requires a community to step up to the plate and do what’s right.
That’s the story out of Calgary recently, when the owners of the Haifa Kosher Deli were hospitalized, and the deli threatened to shut down. In a small community like Calgary’s, where the kosher popoulation relies on a place like Haifa for much of their food, this would have been terrible. ShalomLife picks up the story:
In late December, co-owner Ivor Kavin underwent open heart surgery and his wife Denise was left all alone to run the deli. The job took a toll on her health and shortly after Ivor’s surgery, Denise came down with bronchial asthma and infected lungs. As soon as Ivor returned home from the operation, he took over the store but fell ill again and ended up in the hospital at the same time as his wife. That’s when the community stepped in.
“They are a group of angels,” Denise said about the volunteers to the Calgary Herald. “How do you thank them all?”
Sheila Martin led the pack after hearing about the couple’s misfortunes. She phoned the House of Jacob-Mikhev synagogue to recruit volunteers. Soon, about 20 volunteers signed up for rotating shifts.
There’s another story about the effort in the Calgary Herald as well.
This underscores more than anything I’ve heard, seen, or written about that the link between Jewish delicatessens and their communities are deeper than those of other businesses. It’s not just a restaurant, it’s a lifeline for kosher eating (if it’s kosher), lifecycle catering (bris’ to shivas), and love between patrons and owners.
Zay Gezunt to you all Calgary. Maybe my brother left your city too soon.
Back in NY, albeit just for a week. A big thanks to everyone in Albany and Boston who came out to support me, who listened on the radio, and who even bought a book. A special shout out to the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, who sent this awesome little token up to my room:
Yes, that’s a white chocolate cover of Save the Deli, filled with cookies, and a corned beef sandwich made out of shaved red velvet cake and cookies. So cool.
image courtesy of NYTimes.com
Lots of deli news today. First, and most relevant, is a serious feature in the New York Times dining section by Julia Moskin, on what I called the Roots Delis, in Gourmet last year; the back to the farm, DIY, keeping it real deli movement that’s slowly sweeping across the nation.
New delis, with small menus, passionate owners and excellent pickles and pastrami, are rising up and rewriting the menu of the traditional Jewish deli, saying that it must change, or die. For some of them, the main drawback is the food itself, not its ideological underpinnings.
So, places like the three-month-old Mile End in Brooklyn; Caplansky’s in Toronto; Kenny & Zuke’s in Portland, Ore.; and Neal’s Deli in Carrboro, N.C., have responded to the low standard of most deli food — huge sandwiches of indifferent meat, watery chicken soup and menus thick with shtick — by moving toward delicious handmade food with good ingredients served with respect for past and present.
The piece was inspired by Saul’s debate on sustainability. Arguably that’s the deli that’s gone the furthest to radically change themselves, with all the controversy it’s ensued:
Many deli die-hards were present, the kind of people who have found Saul’s matzo brei with green garlic and mission figs to be a poor substitute for salami and eggs.
The story is sure to stir up more heated conversation, and I welcome it. While I don’t have the harsh words for more “traditional” delis that many of the owners quoted in the piece do (note to those deli owners, please look up the Jewish meaning of Lashan Hara and don’t talk shit about your brethren), I do praise a movement emerging of new delis that area challenging the status quo, in a way that’s respectful to the flavors of the past. These are undoubtedly the most exciting delis opening in recent years, and their success is a testament to that.
But let’s put this in the greater context of the deli world. There’s nothing wrong with Katz’s, or any other neighborhood deli that doesn’t source their meat from cattle lovingly massaged by artesenal hippy farmers. The Langer’s pastrami sandwich, with meat that is made in a commercial facility, and rye bread brought in from outside, is still an unmatched masterpiece. The 2nd Ave Deli is a temple. A holy fucking temple.
Can these places learn a thing or two from the new upstart roots delis? Undoubtedly. If their success encourages old school places to make more food from scratch, or experiment with new dishes, that will move the culture and cuisine of the delicatessen forward. But let’s not forget the past, and begrudge a style of Jewish deli that many people love and hold dear. For every young convert that’s rediscovered deli at these young places, there’s the lifelong customer at the old school kosher deli. He’s been eating there for 70 years, and it’s a part of his life. We should love all Jewish delis and show them the respect they deserve. Diversity is strength.
*Also, tonight I’ll be speaking at an event in NYC called Culinary Microhistories, at Housing Works Bookstore.
Join Trevor Corson, author of The Story of Sushi, David Sax, author of Save the Deli, Anne Mendelson, author of Milk, and Benjamin Wallace, author of The Billionaire’s Vinegar, for a discussion of food-writer obsessions, moderated by Publishers Weekly’s Mark Rotella.
7pm on Crosby, just south of Houston. Free.
Mmmm bread. Man did I enjoy that bagel this morning. Sweet carby goodness.
Hope you all had a nice Pesach. Now, back to the tour.
This weekend coming up is packed with events. On Saturday, I’ll be appearing at the Empire State Book Festival, in Albany, speaking on two panels. One on food history and the other on blogs to books (or in this case, books to blogs to books). Come on out if you’re in the area (I’ll be back there to speak at the JCC two weeks later).
Then, it’s on to the Boston area, for a trio of exciting events.
On Sunday, I’ll be talking at a brunch in Framingham, at Temple Beth Am. Call 508-561-0974 and speak to John if you want tickets.
That night, I’ll move to Newton, and talk during a dinner at Temple Shalom. Yes kids, there will be food. Contact the temple for tickets.
And finally, on Monday night, I will be at the Brookline Booksmith talking at 7pm. The event is free, and I’m told there’ll be some snacks from Zaftig’s on hand.
I haven’t been to Boston in years, and certainly never Jewish Boston, but I’m pretty psyched, because I’ve heard a lot about it from these two friends of mine, Ronna and Beverly, who also happen to be authors:
Well, the final hours of bread eating are upon us. I had a delicious bagel here for breakfast, and by god am I going to feast on the carbs for lunch.
Yes folks, Passover (or Pesach, if you will) is upon us once more. And rather than post the usual clips of matzo jokes, I’m going to suggest you all go out and pick up the following gift for your seder hosts:
Four years ago, author Sherryl Bellman published the coffee table/cookbook “America’s Great Delis”, a visual feast of photographs, essays, history, and schmaltz that chronicled many of the finest American Jewish Delicatessens of the past and present. With full color pictures, recipes from these delicatessens, and some of the best memories by friends and family, it was the perfect compliment to my own, decidedly wordy and picture-less Save the Deli.
Unfortunately, the book sold out and then was out of print for the past few years. I gave my last copy to the designer of this website (it was worth it), and really would love to have another. Now, just in time for Passover, the Lords of publishing delivereth.
Sellers Publishing has just released the paperback edition of “America’s Great Delis”, which went on sale a few weeks ago. You already have a copy of Buy it here.
Tonight only, I, David Sax, will be in conversation about all things deli with the esteemed “Food Maven” Arthur Schwartz at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, here in New York City.
For those of you who don’t know him, Arthur Schwartz is to New York food (especially Jewish New York food), what Chevrolet is to NASCAR. He’s a true maven, with six cookbooks to his name, including one on Yiddish food. And the man knows the history of New York Deli better than anyone else, and I’m including myself in that distinction.
So as Passover beckons, come and join us for what will surely be an appetizing talk on all things edible.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage (formerly known as the Holocaust Museum)
7 PM, tonight, March 24th
36 Battery Place • Battery Park City • New York, NY
for tickets, CLICK HERE or call 646.437.4202
One week after I host a dinner at the James Beard House, I find out that Save the Deli has been nominated for the James Beard Awards.
For those of you who don’t know, the James Beard Awards are basically the Oscars of the food world (actually, more like the Golden Globes, because they can eat during the presentation). Chefs, cookbook writers, and restauranteurs are nominated. Past winners include Julia Child, Michael Pollan, and Claudia Roden. There’s also lifetime achievement awards, including one given to Langer’s Delicatessen.
Save the Deli is nominated in Food Literature, and is up against two wonderful books that couldn’t be more different:
-Waste, by Tristram Stuart, which is about all the food we waste in this world of ours (finish your sandwich people!)
-The Seasons on Henry’s Farm by Terra Brockman, which takes you behind the scenes of an organic farm
The awards will take place on May 2nd in New York City. Fingers crossed!
I know I should have posted this ages ago, but it came out when I was on book tour, and someone finally sent me the link.
If you are near Houston (and soon to be Dallas) and haven’t been to Kenny and Ziggy’s, check it out.
Well, it was bound to happen. If there’s two things LA does really well, it’s automobile transport, and Jewish deli.
So it was only a matter of time when the two came together, and the LA deli food truck began rolling. There’s been attempts at this before, but now the city’s most famous deli is getting in on the action, as Canter’s unveils their new deli truck.
Canter’s Deli, an institution known as much for its round-the-clock service and its preserved-in-amber ambiance as for its cuisine, just leapfrogged into the year 2010 with a food truck that hits the streets of Los Angeles — hopefully this week. The Canter’s Deli truck (Twitter: @canterstruck) is the brainchild of Bonnie Bloomgarden, a great-great-granddaughter of Ben Canter, one of the brothers who opened the first L.A. incarnation of Canter’s in Boyle Heights in 1931.
The truck soft-opens this week with a limited menu that will expand over the next few weeks to include seven sandwiches (pastrami, corned beef, turkey, egg salad, tuna salad, grilled cheese and a Reuben), a couple sides (cole slaw and potato salad), green salad and matzoh ball soup. Also on the menu: pickles, Dr. Brown’s sodas and desserts like rugelach, mini-Danishes, black-and-white cookies and cheesecake. The sandwiches, made with the same meat and house-made bread as the ones at the sit-down restaurant, will cost $5 - $10 and, in keeping with their reduced price, will be approximately 25% smaller than the gut-busting originals. “They’re still ridiculously large,” Bloomgarden says. READ THE REST HERE
Can this be the start of an all out mobile deli revolution, not just in LA, but in America? Can you imagine a world where Langer’s, Katz’s, Mile End, or Manny’s comes right to your door, your school, your oil derrick?
I sure hope so. Bravo to Bonnie Bloomgarden, the 5th generation Canter, who proves once again that keeping it in the family is the key to success.
Yeah, I’ve been a bit absent lately, traveling in the past two weeks to Toronto (wedding planning), Whistler (skiing), and Florida (deli talking). Got back to New York yesterday, and headed straight for the James Beard House, where the Schmaltz to Remember dinner was a tremendous success. Many thanks to all who participated and helped organize last night. You’re all mentsches!
Now, because so much deli related news and stuff has piled up, I’m just going to run through it all today. Hold onto your mustard.
First off, the Brooklyn by way of Montreal upstart Mile End has earned the title of Best Deli of 2010 from New York Magazine:
Mile End, the barely open, instantly overrun Canadian-Brooklyn oddball, has already, in its infancy, reinvented the venerable form. This is a deli for locavores, a deli for the next generation of deli lovers, with a respect for tradition contemporized by a rare premium on great, fresh ingredients, cooked from scratch, smoked and pickled in-house, served with an unfamiliar (in the deli world, anyway) smile.
A few weeks back, I set out on a little mission with my friend, and journalist, Saki Knafo. He was writing about me for the Tribeca Trib, the neighborhood’s premiere paper, and we set off to find Jewish foods south of Canal St. Not an easy task, let me tell you. But after some decent appetizing at Zucker’s Bagels and Smoked Fish, we hit paydirt with the stellar matzo ball soup and knish at Izzy and Nat’s, in Battery Park City, which opened over a year ago. And then we capped it at an old favorite of mine, Amazing 66:
Finally, it was time for a visit to that most sacred of Jewish culinary destinations: Chinatown.
“All Jews love Chinese food,” Sax declared with rabbinical authority over a plate of pastrami-fried rice at Amazing 66 on Mott Street. According to Sax, the restaurant was founded by an accountant who spent a life-changing lunch hour with a Jewish colleague at the Second Avenue Deli. Sax pinched a pink speck of meat between his chopsticks and held it aloft, as though to punctuate a point. “Chinese food and deli,” he said. “The ultimate Jewish meal.”
By the way, if you want to hear me speak downtown, I’ll be appearing in conversation with Food Maven Arthur Schwartz, next wednesday March 24th, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. BUY TICKETS HERE
Now for some sad news. Not one, but two delis have recently closed.
First, Bloom’s Delicatessen, in Westchester, NY, has a “For Rent” sign in the empty window of their plaza, though oddly enough, their website is still running, and still awesome. Hopefully they’ll be able to reopen soon.
Second, Florida’s Deli Den has been forced to close after a dispute with the landlord. This was one of the last holdouts to serve the early bird special, and I spoke with Vered, the owner, a few years back. But keep holding your breath, because she intends to reopen somewhere nearby. READ ABOUT IT HERE IN THE SUN SENTINAL
But don’t fret too much deli lovers, because the unstoppable Ziggy Gruber apparently has a letter of intent to expand his Kenny and Ziggy’s empire into Dallas. Says the Dallas Observer:
“We have a letter of intent with the landlord, a nonbinding letter of intent,” he tells Unfair Park this afternoon. “They sent it, we went it back with the terms. We’re technically in negotiations now. We haven’t sat at the table. This is preliminary stuff. We’ve expressed interest in the spot, but the ball’s in the landlord’s corner, and it’s up to him. That’s all I can tell you. We’re waiting for the landlord to tell us.”
And finally, here’s a little number that was sent to me by a whole bunch of you. Recorded at a synagogue not ten blocks from where I grew up. Sorry, the sound is fairly awful:
Deli is a great food of the people, and every good foodie worth their salt and foie gras is a deli lover. High end chefs like Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, and others have all touted their love of pastrami. But until now, there haven’t been many attempts to bring the deli into a gourmet realm, let alone explore the culinary possibilities of traditional Ashkenazi cuisine.
Well, Save the Deli is helping to do this, for one night only in New York City.
On March 15th, the illustrious James Beard House will be hosting “A Schmaltz to Remember”, a gourmet dinner featuring deli inspired dishes from some of New York’s finest chefs.
Even if you don’t know your derma from your deckle, this celebration of delicatessen delights will not disappoint—and you won’t go home hungry. I’ve assembled a team of talented chefs to transform once-pervasive deli classics into creative, contemporary cuisine. Eat. Eat!
What’s on the menu?
How about hors d’oeuvres from some of the finest delis in NYC:
Adelman’s Chopped Liver, Ben’s Best Miniature Cabbage Rolls, Liebman’s Hush Puppies, and Second Avenue Deli’s Miniature Gefilte Fish all paired with Broadbent’s Vinho Verde NV and JoeDoe’s Housemade Cel-Ray Soda and Gin Cocktails.
The tables will be piled with Bagels, Challah, Pumpernickel Rolls, and Rye Twists from Commerce
Then the courses and chefs:
David Sclarow, of Brooklyn’s Pizza Moto mobile pizza oven, will be tossing up a Smoked Tongue Salad with Rye Croutons, Pickled Shallots, Seasonal Greens, and Grainy Mustard Vinaigrette. Paired with a Château Musar Cuvée Blanc 2007
Bruce Bromberg and Eric Bromberg, owners of Blue Ribbon Restaurants, will be ladling Martha’s Excellent Matzoh Ball Soup with a Machherndl Kollmütz Grüner Veltliner 2007.
Harold Moore and Snir Eng-Sela of Commerce are giving a taste of Hot-Smoked Sturgeon with Dilled Potatoes, Beets, Horseradish, and Caviar Jus, served with Quinta Do Crasto Duoro White 2007.
George Lazi, the Fig & Olive who got his cooking start at Ben’s Best Kosher Deli, will fuze the Mediterranean with the European, in his Zucchini Pasta with Pastrami, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Tapenade. Served with Weinert Malbec 2004, a wine I know well, as it is made by my friend Iduna Weinert’s family in Argentina, and is the most delicious Malbec to come out of Argentina.
Joe Dobias, of the East Village’s Joe Doe (which has been featured for its Jewish influences), will give diners Braised Beef Brisket with Horseradish, Kreplach, and Tongue, washed down with Pago de Larrainzar 2005.
And finally, there’s dessert, the most important course of all. My good friend Betsey Divine, from the Salvatore Ricotta cheese company, is going to be transforming that beautiful cheese into Honey–Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake, paired with a Broadbent 5-Year-Old Reserve Madeira, which has been provided, along with all the wines, courtesy of Betsey’s lovely wife Rachel Mark, of Broadbent Selections.
Plus, I’ll be there, talking about the role of deli in the food world, and how we can expand our culinary horizons on the Jewish palate.
There are approximately 40 tickets left for the event, and they are going fast. Each seat costs $125 ($100 for James Beard foundation members), and all proceeds go to support education and other programs at the James Beard Foundation. The chefs have donated their time and ingredients, and even the booze is donated. Yes, it’s more expensive than your standard lunch at the deli, but I challenge you to find a Jewish meal presented by a group of talented kitchen all-stars of this calibre, for half this price.
