Review: ‘Deli Man’ is full of flavour and heart (Includes first-hand account)

Food is not just a source of nourishment. It’s a way of life. It defines a culture and the people that belong to it. And of course, there’s a right way and a wrong way of doing it that is subject to change depending on the person performing the evaluation. Deli Man explores the rise of the delicatessen in New York and the rest of North America from the perspective of its purveyors and patrons.

There was a time when there was a delicatessen on every corner in New York. The first delis were started by German immigrants, followed by Jews who opened kosher alternatives. A pickle and a sandwich were considered a meal, especially for the working class who appreciated the simplicity of grabbing a quick and easy meal. Everyone had their favourite location and sandwich. But the heyday of the neighbourhood delicatessen passed, decreasing their numbers from thousands in the city to mere hundreds across the country. Though the film speaks to the multi-generational owners, it focuses specifically on Ziggy Gruber, who learned the business from his grandfather and still operates a successful business. And even though everyone agrees it’s a gruelling job, they wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Shaved roast beef between fresh rye bread with a little mustard or perhaps pastrami with a “lining” of garlic. Everyone has a favourite sandwich and a story that goes along with it. Jerry Stiller, Larry King, Fyvush Finkel and others share their tales of “their” neighbourhood deli, shining a light on why most shops in the city still flaunt a wall of fame. Though each storefront runs independently of each other, one basically knows what to expect when walking through the door.

Like most of the sandwich-inheritors in the documentary, Ziggy was indoctrinated in the kitchen at an early age. Even though his plan always included taking over the family business, his father insisted he attend cooking school and become a trained chef. So after enrolling in a London culinary institute at 15, Ziggy was given a position at a three-star Michelin restaurant where he cooked for royalty. Eventually he returned home, only to realize America’s delis were endangered by the age of its proprietors. So he insisted on taking over his family’s establishment and turned it into a thriving restaurant in Texas called Kenny and Ziggy’s. The stress of running the business has taken its toll on him, but he’s finally starting to turn his attention inward.

Guided through the history of the delicatessen in North America by a varied group of characters, by the end of the movie the desire to find and lay claim to one’s own local deli is hard to resist. Unlike many food docs, this film isn’t trying to provide insight into a secret world but rather look at what makes a seemingly common experience unique.

Director: Erik Greenberg Anjou

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘The Mortuary Collection’ makes funeral homes even creepier (Includes first-hand account)

    The horror anthology is a long-standing genre tradition. Sometimes the short stories share a common thread, and other times the only connection between tales is the framing story. Sometimes they are all written by a single storyteller, and other times it’s a collaborative effort between multiple writers and directors. Sometimes the collections are a good mix of quality scares and eerie atmospheres, and other times one or all of the stories fall short of being good. Yet the promise of a creepy compilation of scary stories keeps fans coming back for another try. The Mortuary Collection is a horror anthology that unsurprisingly originates in a funeral home.

  • Review: ‘Detroit’ doesn’t hold back in this raw historical account (Includes first-hand account)

    One of the most compelling reasons to make art is to tell a story that has not yet been told. This need becomes stronger when the untold tale carries some social significance or could add to an important, contemporary conversation. Creating a movie based on fact is a tricky business, particularly when the truth is buried between opposing accounts of the same event. But when one embarks on such a task, they accept the responsibility that accompanies it to be as accurate as possible under the circumstances and within the confines of an entertainment medium. Director Kathryn Bigelow assumed this duty when she decided to make Detroit.

  • Review: ‘Onward’ is infused with magic and emotion (Includes first-hand account)

    Growing up, there’s a subconscious pressure to have a mom AND a dad. Yet, in spite of what most sitcoms tell you, the majority of households don’t consist of that dynamic. Some parents separate or suffer untimely deaths, while others may be same-sex. There’s no “traditional family” anymore as families come in all shapes and sizes. But that doesn’t mean a kid won’t still feel the stress of not having a mom and dad at home, creating a longing that may be impossible to fulfill. In Onward, a teen wants nothing more than to spend a day with the father he never met.

  • Review: ‘The Shape of Water’ is Guillermo Del Toro’s best film to date (Includes first-hand account)

    Put simply: Guillermo Del Toro makes interesting films. When he’s tackling a specific genre, the result is uniquely striking. Even when they incorporate conventions, the stories are spellbinding, and the visuals are frequently breathtaking. Just the announcement of his next project builds immediate anticipation for the picture, which is usually still years from release. Del Toro’s latest film is undoubtedly a project that was close to his heart, which he’s unmistakeably poured into this movie as well. The Shape of Water is one of the year’s best and most favoured films.