Erik Anjou (director of the documentaries A Cantor’s Tale and The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground, as well as the author of the novel The Conscience of the King, the story of a young man who comes to realize that his father is a Las Vegas Elvis impersonator) gathers an assortment of figures, including Larry King and Jerry Stiller, for Deli Man, an investigation of the flavorful history of delicatessens in the United States. The main focus narrows on to Ziggy Gruber, a trained chef who has decided to extend his family’s connection to the deli trade. Gruber’s grandfather started Rialto Deli in Manhattan back in 1933. The history lesson spotlights the highs — at one time there were 1,500 kosher delis in NYC — and the lows — sadly, there are now around 150 delis in all of the U.S. The film celebrates the past and those few current bearers of the tradition. (Opens Friday, March 27 at Mariemont Theatre) (PG-13) Not screened in time for review
This article appears in Mar 25-31, 2015.
