As someone who is a deli-diner for years and loves any reason to visit and indulge in all of the treats found in so many of the best delis in the country, I didn’t hesitate when I heard that Houston’s own “Deli-man” Ziggy Gruber was hosting a tasting and preview of the newest exhibit to open at the Holocaust Museum this past week. Maybe it’s my partial Jewish household, my days of living in New York City and visiting Lost Angeles often, where many of the iconic delis in our country can be found or probably a combination of all of this, but I was actually excited to experience this newest happening here in our town and it did not disappoint. I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli will be on view in the Museum’s Josef and Edith Mincberg Gallery from May 5 through August 13, 2023.
Located at the Museum’s Lester and Sue Smith Campus, we were able to preview with Ziggy and his survivor guests, wonderful, familiar memorabilia and listen to the “deliman” provide so much of the history of iconic Jewish dishes and landmark delis across the country. Having had the largest collection of Deli menus from across the United States, the original Kenny & Ziggys sign, special posters and personal photos you can look forward for such a treat to see much that has never been seen before. It all began with Ziggy’s grandfather, Max Gruber, his uncles, Morris and Izzy Rapaport to open the Rialto Deli in New York City, a Broadway first.
There were many take-aways from our walk-thru with Ziggy and his guests, two Holocaust survivors that told a little of their history of eating American deli and becoming part of that culture here in the U.S. Most important message from Ziggy, our avid and passionate tour leader, was that Delis in our world have become much more than just a place to get a meal, the Jewish deli is a community forged in food……a venue where families and friends gather, politicians campaign and filmmakers, comedians and musicians find inspiration. The clear message is that from the pastrami sandwhich to bagels and lox, the exhibition explores how Jewish cuisine has been woven into American culture.
In addition to showing how the Jewish deli forged an entirely new, quintessentially American cuisine by combining Central and Eastern European dishes with ingredients abundantly available in the United States, the exhibition traces the larger arc of the Jewish experience in the US during the twentieth century. On view will be neon signs, menus, advertisements, fixtures, film and television clips, and historical footage and artifacts that illuminate how delicatessens evolved from specialty stores catering to immigrant populations into the beloved national institutions they are today.
The exhibition is organized into eight different sections that explore the food of Jewish immigration, Jewish deli cuisine, the midcentury growth of American Jewish culture, interactive stations, the people who own and work at delis, how immigrant-owned delis and their foods were woven into the urban American landscape, Holocaust survivor communities and how the Jewish deli has impacted pop culture. The immersive exhibition will also feature artifacts and photographs from the private collection of Houston’s own “deli man,” Ziggy Gruber of Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen.
For more info on the how to of getting tickets/info visit hmh.org/deli.
