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2nd Avenue Deli

One day,during an exhibit of my work at Fraunces Tavern Museum, Abie Lebewohl came to see his painting of The Second Ave Deli, which was part of the exhibit. He stood in front of it and said.

“You know, of all the things which I have in my life, my family is the most important to me. It would mean so much to me to have you do a painting of them.”

What a joy it was to do this work. Many years later I asked Abie’s brother, Jack, what was the secret the family carried that made them so different from the rest of the restaurants of the Lower East Side......he said that it began with his parents who handed out kindness, not only food.

A quote from a newspaper explains it in another way:”Perhaps these customers are pilgrims in search of soul food for the soul, and as Abe Lebewohl’s menu proclaims:WE DELIVER.”:

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