Day: April 17, 2022

grubbits

Eat Like a Maisel by Anthony LeDonne

I am a big fan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel from Amazon Studios. At some point, you get the feeling that the show is not only about comedy but also about the Jewish food experience. So you say to yourself, what a great idea to put out a recipe book based on the show. One thing about that is that you cannot sell your book on Amazon. Imagine putting all that hard work into this book and finding out Amazon will not sell your book. Anthony LeDonne and his publisher found out the hard way. Due to legal stuff between his publisher and Amazon Studios, they can’t sell the book.

exhibition

I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli

The Skirball Cultural Center presents “I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli, an exhibition that explores how American Jews imported traditions, adapted culture, and built community through the experience of food. On view will be neon signs, menus, advertisements, fixtures, packaging, historical footage, film and television clips, and a variety of artifacts that illuminate how delicatessens evolved from specialty stores catering to immigrant populations into the beloved national institutions they are today.

movie

Getting your fair shake in the Family Business

I discovered a documentary on Kanopy that aired in 1982 called Family Business, part of the  “Middletown” PBS series. It follows the struggles of Howie Snider who bought a Shakey’s Pizza Parlor franchise that noosed his whole family. Shakey’s is the first pizza franchise created in 1954 and at one time had over 500 restaurants, now only 58 remain in the United States. The struggles of the Snider family are embedded with Shakey’s staying afloat. Clearly, the documentary is dated but still reflective of the restaurant business today. Many families are still chasing the American Dream.