HOUSTON — Now through August at the Holocaust Museum Houston, “I’ll Have What She’s Having," an exhibit showcasing the historical importance of the Jewish deli, explores not only the cuisine but how delis became a focal point in American culture through the efforts of thousands of Jewish immigrants, including here in Texas.
“We really like the idea of that because we tell the story of hope and survival,” exhibit manager Alex Hampton said. “How did you make a life after the horrors of the Holocaust?”
For Hampton and delicatessen royalty Ziggy Gruber, there’s a lot of important knowledge to digest here.
“Everyone was running out the shtetl (Yiddish for small towns) for their lives during the pogroms, but when they came here they had peace and an abundance of food,” Gruber said.
“You can really see some of the foods you can order there, what makes them kosher, where they come from and why they are the way they are,” Hampton said.
In the 1930s, there were more than 5,000 delis in New York City alone. Now there are roughly 105 left in the entire country, including maybe the most famous in this state: Kenny & Ziggy’s.
“I looked around and thought, who’s going to perpetuate this food if I don’t do it?” Gruber said. “I took this as my calling to do so and take it very seriously.”
From lox to matzo balls, Gruber has spent the past 25 years using his Houston staple to break down the same kind of barriers his Hungarian grandfather, Max, did two generations earlier. “We’re making people Jewish one bite at a time,” Gruber said. “It eradicates antisemitism very easily when you’re shoving a matzo ball in your mouth.”
Whether it’s in a museum or at a dining table, sharing culture and leaving a legacy, in this case, for his two daughters, is as important now as ever before. “I tell every grandmother, parent, dust off the heirloom recipes and cook with your children and grandchildren to keep Jewish food alive,” Gruber said.
