Latest news with #deli
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Wild': Owner of viral Sydney cafe responds to shock decision
When Myra Karakelle decided to leave her marketing job and law degree behind to open a sandwich shop in Surry Hills, Sydney, she never expected the deli to become a viral sensation. 'The corporate world just wasn't really rewarding or gave me any satisfaction,' Ms Karakelle told So, after Covid prompted her to make a career change, she set her sights on opening a 'hole in the wall' sandwich shop, something intimate and local. And her gamble paid off. Since opening in March, MLK Deli quickly outgrew the quaint vision she had for it. 'We definitely didn't think it would be a 'destination' spot where people would travel just to try our food,' she admits. 'The original plan was just to serve our community – but it was incredibly rewarding and uplifting to see such a positive response'. On weekends, people from across Sydney and even Australia line up to try their famous sandwiches, with 'wild' queues often snaking down the street. Much of this buzz, Ms Karakelle says, is thanks to the now-legendary Risky Brisket sandwich, which catapulted them into the Instagram and TikTok foodie spotlight. The sandwich became a viral hit thanks to its generous 170-180 gram portion of grass-fed brisket. 'It's a labour of love,' she laughs. 'We brine each slab of brisket for six to seven days, then on the day of serving, we start early at around 5am, rub it with our house spices, smoke it for a few hours, then cook it further'. To assemble the sandwich, they add melted Swiss cheese and some sauerkraut, and serve it with a side of pickles and salt-and-vinegar chips. It costs $22.90, and if that seems steep, it doesn't seem to scare off many customers. 'We go through about 15 to 20 kilos of brisket daily, and on crazy days, we sell around 250 sandwiches until we run out,' Ms Karakelle explains. When demand exceeds supply, fans flood Google reviews and social media to rant about missing out. And that's exactly what happened this weekend – all because the deli couldn't put the famous sandwich on the menu on one of the days. 'The brisket came out of the oven and didn't meet our quality standards,' she says. 'We had used a different supplier due to current beef supply issues, and it just wasn't tender enough'. Despite knowing they could 'get away with' still using the brisket by adding extra sauces or slicing it thinner, Ms Karakelle says that wasn't an option for her. 'These are all shortcuts and just not the right thing to do,' she said. When fans came to the counter disappointed, some quickly took to the internet to vent. 'My phone was blowing up, people were spamming us, and we were getting all these one-star reviews,' she recalls. 'I thought, 'You've got to be kidding me' – it broke my heart'. Wanting to address the backlash in one go, she decided to make a TikTok video explaining what had happened. 'Even if some people hate us, at least they can understand why we made that decision. It wasn't because 'We don't know how to supply our shop properly,' as some suggested – it was an issue of quality,' she explains. Support flooded in from commenters and fans. 'You actually chose to be a responsible business and not serve a bad product?! Please don't apologise! You did the right thing!' read one comment. Another added, 'I'd much rather that than be served something rubbish! Good on you for taking pride in what you serve'. Despite the tough couple of days, Ms Karakelle is hopeful that the ordeal will only further promote their high standards to customers. 'If this can serve as a reminder of how we operate, then there's a lesson in that. Like all the bad things, they happen for a reason,' she says.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
D.C.'s best sandwiches, according to the experts: Our readers
Earlier this year, in light of everything happening in the world, we asked ourselves a burning question: What's the best sandwich in D.C.? You know, because it seemed like we might need some stick-to-your-ribs self-care. Thus began an epic quest that led to neighborhood delis and grills and lunch counters and mom-and-pops all over the area.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The 3 best sub/deli/sandwich in the Springfield area, readers said
Maybe you're in a rush, on your lunch break, or maybe you're a sandwich aficionado. Whether you like them hot or cold, there are plenty of options for a sandwich in the Springfield area. Here are the top sandwich shops in the Springfield area as voted on in the 2024 Community Choice Awards. Location: Several Phone: Phone number depends upon location More: More: Paint is drying on new mural at Springfield's Jaycee Park Location: 2661 Chatham Road, Springfield Phone: 217-788-8084 More: Location: Multiple Phone: Phone number depends upon location More: More: As debate about raw milk goes on, number of dairy farms producing it increasing in Illinois The Springfield Community's Choice Awards celebrates the best businesses and organizations in the Springfield area each year. The State Journal-Register readers vote at in more than 140 categories for their favorites from bakeries and barbecue joints to banks and barbershops. Nominations for the 2025 Community Choice Awards began June 2 and ended June 23. Readers will be able to vote for their Springfield favorites from Aug. 11 to Aug. 25. Winners will be announced in November. Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@ This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: These are the top 3 sub/deli/sandwich shops in Springfield
Fox News
13-07-2025
- General
- Fox News
Pastrami queen unites deli lovers with 'meat ups' across America
A Florida-based woman operates a Facebook group with more than 2,000 members, organizing "meat ups" at delicatessens throughout the country — and shared her passion with Fox News Digital. Ellen Fried's Facebook group, "Ellen Loves Pastrami," has a simple mission – to "find restaurants that still take the time to make their own pastrami." (See the video at the top of this article.) Fried, 66, grew up near Atlantic City, New Jersey, but now calls Delray Beach, Florida, home. She's hosted "meat ups" – as she calls them – throughout the country, from South Florida to Southern California. After meeting David Sax, author of "Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen," at a book signing, Fried decided to start her own group for deli lovers in 2009. She also manages several other Facebook groups, including "Ellen Loves Burgers," "Ellen Loves BEEF Ribs, Brisket & Steaks" and "Fried Loves FRIED Chicken." "But the pastrami group is the one that seems to be the most popular and the most edgy group," Fried told Fox News Digital. "Everyone likes talking about their favorite pastrami and this place is not as good as it used to be and blah, blah, blah, you know? So that seems to touch the most nerves." Other "meat ups" have been held in Philadelphia, Las Vegas and New York City, where Fried has built a "little contingent." "Years back, when we were growing up, we didn't have to really think much about where we're going to get pastrami," Fried recalled. "We always had good pastrami at the local neighborhood delis, but now it's harder and harder to find." Jeff Lanigan, 78, told Fox News Digital he met Fried in 2015 at Harold's New York Deli in Edison, New Jersey. Lanigan splits his time between New Jersey and South Florida and said he tries to attend as many of her "meat ups" as he's able. He and his wife attended Fried's most recent "meat up" in April at Ben's Kosher Delicatessen in Boca Raton, Florida. "It's a social event and we just love it," Lanigan said. So what's the allure of this specific deli meat? "I do like corned beef, too, but I think pastrami has that extra spicing level and it is a good comfort food," Fried said. She added that it's "a lot easier" to find good burgers throughout the country. "It's more intriguing to find the pastrami." Lanigan praised Fried for being "salt of the earth" and helping to preserve deli culture. "She always manages to find the good in wherever she's at," he said. It's a sentiment apparently shared by the greater group of deli meat lovers, especially when it comes to pastrami. "Some people like it fatty. Some like it lean. Some people like it spicy," said Lanigan. "There's so many varying tastes for it, but everybody enjoys it." "Everybody goes and enjoys it. This might not be my favorite today, but it's better than the alternative of nothing."
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A stranger told me her son didn't call her anymore, and to enjoy time with my newborn. It set the tone for how I parent.
I was still figuring out how to do things outside the house when a stranger stopped me. She said her son didn't call her anymore, and told me to enjoy my time with my baby. Over 10 years later, I still think about what she said. I was a brand-new mom and still not used to having a baby. In fact, I was still getting used to taking him out anywhere. For many months at the beginning of my motherhood journey, our biggest outing was the grocery store. I would keep him in his car seat, carefully place him inside the cart, and then drape a blanket over the top, leaving an opening so that I could still check on him. Then a stranger said something to me that I still think about to this day. I had just entered the store with my baby tucked away in the cart when an older woman came over to me in the deli. Without saying anything to me at first, she peered over the blanket to get a good look at my son, who was still very small. As if almost speaking to herself, she said, "Enjoy it. My son never even calls me now." Then, she just walked away. I remember feeling very taken aback. When I got home, I called my aunt to tell her about what had happened. She was the person I called for all my new parent questions, like "Is this normal?" or "What should I do?" She seemed upset about what the woman had said. I got the impression that maybe it had hit a little too close to home for her, as it had for me, since she also had a young son. As I processed the woman's comment, what I thought the most was that I didn't want to have a son who grew up and never called me. Here I was with a baby who consumed my every waking thought and almost all of my time, but the idea of him growing up and becoming more and more distant from me had been introduced to me. My son is 11 now, and over a decade later, I still think about this encounter every now and then. It really set the tone for the kind of relationship I wanted to have with my son. I wasn't going to put any less effort into parenting than I already was, but I wanted that effort to be mindful. I wanted to make sure I was fostering a relationship with him that felt like a place he would want to visit as an adult. I became so acutely aware that one day he would go off on his own. And that made me really want to be present for all of it, as I saw that every stage of his life was going to be temporary. I knew that he would only be little for so long. I knew those things would still be there for me when he grew up, but he would not. While the woman's words initially terrified me, I've grown thankful for the encounter. At the time, my aunt exclaimed that she shouldn't have said that to me and that my son would, of course, call me. But the truth is, neither of us knew that for sure. I was able to accept so early on in my son's life that I could do my very best as a mom, and he still might grow up to barely talk to me. At my core, I knew there was nothing I could really do to completely prevent that. To handle that fear, I constantly reassess whether I'm doing a good job. As long as I feel like I am, I know there will be less to regret one day when he's grown. I realize that my son leaving the nest is the natural order of things and that he should leave me. I want him to have his own life that's separate from me. I just hope he wants to call me every once and a while to tell me all about it. Read the original article on Business Insider
