The argument about what is and isn’t a traditional deli is quite controversial. People start pulling out their family trees and comparing notes, saying that their family came from this one specific region on the corner of a hill in Israel, so they’re the most authentic, but then the other guy claims that because he was on the other corner of the hill, they know how to make a real matzoball soup. Ironically enough, they’d probably have this argument at a deli. We’re not here to have that discussion about the delis in Scottsdale. Why? Because Scottsdale isn’t the traditional location where you’d find one of those establishments. There aren’t brick buildings with three delis in a row, all of them from different ethnicities. You don’t see people walking down the street unless their working out or they’ve lost the keys to their SUV. Scottsdale doesn’t have those kind of regions, it’s just a different type of town.
But what we can say is that when a new deli opens up, it comes under scrutiny from the entire community. People start unfolding those family trees again, and get ready to have that big debate. Let’s put that dog to bed, by putting this clearly: Larry Abel from Abe’s Deli is a deli man, and always has been. He’s the real deal. Whether or not the other delis are legit is up to those guys with the trees, and not our concern. But with Larry, he’s got the papers, now he’s just backing it up with his food.
Larry has always worked in the deli business in one form or another, whether he was driving a delivery truck or signing the paychecks, and he’s been successful at pretty much every deli venture he’s started. It all comes from a family history in the biz. “My grandparents and parents were kosher caterers back in Baltimore and I was around that,” Larry says. “I was part of the food business when I was young.” His own history in the deli business is quite extensive. He started in Connecticut in 1974, doing kosher catering with his brother. Then he moved to Baltimore in 1989 where he started working at Miller’s Deli. Eventually, he would buy the business from Mr. Miller, and then he expanded the business to five additional locations in the Baltimore area. In 2004 he moved to San Francisco, opened Miller’s out there, and then in 2010 he sold all of his businesses and retired to Scottsdale. It was time to relax and enjoy doing a whole lot of nothing.
Scottsdale is an interesting place. People settle there from all sorts of places in the country, like San Francisco, Connecticut or Baltimore. And since Larry is the kind of guy you don’t forget, many people remember him and his amazing work. Just when he thought he was free, they pulled him back in. That’s when Abe’s Deli was born, back in 2010. Opening a deli in Scottsdale is no easy feat. There’s competition from big names in town, real estate isn’t cheap and then there’s the logistics of shipping into the middle of the desert all the meats and ingredients Larry wanted. It was complicated, and it took a bit of time, but he found the perfect spot for his budding business — a former nightclub/lounge off of Gold Dust and Scottsdale Road.
The building used to be The Sandbar, and was probably best known for the sand on its patio outside. But after it closed, another nightclub opened and closed as well, and the space sat vacant for a bit. With the financial and real estate crashes of 2008 fresh in everyone’s minds, no one rented out the space for a while, and it took some work for Larry to make the deal to get in the door. But he did, and the space is perfect.
Today, the patio sits empty, but that’s just because it’s “cold” in Scottsdale right now, and Abe’s Deli is still undergoing a bit of a soft launch. Once Larry gets things established the way he likes, the patio will open right up, as will the two large glass doors to the dining room. When you walk in the front door, you’re greeted with lots of cushions and a long meeting area. This isn’t just where you wait for tables, it’s a feature — a place to meet with pals and have a cup of coffee, enjoy the free Wi-Fi and read the latest copy of Arizona Jewish Life magazine. And of course, you can also have a seat at the bar or at one of the tables to enjoy your meal.
But the heart of any traditional deli is the deli itself, and Abe’s has a huge case just packed with meats from all over the world. Want tongue? Black and whites? Nova Lox? Those are all here, and you can buy them by the pound or whatever other size you want. “We are more the old-fashioned, authentic type of deli where we do make everything from scratch,” Larry says, and it’s evident by the bounty found in his cases. “My favorite parts would be the corned beef and the pastrami, tongue, brisket and turkey. We all cook our own way, and they’re not done the same as everybody else does them.” There are classic Jewish staples as well, including some old favorites. “Kishke,” Larry says with the authority of a man who knows his food. “I don’t know of anybody that takes the time to make a blend — you can go back there right now, as a matter of fact, there’s a little lady there stuffing kishkes into a casing.”
We can’t emphasize the freshness of the food enough, nor the care put into making the food itself. “That’s what I think separates the delis from the, you know, guys that open a box and take it out, or tear open a lid and take chopped liver out of a bucket, or white fish puree out of a bucket.” Everything at Abe’s is fresh, and that’s a difference you can taste. As for the future of Abe’s, well, that’s up to his family. Brandon is the next generation of deli men, and he’s already done a lot to try to modernize Abe’s and make it as efficient as possible — bring a little new-school to the old-school. When Larry retires (for good this time), Brandon has the opportunity to carry on the family business, and keep the Abel name going. Talking to the two of them, with pictures of classic delis all around us, it’s hard not to think about how great a traditional deli is. How it’s a true family experience, one that is passed down through generations. Abe’s Deli may be new, but the man behind it has 30-plus years of experience in the business to show for it. Abe’s is the start of a new tradition in Scottsdale, and one we think is going to last a long time.
