Katz's: Autobiography of a Delicatessen

This first-ever book about Katz's Delicatessen indelibly captures the unique spirit and appeal of the Lower East Side classic. Timed to coincide with Katz's 125th anniversary, this special edition brings a bit of Katz's right into your own home.

A New York City institution since 1888, Katz's Deli on the corner of Ludlow and East Houston streets is the oldest and most beloved delicatessen in America. Famous for its mouth-watering pastrami and mouth-puckering pickles-as well as its traditional Friday evening hot dogs-Katz's has been serving Jewish comfort food to literally generations of hungry customers, from locals dropping in for their "usual" and tourists from around the world, to a veritable who's-who of celebrities and politicians, their visits immortalized in hundreds of photographs along the walls.

The 384 pages of this elegant and hefty tome contain hundreds of striking photographs by Baldomero Fernandez: the people on both sides of the counter; the storied cutting stations; the distinctive signage; the remarkably small kitchen; and more. Part-owner Jake Dell reveals the deli's rich and compelling 125-year history, as well as the characteristics of the traditional Jewish foods that are at the core of Katz's culinary offerings-the difference between pastrami and corned beef, the deli's pickling process, and more-while Travel Channel star Adam Richman provides a very personal and evocative foreword.

No need to be a New Yorker. This book will prove equally irresistible to the regulars (whose grandfather took them at age 5 for their first taste of Katz's pastrami), and to the uninitiated who have yet to walk on the famous sawdust-covered terrazzo floor, ticket in hand.



Autobiography of a Delicatessen in the news.



(December 2013) GOTHAMIST: "5 Food-Centric Holiday Gifts All Under $100"

(Fall 2013) EATER'S: "Cookbook and Food Book Preview"

(November 26, 2013) THE PALM BEACH POST: "Kitchen Bliss: Just The Cook and The Book. Liz Balmaseda's Five Favorites!"

(November 24, 2013) NEWSDAY Tom Beer's Book Gift Guide: "Eye Candy Meets Brain Food"

(December 1, 2013) JEWISH DAILY FORWARD: "Jew and the Carrot: 125 Years of Katz's Deli"

(November 2013 issue) THE LO-DOWN NEW YORK: "New Book Celebrates Lower East Side Classic"

(November/December 2013) EDIBLE MANHATTAN "Hungry City: Katz's: Autobiography of a Delicatessen"

(September 10, 2013) NEW YORK TIMES: "Laotian Banh Mi, Surprising Cupcakes and More"

(September 15, 2013) New York DAILY NEWS: "The story of a New York institution is collected in Katz's: Autobiography of a Delicatessen"

(September 17, 2013) SERIOUS EATS: "Katz's Owner Jake Dell on Childhood Memories and 125 Years of Pastrami"

(September 17, 2013) BON APPETIT: "Look Inside Katz's Deli with Photographer Baldomero Fernandez"

(September 17, 2013) BOWERY BOOGIE: "Katz's Deli Has a New Photobook Autobiography"

(October 5, 2013) GOTHAM GAL: "Autobiography of a Delicatessen: Katz's"

(September 13, 2013) JSPACE: "Katz's Delicatessen Photo Book Tells Delicious Story"

(October 1, 2013) FOOD 52: "Jake Dell on the Institution of Katz's Delicatessen"

Other titles in the Autobiography series: Autobiography of a Fashion Designer: Ralph Rucci