Katz’s: Autobiography of a Delicatessen
Photographs by Baldomero Fernandez
Introduction by Jake Dell
Foreword by Adam Richman, actor and television host
Published in association with Glenn Horowitz Bookseller
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
This sumptuous photography book, the first-ever publication to feature Katz’s Delicatessen, indelibly captures the unique spirit and appeal of the Lower East Side classic. Page after page of evocative photographs shot by Baldomero Fernandez bring a bit of Katz’s right into your own home. Described by Florence Fabricant of the New York Times as “A book as overstuffed as Katz’s pastrami on rye,” this book will elicit nostalgic pangs of hunger for anyone who has eaten at the iconic deli.
September 2013
Paperback with French flaps
384 pages
645 color photographs
6.5 x 9 inches
ISBN: 978-0983863267
$24.95
Description
“I got all misty-eyed a few times, [seeing] the significance of such a New York icon illustrated in word and image…”
–Serious Eats
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 whose visits are immortalized in hundreds of photographs hung on the walls.
This elegant and hefty tome may be small in dimension, but it contains almost 650 striking photographs by Baldomero Fernandez. It is a great visual record of the day-to-day operations of this long-famous deli, including the people on both sides of the counter, the storied cutting stations, the distinctive signage, the remarkably small kitchen, and more. The images capture the vibrant dynamic of the endless flow of customers on a busy night as well as the rare quiet moments when most of the city is asleep and the well-worn chairs and tables sit empty.
In a short introduction, part-owner Jake Dell reveals the deli’s rich and compelling history and discusses traditional Jewish deli foods, including the different preparations for pastrami and corned beef. Travel Channel star Adam Richman provides a personal and moving foreword.
No need to be a New Yorker. This book is irresistible, whether you are a long-time regular or have yet to walk on the famous sawdust-covered terrazzo floor, ticket in hand.
About the Photographer
Baldomero Fernandez (b.1973), who grew up in Miami, Florida, first began taking photographs at age fourteen. He graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and moved to New York City to start a career in photography. Fernandez has directed video and multimedia shorts for CR Fashion Book, The Aesthete and several high-profile fashion brands and artists. His photographs have appeared in publications such as Life, The New Yorker, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and W Magazine. He was honored by MTV for a video PSA encouraging voter participation. Fernandez was also awarded The Communication Arts Magazine Editorial Award of Excellence for his work done in Cuba and The Workshops Golden Light Award. His documentary work has received accolades from the Center Awards in Santa Fe and The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University (for his project Middletown). His work has consistently appeared in the American Photography Annual since 1999 and is included in the Martin Margulies Permanent Collection. Among the things that excite Fernandez the most in life are toeing the line at a marathon or triathlon race and being up in the country with a flashlight in hand looking for frogs and snails at night with his then 5-year-old son.
