Brownstein: Lester's Deli has been bought, however don't panic

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Lester’s, one of many primo delis on the town, has been bought. Proprietor Billy Berenholc, one of many primo characters on the town, simply closed the deal to promote the 72-year-old, Bernard Ave. establishment to Montreal chef/restaurateur Kevin Fung.  

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So the deli shuffle continues to shake right here. However the excellent news is that the deli Berenholc helped elevate to legendary standing will proceed to churn out its famed “Cadillac” smoked-meat sandwich. And so it will likely be enterprise as ordinary when Fung takes over Aug. 1. 

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It will come as welcome reduction to native deli lovers, after the latest closures of the Principal and Quebec Smoked Meat. In actual fact, Fung has plans to broaden with Lester’s shops within the metropolis, all through the nation and even Asia and Europe. 

Fung first made his mark within the metropolis with the downtown Imadake Izakaya, about as rocking a Japanese resto there may be with its ramen-based creations and its famed sake bombs. Fung later went full ramen along with his Plateau eateries Yokato Yokabai and Ichigoi Ichie.

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Most might imagine it a stretch to make the transfer from noodles to karnatzels. Not Fung. 

“In March, earlier than heading to Korea and Japan on a enterprise journey, I used to be considering what may I carry there that’s distinctive, and I believed smoked meat, that they might go loopy for that,” Fung says. “So I known as Billy, an outdated pal of mine, and requested if he had growth plans. He cherished the thought, however advised me that he wished to retire, that I can buy his enterprise as a substitute and do what I need.” 

So he did. Fung not solely takes over the Outremont deli — with all its current employees intact — and the Lester’s Trudeau airport kiosk, but additionally Mr. Smoked Meat, which supplies the meat to the shops in addition to to motels throughout the nation. And that’s earlier than growth. 

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“I’ve all the time cherished Lester’s,” Fung says. “Now I hope to do it justice.” 

However the ramen king additionally has plans to create one thing akin to an natural smoked-meat sandwich. “A minimum of nitrate-free to begin,” Fung says. 

Additionally excellent news for Lester’s devotees is that Berenholc will probably be readily available for a spell to seek the advice of behind the scenes and dabble in some shmooze with prospects on website. 

Berenholc, dubbed the mayor of Bernard by denizens of the road, claims his motivation to promote was easy: “Grandchildren, grandchildren, grandchildren!” 

Truly, Berenholc, quickly to show 67, solely has two at current, however now that he’s retired, will possible push his three children for extra.  

All the identical, it’s onerous to think about this workaholic not bouncing round. A grasp multi-tasker, Berenholc has accomplished enterprise from a Lester’s sales space, fielding telephone calls and making orders from his landlines and two mobiles. His eyes dance round like an addled lemur as he scours the motion on the ground and behind the deli counter.  

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“A neurotic lemur,” he clarifies. 

“The truth is that Lester’s is bursting on the seams,” Berenholc says. “It’s dying to broaden. It’s iconic now. The trajectory is miles excessive. I’ve no household to cross it to. My children are into their very own worlds. There’s no query that growth of the model is critical, however at this level in my life, I’m not curious about a 24/7 venture for the following 10 years of my life.”

“I’ve had a lot of folks method me over time to purchase the enterprise, however I felt that it wanted a youthful man like Kevin to maneuver the needle. He’s an incredible operator and has vitality to spare. He can do it. He additionally loves smoked meat.” 

Little doubt. However Berenholc is a tricky, albeit eccentric act to comply with. After his father, Eddy, took the restaurant over from a earlier proprietor, Berenholc has been a fixture for 50 years. He’d be there at 7 within the morning, feeding the deli-loving canine within the ‘hood karnatzel chunks. He’d be there at midday, serving carafons of white wine and poutine to Outremont matrons. And he’d be there at 6 within the night, schmoozing with shmata salesmen and even chopping his famed Cadillac for them. He calls the closely marbled sandwich “authorized crack,” and he might have some extent. 

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Lester’s has additionally drawn captains of business, sports activities and show-biz celebs and throngs of vacationers. Berenholc estimates that his non-tourist commerce is 90 per cent francophone. 

However Berenholc made information for non-deli-related issues 18 years in the past. He was on the controls of a single-engine Cessna 172, accompanied by his then-10-year-old son Sammy and the aircraft’s proprietor, Gian Piero Ciambella. They had been taking an aerial tour of the city. Immediately, the engine started rumbling earlier than stalling. So he one way or the other landed the aircraft safely in the course of Parc Ave. on a Tam-Tams Sunday.  

“That was a giant misunderstanding. I believed the road signal learn ‘Parc Avion,’” he cracks. 

Berenholc doubts his employees will probably be saddened by his retirement: “I believe it will likely be like a trip for them. I don’t assume anyone else cracks the whip like I do … Micromanaging? Responsible, responsible, responsible!” 

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“Possibly for a day, it should really feel like a trip,” says longtime supervisor Nicholas Charos. “Nevertheless it’s Billy who has made Lester’s what it’s. His legacy will dwell on.” 

Danielle Robinson, who has been a Lester’s server for 26 years, thinks she’ll cry when Berenholc bails.  

“However I’ll be the one crying leaving Danielle,” Berenholc says. “She’s been my proper, left, each hand.” 

“Truthfully, I don’t have the starvation for work I as soon as did,” he provides. “However I nonetheless like to eat all types of meals.” 

Seems that Berenholc is as a lot a ramen lover as Fung a smoked-meat fan: “His broth for the ramen that he makes from the marrow is to die for.”  

Phrases most of us by no means anticipated to spring from the mouth of Billy Berenholc.  

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