A Deli-cious Benefit at Katz’s
By Henry Street Settlement
Katz’s Deli’s nostalgia-inducing classics — pastrami, corned beef and more — got a jolt on Friday night when four of New York’s top chefs kicked off Katz’s 125th anniversary weekend by putting their 21st century spin on the legendary deli’s signature dishes.
The occasion was a once-in-a-lifetime Shabbat dinner held to benefit Henry Street Settlement, another Lower East Side institution that began assisting the poor in the same area just five years after the first hot dog was grilled at Katz’s. (For those keeping score, Henry Street is 120 years old this year.)
The 200 guests — foodies, Katz’s aficionados, Henry Street supporters, celebrities and politicians — enjoyed miniature versions of Katz’s signature dishes (pigs in a blanket, anyone?) during the cocktail hour and a four-course tasting menu of Katz’s classics interpreted by New York’s hottest chefs: Joey Campanaro (Little Owl, Market Table, Quality Clam), who prepared new-age whitefish and potato latkes; Bill Telepan (Telepan), who make chicken-in-a-pot, featuring roast chicken, a matzo ball, broth and vegetables; Danny Bowien (Mission Chinese), who made Kung Pao Pastrami; and Sarabeth Levine (famed pastry chef), who served lemony cheesecake with crystallized ginger. All courses were paired with He’Brew beer.
The evening’s program was emceed by the always entertaining Gilbert Gottfried and included remarks by Katz’s Deli owners Alan and Jake Dell, and David Garza, Executive Director of Henry Street, who screened a short video about the Settlement and paid homage to the deli (and Henry Street) by performing a rap he wrote for the event. Alan Dell, whose family has been running Katz’s since the 1960s (and who took guitar lessons at Henry Street as a child), noted with a smile that the neighborhood has undergone more than a few changes in recent years. But, he said, the one constant has been Henry Street which has been working behind the scenes to stabilize the lives of those who need help the most.
Those in attendance included U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney; New York City Comptroller John Lui; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate Levin; mayoral candidates Joseph Lhota and Adolfo Carrion, Jr.; Community Board 3 chair and district manager Gigi Li and Susan Stetzer; entertainer Marilyn Michaels; Henry Street Board President Dale Burch and Director Fred Papert; and food world superstars Wiley Dufrense (WD-50, Alder), Marcus Samelsson (Red Rooster), Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow (The Meatball Shop), and Rozanne Gold (author of Radically Simple).
