Et tu, Saul’s Deli?

I’ve somehow always managed to compartmentalize comfort food and sustainable/healthy food.

The latter is what I eat on a regular basis—quinoa from the organic grocery, locally grown kale from the farmers’ market—that’s my regular diet. But sometimes I want to break away from all that healthiness and enjoy a greasy, meaty Rueben.

And maybe, for those few heavenly corned beef moments, slathered in Swiss cheese and sauerkraut, I don’t want to think about where the cow came from or what he was fed or how much damage I’m doing to the planet.

But alas, I’m from Berkeley. And, like a growing population of responsible eaters, we care about stuff like that.

I grew up four blocks away from Saul’s Deli. Their matzoh ball soup was always a close second to Grandma’s, Dad’s and Aunt Kathy’s. Okay, I guess that makes it a close fourth. If I wanted latkes when it wasn’t Hannukah or gefilte fish when it wasn’t Passover, I always knew where to go.
Karen Adelman and Peter Levitt, co-owners of Saul’s Deli, are well aware of their loyal customer-base. They have always made it a priority to cater to those traditional Jewish tastes. But as the sustainable food movement becomes more and more prevalent, they also have a second priority. Or, as Adelman put it, “I wouldn’t want to sell meat that I wouldn’t eat.”

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