Saul's Delicatessen in Berkeley has been celebrating Hanukkah with fresh food and events throughout the last week.
Listen to the latest episode of "Bay Current" below.
Above all else, Hanukkah at Saul's is centered on one thing: latkes, and lots of them.
"Hanukkah here means latkes," Saul's owner Karen Adelman said on KCBS Radio's "Bay Current" on Monday. "For a long time, we were the main latke place. I think the convenience of having us make them have a lot of people come. This week we have made over 24,000 latkes."
Adelman, who has been at Saul's for over 30 years, never imagined herself becoming the owner of the restaurant. She started as a waitress, and slowly worked her way up the ranks.
"I was a server, but then I approached the owners to buy the deli," Adelman noted. "There were 30 Jewish therapists who were the main proprietors. We bought them out over time, and the place was ours."
But the deli, like other restaurants in the Bay Area, would have to adapt over time. Adelman made sure that the recipes were sustainable, and that there were vegan and vegetarian options on the menu.
"People would fly items from New York and that’s how they would judge Jewish delis. But we wanted to make sure we were sustainable, that’s what made us different," she said. "It was a deli renaissance."
Sam Tobis, the owner of Grand Bakery in Oakland and the baker for Saul’s, said that the restaurant has helped build community.
"Saul’s is an institution. It’s been here for decades," Tobis said. "It's a mainstay of the community, for North Berkeley and for the Bay Area. There are regulars and people who come by whenever they are passing through and it’s a part of their lives."
To view Saul’s menu and see what’s in store for this holiday season, visit their website.
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