The trailer for “The Sturgeon Queens,” a PBS documentary about Russ & Daughters released in 2014.
With luck, the Greater Red Bank Green will have a new, authentic Jewish deli by Thanksgiving, as reported last week by redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
Meantime, folks salivating for the arrival of Shapiro’s New York Style Delicatessen in Red Bank — or mourning the pending demise of New York’s Carnegie Deli —can nosh for an hour or two on the memories and insights of a counterman whose family knows from lox and herring.
On Sunday, October 16, Congregation B’nai Israel in Rumson plans to host Mark Russ Federman (right), author and restaurateur, who will describe the evolution of Russ & Daughters, his family’s “appetizing store,” from pushcart to iconic Lower East Side destination.
An ex-lawyer and grandson of deli founder Joel Russ, Federman ran the business for three decades before turning it over to the family’s fourth generation in 2009.
His 2013 history, “Russ & Daughters: Reflections & Recipes from the House that Herring Built,” was described by New York Times book reviewer Dwight Garner as “a good story well told, packed with zinging Yiddishisms and better-than-average jokes that bubble up organically. You soak in it, like a brine, until you’re pleasantly pickled.”
Federman was also featured in the 2014 PBS documentary “The Sturgeon Queens,” produced in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Russ & Daughters’ founding. Segments will be shown during Federman’s talk.
The event, scheduled for 11:15 a.m., is free and open to the public, though donations are appreciated. To register, contact Emilie Kovit-Meyer at [email protected] or 732-842-1800, extension 203.
Copies of Federman’s book will be available for purchase and autographs. In keeping with the theme, bagels, lox and cream cheese will be served.
Congregation B’nai Israel is located at 171 Ridge Road, at the corner of Hance Road.
