We may seem like slackers sometimes- grabbing every holiday we can as an excuse for a day off. But this one’s pretty special: a 4th of July that marks our country’s 250th anniversary?! We’ll take it. As in, The New Deli will take Friday, July 3rd off! (Close enough. It IS the official federal holiday.)
Kind of crazy though… Tom and I celebrated our 50th earlier this year, and it hit me: That’s one fifth the age of America! I felt WAY younger than the age of our country when I celebrated the bicentennial as a teen, back in 1976. But a lot of time’s gone by since then…
Speaking of young… And, of 4th of July- I ran across this picture of Tom and our oldest grandson at his first 4th of July (twenty-plus years ago). Can you tell- he was SO cold. But that’s typical of our Bay Area, right? And Tom, well, he was SO young, haha!
Old Pic of Jen’s 50th Birthday Cake- Just add a “2”, America!
As per usual with our deli posts, holidays are a good time to touch base on the website. I’ll try to avoid complaining about our latest challenges (spam, changing our email, forgetting passwords and how to do a new sign-in method, etc.). Just first-world problems!
But publishing a simple newsletter has been glitchy. You might’ve signed up, but still might not get this 4th-of-July post/newsletter ’till Thanksgiving break. Sorry- technological issues!
Tom & Jen- 50th Anniversary Celebrating
Speaking of Fiftieth (you know it was our 50th earlier this year, right?), I have to share this story. Just because, it goes beyond coincidence. I believe it’s God’s way of reaching down to let us know He’s orchestrating everything. Nothing’s by chance. He allows some things to happen, but also, “He makes all things good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” (I’m paraphrasing Romans 8:28.)
So, Tom and I have continued celebrating this 50th all year. So grateful for so many things. But, a few months back, well- this was nice. The director of an after-school program we’re involved with gave us a $50 grocery store gift certificate. Cool. I went to the store, hemmed and hawed about what I should get at this store (not my normal store, but a pricier one, so I had to contemplate). I figured it out, got rung up, and the cashier said, “Wow- exactly $50.” I said, “Well THAT’S wild, since I just happen to have this $50 gift certificate!” Indeed.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. A few weeks later, I had headed north to babysit my granddaughters as I often do on Thursdays. I walked to their school to pick them up on the last day of school, when a nice young man in a parked commercial truck called out a greeting. I stopped to say hi, and the man said, “I was just here in my truck praying, and felt like God was telling me you had something to tell me.”
I didn’t want to disappoint him, but had to tell him I really didn’t sense anything (except a few platitudes, “Jesus loves you and has a plan for your life” kind-of-thing). And I moved along. But after ten steps, I realized, “Wait! Maybe THIS is something?!” I ran back and told him the story of the $50 gift card, and how I believed nothing is an accident, and God just wants us to know He’s with us, orchestrating everything.
And this guy says, “No way. This IS wild.” And he showed me his phone, with a message time-stamped 1 minute ago, where he had just texted one of his clients, “Just wanted to send a $50 gift card your way, in appreciation of your business”. What?! Wild wild stuff, right?!
My daughter-in-law was pretty excited about the story, wondering what the biblical implications of 50 were. We looked it up. In the Bible, 50 symbolizes renewal and freedom, as the land rests and people are liberated (celebrated every 50 years in the Year of Jublilee). It also symbolizes divine empowerment, as when God poured out His Spirit on the believers, 50 days after Passover, during Pentacost.
Well, this certainly has seemed to be a Year of Jubilee for Tom and me. We’re seeing God work everywhere- even at The New Deli as we enter a new era. Ah, but that’ll have to be for another post. Hope you have a GREAT Fourth of July!
The New Deli will be closed over the long Memorial Day Weekend, through Monday. We are grateful to all who’ve served for our freedoms. Thank you!
I must admit I enjoy my comfort, especially the older I get. I don’t typically think of how very uncomfortable it can be to stand for something like our country. My father-in-law served in Egypt years ago (World War II), and withstood some brutal elements, not to speak of separation from loved ones for long periods of time. I can barely stand the least of inconveniences at times, and know- I am so spoiled! At no small cost, I enjoy many privileges, and must say, I’m so grateful to all who’ve given their lives to serve our country and protect our freedoms.
Memorial Day is also a great time to enjoy a long weekend. One thing we won’t be doing over the weekend: tracking down bunnies to add to the homestead flock of chickens (and fish).
Only One Kind of Bunny Here!
The younger granddaughters and I did some research during a recent overnight, after I fell in love with some cute bunnies over Easter. Turns out, I can’t just put a few bunnies in the extra chicken coop and hope for the best. I guess a lot of people were somewhat thoughtlessly jumping on the Pet Rabbit bandwagon, so responsible adults deemed that bunnies can only be procured through proper channels (shelters, rabbit societies and such).
Well, the granddaughters and I realized this wasn’t for me anyway, even if I did manage to track down some furry friends. Did you know bunny teeth keep growing and growing and you’ll probably have to cut them? (Or have someone do that…) And you need to groom them with considerable fur-brushing and nail-trimming regularly, feeding them green hay, replacing their litter regularly… One bunny enthusiast suggested keeping a bunny pasture for them to go to for munching on snacks. Not to mention, you’ll need to keep them amused with exercise opportunities and interaction, as they’re very social.
Whoa whoa whoa- we have a grandbaby who’s less work than that! (Well, at least for us grandparents.)
Sometimes, it’s good to be grateful for what we have, and maybe even rejoice that we don’t have chores to do that are any more elaborate than what we’re already doing.
Meanwhile, lots of new stuff on the horizon at The New Deli… maybe some menu-tweaking, including some new sandwich specials. We’re even doing DoorDash now, thanks to our (younger) friend joining the team and getting us up to speed. Tom and I just signed a lease extension at the plaza, so you’ll still be seeing us around. But we really needed some modern adjustments to stay relevant in the food business. (Of course, we hope you will still find us relevant when looking for that fave New Deli menu item- we really appreciate the business!)
Have a great holiday- we hope to see you at the deli in the coming week.
We’re closed Monday, February 16 for President’s Day- hope you get to celebrate it too. But, hope you drop by later this week- see you then!
The Party Animals are at it again… off for the three-day weekend. After all, there is a new grandbaby in town. Plus, Tom and Jen are still celebrating- fifty years of marriage, with balloons to prove it!
Meanwhile, Jen and team are in the process of reimagining some details to make your New Deli experience more “new”. (After all, it IS in our name…)
When one of our long-time employees mentioned it might be good to update our POS (point-of-sale) system, to be more in keeping with the 21st century, Tom and Jen (the dinosaurs) were hesitant to get on board. And, in reference to having an order-and-pay online option, daughter-in-law Michelle said, “Oh my gosh- I would not want to have to make a phone call and talk to someone about an order, to be able to order ahead”, Tom and Jen (boomers) realized we really were behind the times.
All that to say: Keep an eye out for a few modern-day tweaks at The New Deli. One thing should stay the same: Faster food, but healthier and made with love!
Sorry if we miss you this Friday- Tom and Jen will be celebrating their Golden Anniversary with family and loved ones. Elijah says, “First day off for Mr. Tom ever!” Well, it’s not really his first day off, even if it’s true Tom is almost always at the deli, and Jen is almost always not…
In any case, we’ll be back Monday, February 9th, if you’re hungry. We might be full- we’re having a bit of a feast back at the homestead. Jen’s making six different quiches and some kind of brunch spread. Yes, of course from scratch. Fun fact- we still have at least fifty more aluminum pie pans from the case we ordered for the deli back in 1985. (Nineteen. Eighty. Five!) We were so naive back then- Jen thought we’d be making and selling tons of quiche (hence a case of two hundred pie tins). Not a horrible idea for the consumer- those quiches are super yummy. But rolling out lots of pie crusts proved to be much more work than Jen realized at the time. Maybe that’s why a lot of folks buy their crusts already made!
In any case, how will some purist lady (who loves everything made from scratch) celebrate this big occasion? Well, we’ve got some homemade dessert too, AND- our friend who caters will bring us dinner later in the day. Perfect!
This is all great news for us… not so great if you’re a New Deli fan hoping to get lunch this Friday. Sorry ’bout that- we’ll be picking up family from the airport Friday morning, and then the festivities begin. It’s been a great fifty years (yes, with a few bumps but still), with over forty of them being spent running the deli. Whoo-hoo!
It’s the usual- another long weekend so we can spend more time with loved ones. Hopefully that’s your story too. But we’ll be back after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on Tuesday, January 20.
Meanwhile, Jen’s really been slacking! A friend who was visiting the deli had to let Tom know our Christmas Extended Absence Greeting was still on. He said, “Oh, she’ll have to change that to, ‘Off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day’, so that that can stay up ’till the next holiday”.
OK, duly noted- I’ll try to keep up with the phone greetings! I’ll even be at the deli just a bit more in this new year, since staff has been pared down some. It’s always so good to see customers I haven’t seen in ages (my fault, not theirs), and meet new ones! And, of course it’s good keep up with the deli specialties I’m responsible for, too. Yep- we’re still at it here, going on forty-plus years now.
I’ve included our “Feliz Navidawg” Christmas picture, of Tom, me, Samson and Sofi. We dog-sat for Tyler and Maria over the holiday, so they could show off new grandson to his abuelo (grandpa) in Spain. Our holiday was full of skunk-patrol at night, and keeping counters cleared and closets closed for the ever-hunting Vizslas by day. We sure wouldn’t want one of them to find my desiccated thyroid on the back counter. ‘Cuz then we’d have to consult ChatGPT about it, give the dog some activated charcoal… And then we’d have to ask Chat again, what to do if the dog seemed constipated from the charcoal, and then we’d have to ask again to know that the dog now needed an alkaline diet of spirulina and sweet potatoes to counteract the acid stomach conditions resulting from the charcoal. Whew- sure wouldn’t want that to happen!
And now we’re back on another mini-vacation with said dogs, but this time with baby and his parents in tow, so things are a lot calmer. AND, we’ll be back Tuesday. Jen’ll be making brownies, if you want to stop by then. Have a great weekend, in the mean time!
New Year’s coming, and we’ll be coming with it, except that we won’t start back up at The New Deli ’till Monday, January 5th. So sorry if we miss you over the holiday, but this always seems like a great time of year to pull back, catch up, and refresh. Pulling back on the work, catching up with friends and family, and refreshing as we put the typical deli routine on hold. Tom was pretty excited that the days are back to getting longer and brighter again… it was quite the descent into darkness just before that Winter Solstice! My favorite verse this season has been, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light”, from Isaiah 9:2. Hurrah!
It was nice that the city of Pinole wanted to feature our business in the December issue (here), even though we realized we didn’t have many recent pictures of our latest staff. Most team members work on alternate days, but ONE guy is most always still there, holding down the deli fort, as he has for the past forty years. (Can you guess? That’s Tom). Jen still does behind-the-scenes stuff, trying to not get buried by the plantings and harvests of the season on the home front (drying persimmons and apples, seeding pomegranates, picking kiwis and avocados…).
Much of what we do is “business as usual”, but we did have a recent addition to the “New Deli Family” this past year: little Matisse. Our youngest son and his wife just had their first, who was told he needed to get his picture in the books. He tried to tell everyone he really wasn’t ready for a Turkey Muenster Melt just yet (he’s on a restricted, mono-food diet right now, which keeps mom Maria busy). But our youngest grandson did oblige anyway!
We look forward to a new year, and hope our customers continue to enjoy what we have to offer. As the city of Pinole expands, with more and more eating options, we are grateful for those that continue to frequent the deli and keep us afloat. Hope to see you all in 2026!
The New Deli takes a long weekend off for Thanksgiving, and we hope you all get to too! Hopefully, all systems go for everyone to enjoy family and friends over the break.
I’m laughing (not out loud, but…)- when I look at my Thanksgiving post from ten years ago, I realize… some things have changed!
Back in 2015, I posted a picture of a turkey-esque veggie tray… yeah, that’s not gonna happen this year. I did manage to prep some pomegranates, and I have some cucumber in the fridge. If anyone needs anything healthier than cranberry bread before our big meal, they can opt for that.
I did make some pie crusts ahead of time and froze those, so pecan pie will definitely be on the menu (a big fave for the cook and a few others). Some of the grandkids are getting too old now, and they’re on to me, saying stuff like, “No, don’t make that homemade kabocha squash pie that doesn’t taste like pumpkin!” Well, hate to say it kids, but we had a bumper crop of kabocha squash this year, so you’ll just have to pick up a store-bought one for your own personal backup. Ha…
I noticed a cranberry chutney recipe on that old 2015 post. Sure, it’s pretty good, but I don’t think you’ll be making it if you haven’t already. There’s enough to do on Thanksgiving! I did make a fermented, fruit-sweetened cranberry relish a couple weeks ago- some of us will enjoy that. But someone else is bringing that traditional relish that comes out of a can, ya know, “for those kids”. They want “normal” cranberry relish. OK, OK, someone will bring it1
I’ll let down my guard for a minute and make this Cranberry Nut Bread, even if it doesn’t fit the regimen we’re normally on. Again, “for the kids”. I tried a healthy, sour-dough whole wheat version of this bread last month. Sure, it had less sugar and was definitely healthier, but I was completely outvoted as to whether it could substitute for the original recipe. Again, gotcha! No “healthy style”…
I don’t want to lose the meaning of gathering together and enjoying each other’s company for this holiday. Ideally, it’s not really about the big production. Several of us women elect to bring certain things, so the load’s not too great for any one person. And, ideally, we all still have energy left to enjoy family and loved ones. That’s the greatest blessing!
The New Deli is back to business as usual by Tuesday, September 2. But we were closed on Monday for Labor Day. Hopefully no other labor until October, when our youngest son and his wife are expecting their first child. (Let’s not rush things!)
We had fun celebrating at the recent baby shower. But I must share something echoed by other members of the family: Don’t count on AI (ChatGPT, or Duck AI, Search Assist, etc.) as the gospel truth. I should’ve known better. I usually reseach more thoroughly. But with the baby shower just hours away, I wondered how much salsa I might need for the taco bar we were having. (Not really a taco bar, but more of a pulled brisket fajita bar, if that matters.) In any case, I checked with Chat as to how much salsa I might need for forty, and, being in a rush, just started making ten cups of salsa without question. Well, we still had nine cups left! Oops…
My one grandson can innumerate the many occasions when Chat’s been totally wrong for him. Like, crazy wrong. Now I can see what he’s talking about!
But meanwhile, the free AI tools have been pretty handy. Some of us were imagining what it might look like if one of our sons built an ADU on our property. But we were concerned as to how the estate could be divided fairly when that time comes (yes- we’re getting of age now). It seemed way too complicated. So I asked Chat, “Could you draft a paper outlining how the estate could be divided fairly, if say “X” invested so much into the estate now, and if the property increased in value? Wow. Chat drafted a thoughtful paper covering bases in easy-to-understand language, then asked, “Shall I prepare a paper you could give to a lawyer, who would create the final draft?” Sure. “How about a pamplet for the family, with terms laid out for optimal understanding, in fairness to all.” OK!
Needless to say, IF we were to go that route, Chat could be a big help. But… I just won’t ask how many cups of salsa I should make. I guess, since these bots don’t eat, they just can’t quite get that one right. Ha.
PSA- The New Deli will be closed for the Fourth of July- hope you all enjoy some time off with loved ones. We’ll be right back on Monday!
Tom and I have been camping since our honeymoon back in 1976, when we traveled across the US in our Chevy II. We really dodged a bullet then- we took a short detour through part of Mexico, where police at the border tore our seats apart a bit looking for pot seeds. By some miracle, we escaped back to the US. (My grandma said, “Lucky you didn’t end up in a Mexican prison.” YEP!) We hadn’t found any non-culinary mushrooms (though “The Teachings of Don Juan” implied we’d find that and peyote growing wild and free in the desert).
Subsequent trips paled by comparison, but camping was still our summer vacation of choice. Even before “earthing” was a thing, it just made sense to bask in the beauty of God’s creation out in the wilderness somewhere. Plus, it was always affordable.
This year’s destination was a campground in South Lake Tahoe. As predicted on the weather app, the normally warm summer temperatures were replaced by much colder weather (37 degrees at night). Thankfully, my friend loaned us her very very warm, REI sleeping bags at the last minute, so we threw those in the car too. Good we did that, since someone forgot to pack theirs! I was reminded of how good God is- He really does provide. Even with a “random” thing, like getting extra last minute sleeping bags from a friend, that ended up saving the day. (Or, night.) So. We survived the first night of camping.
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” PSALM 139:16
We even survived a cool dip in Lake Tahoe the next day. I accepted the dare and went all in. THAT’ll wake you up! A few of us thought of how great the cold therapy would be, burning all those roasted marshmallow calories and activating brown fat. Worth it, right?
We had almost recovered around the campfire later in the day when… It started snowing! (Tom said it was hail. Or both. Either way, burrr…) On a somber note, the unseasonal storm hit Lake Tahoe too, capsizing a boat (which included some casualties). I was glad we hadn’t gone boating. It did make me ponder, how God knows the number of our days. I like to “optimize” by eating healthy and all that, but ultimately, there is a point for all of us when it’s our time to go.
Which brings up the next part of the story. You’ve heard of “Poking the Bear”? Well, this time, it was the bear doing the poking. Someone across the street had left their bear locker slightly unhinged, and a mama bear discovered some tuna salad in that bear locker. She didn’t seem interested in us, thankfully, as she was too excited about the tuna. So much so that all our roaring and hollering didn’t faze her one bit. Thankfully, the camp host came by, clapped his hands and yelled at her with authority. She scrambled away at that, and we enjoyed watching her two cubs playfully climb the trees at the top of the hill, in what looked like a circus act. Great to watch at a distance. They were adorable.
Still, we were all a bit nervous to sleep in our tents after the tuna-dining incident. At least our oldest son had bear spray. We eventually convinced the youngest granddaughters that we were going to be OK. And again, we did survive.
In any case, that very mama bear went on to actually invade a locked trailer the next night, swiping at a camper, who was sent to the hospital. Awfully close for comfort.
The cubs have since been re-homed, while the mama fared not as well. The camp host had alluded to this fate after the tuna event. “She’s not being a good mom- she’s teaching her cubs bad habits. She should be foraging, but she lives completely on camp food. It’s not her fault- she also wasn’t properly trained by her mama.” We’re hoping those little cubs will grow into properly-foraging adults
Funny thing- all the grandkids want to go back to this very place again next year. But we’ll bring extra blankets, just in case. And bear spray.
Public Service Announcement! Just wanted to mention- our New Deli team is ready to serve you. We usually close for a few days for an annual camping trip, but this year, the team elected to keep the place up and running while Tom and I take off for a few. Thanks Team, and thanks to all our great New Deli patrons for your business!
Elijah’s been with us for a few years now, and is “suited” for the job, haha… Nisa’s a Next-Gen-New-Deli team member who’s received a lot of on-the-job training from her mom, who has been with us for over 12 years. Yay, Team!
OK- meanwhile, back at the ranch… My garden’s been trying to teach me a few things. I needed a solution to a particular, perennial nuisance- suckers! For years, I had to take extra time (and energy) to deal with this problem- our Green Gage Plum tree produced this extra growth relentlessly. So much of the garden is a harmonious palate of colors and textures, and then, oof. Those darn suckers pop up like an unwanted bullhorn, saying, “Hey, look at me! Forget that beautiful garden!”
I finally ran across an article kindly posted by a tree care expert. It talked about deep watering. So, even though I’ve been trying to keep up with the watering, it’s mostly surface watering, so the tree’s roots don’t go deep. Hence the suckers. They pop up from all the surface roots, encouraged by my surface watering…
I followed the article’s suggestion, digging a couple feet down into the dirt, inserting a PVC pipe and a dripline, in several places around the outskirts of the tree. (OK, actually, Tom did most of that work.) But it’s awesome- the tree is getting some deep watering now. It looks happy. And maybe there will even be less suckers in the future.
I thought of how the sucker/watering thing applied to other challenges in my life. So, there’s always going to be annoying or painful or recurring situations, but what can I do about it? I can’t change others. But I can work on myself.
Of course I got the opportunity to do that. I had complained about someone else, and received much sympathy for my plight. But then I realized I didn’t really want people to agree with “sweet lil’ old me”. I wanted to figure out what root cause in me might’ve helped things go in a certain direction.
For instance, I can be just a little too ambitious, not through God’s leading but my own, and I may end up not perfectly reading a situation, which ultimately leads to a scenario I want to complain about. It might LOOK like I “haven’t done anything wrong”. But. God knows, I played my part.
Bottom line: I don’t want to complain about others! If the devil can encourage us to keep looking at the other guy, and how wrong they might be, then the devil’s work is done, with no effort on his part.
It’s just a reminder- I need to go deep. “Surface watering”, with pats on the back, sympathy for self-induced plights and such, may temporarily feel good, but I need to get that true nourishment that comes from God. Deep watering!
Isaiah 58:11 ► “The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”
Psalm 19:7 ► “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”
