THE DELI - The New Rochelle Connection

THE DELI - The New Rochelle Connection

Twenty years ago today (June 13, 1996), the independent comedy THE DELI began filming in and around the Amico & Sons Deli at 255 Union Avenue in West New Rochelle, currently the location of the Tejeda Deli Grocery.  

Screengrab from THE DELI

Tejeda Deli Grocery, 255 Union Ave

The winner of the 1997 Excellence in Filmmaking Award from the National Board of Review, THE DELI has been described as “an enchanting slice-of-life comedy about a hard luck gambler who gets in over his head when he starts putting his store’s profits on the line. Mike Starr (DUMB AND DUMBER, GOODFELLAS) plays Johnny Amico, a delicatessen owner who plays the same numbers in the lottery every week for his mother.  The one week he doesn’t play, his mother’s numbers come up and he hatches a madcap plan to raise the prize money.  With one week to make good on his debts, Johnny rides a comic rollercoaster as he desperately tries to save his deli and help his mother while battling a crazy bunch of bookies, gangsters and neighborhood nuts!”  Featuring a cast of familiar faces including Heather Matarazzo, Debi Mazar, Gretchen Mol, Chris Noth, Vincent Pastore, Michael Imperioli, Matt Keeslar, Jerry Stiller, Frank Vincent, Burt Young, Ice-T, Heavy D, David Johansen, William McNamara, Tony Sirico, Iman, Reb Brown, and Shirley Stoler, THE DELI is a rarely-seen slice of New Rochelle film history now available to borrow in our DVD section.