38 | NOVEMBER 16 • 2023
J
N
A
Jewish-style delica-
tessen might seem
like an oxymoron in
Dearborn, a predominately
Christian and Muslim city in
Wayne County; yet Mati’s Deli
on Monroe Street has been
a pillar of its community for
more than three
decades.
Mati’s offers
typically big,
overstuffed
sandwiches
and homemade
soups, but won’t
be mistaken
for an Oakland
County deli. Case in point:
Mati’s owner Lou Weinstein
took out the fresh dill he’d
started adding to the restau-
rant’s chicken noodle soup
when his regular customers
gave it a thumb’s down. He
succeeded by pleasing his cli-
entele.
Remembered now for “his
funny, adventurous and loving
spirit,” the deli owner trag-
ically lost his life this sum-
mer. As reported at the time,
Weinstein, 63, of Wyandotte
died Aug. 1 in a scuba-diving
accident at White Star Quarry.
The inland diving spot is an
hour’s drive south of Toledo
in Gibsonburg, Ohio. Ira
Kaufman Chapel handled
funeral arrangements.
“He was very active,”
recalled Barbara Friedman,
Lou’s partner of 12 years.
Other sports he participated
in included skiing, boating
and hockey. Barbara didn’t
typically work at Lou’s restau-
rant, she said, but rose to the
occasion a couple of years ago
“when he broke his pelvis in a
horseback-riding accident.”
Lou also possessed a phil-
anthropic spirit, said his son,
Gerald “Jerry” Weinstein, a
degreed accountant and “tech
guy” for the restaurant. “Dad
donated to Little League and
other local groups.
“But he was very quiet about
his generosity,” Jerry contin-
ued. “I once saw ‘Mati’s Deli’
listed as a supporter at the end
of a PBS program.
I called up Dad
because that was a
surprise. He’d never
mentioned being a
sponsor.”
Five workers at
the deli faced an
uncertain future
with Lou gone
and the restaurant
on hiatus. Losing
their livelihood was
something the owner’s two
children knew he never would
have wanted. Lou’s daughter,
Brittany Weinstein, who works
primarily as a grant writer
at Wayne State University in
Detroit, started a GoFundMe
campaign in early August.
Before the drive’s conclusion,
nearly $7,000 was raised in
support of the deli’s loyal staff.
Jerry said they are: Kelly and
Heather, the main cashiers;
Angie and Tammy, who work
the sandwich station, cut meat
and do prep work, and Tanna,
in charge of prep and other
duties.
Payments from the fund
kept the team intact for the
restaurant’s reopening on
Sept. 12. Lou’s fam-
ily hired “Uncle
Lance” Farkas, an
experienced deli
man, to serve as the
general manager.
He and Lou worked
together at Al
Winkler’s Original
Bread Basket Deli,
still operating with
a different owner
in Oak Park. In
addition, Lou was employed
for a time at the former
Sweet Lorraine’s restaurant in
Dearborn deli delights the tastebuds.
Mati’s Deli
Esther
Allweiss
Ingber
Contributing
Writer
NOSH
DINING AROUND THE D
LEFT: The outside of Mati’s Deli.
BELOW: Edward Hopper’s moody
1942 painting Nighthawks.
The late Lou Weinstein
BY ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER
BY ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER