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

