Ed Finman [2], 2018 March 1

File

Identifier: OH-FI0614

Staff Only

Ed Finman oral history interview 2, 2018 March 1

Scope and Contents

In this second of two interviews Mr. Finman, the son of Leo Finman who owned locally renowned Leo's Delicatessen, which was located on Elizabeth Avenue in Charlotte North Carolina, recalls the ways in which Passover meals were prepared in the deli for the Jewish community and those who wished to eat Kosher. He explains that although Leo's was not restricted to those who ate Kosher, there were some products the deli could not stock in the interest of serving the Jewish community. Mr. Finman explains that about eighty-five to ninety percent of customers were not Jewish, and that there were only approximately 600 Jewish families residing in Charlotte at the time. Other topics discussed in the interview include local youth groups that he and other Jewish children could participate in, his ambition to write a book in which one of the chapters would describe all the food that was contained in Leo's freezer and walk-in fridge, and the many and various patrons of the deli.

Dates

2018 March 1

Biographical Note

Edward Finman was a 72-year-old man at the time of the interview, which took place in his home in the Freedom Park community of Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1944. He was educated at Eastern Carolina University and was employed as an operations and sales manager at Pants East, Champion Maps Company, Learning Through Entertainment, and at the family business, Leo’s Deli.