Happy Birthday to me! It’s past midnight and like any self-respecting one year old, I couldn’t wait to start celebrating. Yes, beloved readers, exactly one year ago tonight I was about to open “Caplansky’s at the Monarch”. I didn’t have the chutspah to call it a Deli – Steven Davey was the first to coin that phrase a few weeks later in his “Best Sandwiches” issue. I just wanted a place to serve sandwiches. In fact, my original business plan said I’d serve 2 sandwiches a day for the first three months. Seriously.
I remember this time one year ago vividly: I was a bundle of nerves trying to remember all the things I had to do the next morning. If I did sleep, I didn’t sleep much because I got to the Monarch at 6 am so I could smoke a second batch of meat that would be ready for dinner service. I walked into the kitchen, loaded the smoker and flipped the switch. Nothing. I toggled the switch up and back. Nothing. Plugged, unplugged and plugged again. Nothing nothing and nothing. I started hitting it and even less happened. Clearly, Murphy is also an anti-Semite.
Charlotte, my gf at the time saved the day by renting a car and driving up to Bass Pro Outlet and bought me another smoker. She also talked them into exchanging my broken one even though I hadn’t bought there so by the end of the day I had two. This didn’t even matter because thanks to David Sax my entire meat supply for the week was eaten by Globe and Mail readers. Smoker or not – I hadn’t cured enough meat.
On that day the lovely Jessica Roher was serving customers and uber vegan (and lovely) Megan Russell was helping me in the kitchen. I first hired Jessica as a server at the Magic Oven where I was a manager. Megan came there looking for a job in a vegan friendly environment and ended up… well you know where she ended up. Incidentally, Megan is still with me which tells me that either I am not impossible to work for or she is a saint. If you know either of us you’ll know that the truth lies towards the latter.
The rest of my story is pretty well known because of the frankly disproportionate amount of press coverage I’ve garnered. Don’t get me wrong: I deeply appreciate every word that has been written. Love me or hate me they care enough to write. All of that press and more importantly the word-of-mouth has driven my business right out of the Monarch and into my own Delicatessen. I’m so busy now with trying to open on time and on budget that I had neglected to plan anything special for tomorrow until young Mr. Sax reminded me that tomorrow is worth celebrating.
“Pain is a part of life” the Buddha is reported to have said. And let’s be clear: I have experienced real pain in my 40 years. Not the physical stuff that heals and may leave scars. I know that pain too but the its the other kind, the emotional pain of betrayal and rejection that I know all too well. So when life gives us the opportunity to celebrate then celebrate we must.
With an offer of free ice cream, balloons and cheap beer I invite you to stop by and wish me “mazel tov”. Mostly I want you to let me thank you for your support. When you’ve felt cold and alone, when you’ve lived in your car and had no where to go, its really easy to feel grateful for the love I’ve gotten from this city.
Just over a year ago I named myself Caplansky and in doing so I found my place in this world and that place is right here at home. I make sandwiches – simple as that. Maybe its more than that… a year ago I was a sandwich maker and now I’m a Deli Man. My business may succeed and it may fail. Win or lose: I love you, Toronto and I know you love me too.
