On Tuesday, I was sent on one of the most interesting—and delicious—assignments from my time with Patch so far. I was to go to Goodman’s Deli, located at 400 Springfield Avenue in Berkeley Heights, to sample their corned beef, which the deli boasts is the best in the region.

Goodman’s corned beef—which I tried on rye bread with a side of coleslaw and pickles—certainly did not disappoint. After devouring my early dinner on Tuesday evening, I knew something was unique about Goodman’s corned beef; I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was.

That was until Don Parkin, owner of Goodman’s Deli, gave me a history lesson on not only the deli’s corned beef, but on the institution of a Jewish deli itself.

“One of the key differentiators here is the roots of the deli. It’s a distinguishing factor across all the other delis out there," said Parkin. “People think deli, and a lot of them picture, particularly in New Jersey, more of a bodega-style deli where you can order sandwiches, grab a bag of chips off a rack, grab a pop out of a cooler and, in some cases, buy your lottery tickets and cigarettes.”

Whereas many, more modern-style delis may order their food from outside sources, Goodman’s and other similar delis prepare all of their food on-site.

“The word comes from ‘delicatessen’, and what distinguishes the Jewish deli from those delis is the food is really a delicacy," said Parkin. “One of the keys behind Goodman’s is the hot deli meats: not just the corned beef, but the pastrami, the brisket, we make our own turkey and roast beef here and do all our own soups, so the big distinguishing factor that has kept Goodman’s alive since 1943 is the fact that this food is made fresh.”

In earlier decades, Parkin estimates that there were anywhere between 2,000 and 5,000 traditional Jewish delis in the tri-state area. With that number continuously dwindling, Parkin has done his best to make sure the tradition stays alive after buying the Berkeley Heights Goodman’s last year.

“Before I bought Goodman’s, I went to the original location in Elizabeth. I was talking to the guy that runs the place now. Every day, people come in asking where (we) are," said Parkin. “Sure enough, in the fifteen minutes that I was there, two people came in and asked ‘what ever happened to Goodman’s?’. Everyday people come in here having grown up in Elizabeth. They remember going there; they remember their dad going there, their dad working in the area. Those stories prevail every day from people coming in.”

It’s a tradition that Parkin is proud to continue while his deli prepares for its annual tradition: St. Patrick’s Day.

“It’s really a big event here; we don’t bring in bagpipes, Irish bands, or dancers, but we bring in lots of people. Our platter is pretty popular, and one of the things that makes it popular is the quality of the corned beef," said Parkin.

“If I had a liquor license," Parkin joked, “I’d probably be serving green beer that day.”

Goodman’s is currently planning to offer its corned beef platter—which also features cabbage and other traditional Irish fare for St. Patrick’s Day—from March 15 to March 19. This way, said Parkin, any customers who may miss St. Patrick’s Day itself at Goodman’s don’t have to miss out on the entire experience.

“People come here, and they know they’re going to get a plateful of meat that just melts in their mouths," said Parkin. “It’s become a tradition around here to get the best corned beef on a day that’s known for corned beef.”