The following is an extended version of the article that appears in our October 2025 issue.
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Yael Cantor (Photo courtesy Yael Cantor)
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Susie’s Delicatessen (Photo by Caroline Hubert)
Proving Grounds
“My first restaurant job was at Kitchen 64; I went from host to server to bartender. Then, I worked at Mamma Zu, which was also a big thing. After, I was at Saison; I learned so much about food and cocktails and drinks and hospitality.”
Kitchen Essentials
“I have a ton of spices. I always have sliced turkey, as a snack. And honestly, I have an obsession with soda water. I won’t have any food, and I’ll have eight different flavors of stacked soda waters to the brim.”
Yael Cantor (Illustration by Abigail Giuseppe)
Debut Day
“Susie’s opened on Nov. 20, 2024, after operating as a pop-up for four years. It’s a casual spot with good food and a place that you can just hang out, go on a date, or have a 20-top hangout and open bottles of wine and have a bunch of snacks.”
Family Recipes
“The brisket recipe in The Tony sandwich is something that I ate every Jewish holiday. My grandma would make brisket; it’s so nostalgic. That and the tuna salad are Susie’s to a T. Anytime I was hungry, she made the tuna salad.”
Off Duty
“When I’m not at work, I’m either chilling at home with my husband, Tony, and our dogs, Brisket and Montana, or I’m hanging out with friends or at Bamboo Cafe — usually eating chicken wings.”
Press Play
“All of our music is playlists that have been made by friends using keywords that I sent them. So, Italian Chill, Lo Fi, Indie, ’70s, Young and Fresh, Italian Disco, International, Spritz, Weather, Relax, Dance.”
Proper Order
“Latkes with smoked salmon. I love the Elana salad; it shows our love of herbs — it’s arugula, dill, tarragon, cilantro, parsley, mint, pomegranate seeds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. It’s super herbaceous, super crunchy. You have to get the Reuben, it’s a 10-day process; we grind it in-house, smoke it in-house, and then we steam it.”
’Tini Queen
“If it’s predinner, I want a dirty gin martini. If it’s after dinner, I want a 50/50, or a 2-to-1 with a twist and three dashes of bitters. My perfect martini is Roku, which is a Japanese gin, 2-to-1 with a twist. That’s the best.”
Island Time
“I started watching ‘Love Island’ five years ago during COVID. It is so dumb and funny and fun, and it’s such an escape from reality. I don’t like watching TV that’s going to make me feel heavy and sad with the world. We hosted a couple watch parties, and it popped off, it was really fun.”
Food Memory
“A core food memory is when me and Tony were traveling in Vietnam. We walked by this place where the pho had the most heavenly smell, so cinnamon-y and warm but not sweet. We were in a rush somewhere, and I was like, ‘We need to come back here.’ It was the best pho I ever had in my life.”
The Tony brisket sandwich from Susie’s Delicatessen (Photo by Sharona Cantor)
Go Green
“One of my favorite veggies is cabbage because it can be used in a million different ways. It’s such a good vessel. I also love arugula; that was something my parents always had in the house. It’s crunchy and spicy. I love greens in general.”
Richmond Roots
“I moved to Richmond in 2012. I came here because of my family. My granddad is from here, and my dad grew up here, and my sister was living here at the time, so I was like, ‘I’ll come for a little bit.’”
Neighborhood Regular
“I go to Bamboo Cafe and Stanley’s, Dinamo, Jardin and Celladora; those are the top spots, and they’re all within walking distance of the restaurant. I also go to Julio’s [Bagels] like three times a week; I live just a few blocks away.”
