Boiling briskets for five hours, escorting obnoxious customers to the door, and preserving the ritual of saying “hello” with Steven Peljovich, who runs Michael’s Deli in Boston. What makes a deli different from a sandwich shop? And, until recently, why did he resist taking orders online?
Read The Boston Globe story that Steven mentioned about longtime customer Rita Manor.
About What It’s Like to Be…
In each episode of What It’s Like to Be…, bestselling author Dan Heath speaks with someone about what it’s like to walk in their (work) shoes. Behavioral Scientist serves as a distribution partner with episodes released every other week. Learn more about the podcast’s mission of “slow curiosity” here, and head here to get Dan’s reflections on how the mission is going after a year of conversations.
The “Deli Owner” episode of What It’s Like To Be… featured Steven Peljovich. It was produced and edited by Matt Purdy. Copyright © 2025 by Dan Heath. All rights reserved.
