Mort Bloom's story is that of five men. When his family fled from Lithuania during WWII, he found himself in America, a teenager with no possessions who spoke no English. But he learned the language and eventually joined the U.S. Navy, where he also boxed and won a Golden Gloves title. After serving, he pursued a succession of jobs that ranged from high-profile to pedestrian: he pitched for the Cleveland Indians, worked in a junkyard, and was a longtime owner of the popular nightclub Gay 90's.

Over the years, he and his family would often come together over dinners at the Lincoln Del. After that restaurant closed and Mort's kids grew up, the Blooms decided to open an eatery of their own where they and other families could gather for meals and to teach kids which fork is proper for eating popsicles. Mort's Delicatessen marries Mort's American and Eastern-European roots: there's potato knishes and cold-beet borscht, as well as cheese curds and buffalo wings. Of the dozens of specialty sandwiches and burgers, the reuben remains their most popular, which is rather appropriate since Reuben is Mort's middle name.