Big Al's Deli | Tennessee Crossroads | Episode 3043.1

[Music] well I'm happy to announce a new member of our Tennessee crossroads family Danielle Coburn Allen and I'll tell you what she picked a delicious way to make her debut on the show it's a little visit to a place called Big Al's deli over north Nashville hello love you like to eat today to go on a coming up when you walk into Big Al's deli and catering you're immediately hit with the sound of food cooking world-famous has wrong and the delicious aromas are you wrong spices secret spices this Nashville restaurant serves up mouth-watering dishes for breakfast and lunch Brendan oli cemented the owner al Anderson is originally from Boston and he started his business four years ago I left my job with the operations manager for a restaurant chain here in Nashville and I wasn't do my own thing I'll new this 4th Avenue North building was the right location the moment he saw it a friend of mine told me about this place right here at the time I didn't even know 4th Avenue with this far down I was like the interstate was right here so I drove here and I looked in the window and all I saw in the place was a hood system in a sink and I said that's all I need our next mission was to find a name he used this as a chance to honor his late father I'm not Big Al I'm little L I named it after my dad he's big out he's in heaven a drunk driver took his life 10 years ago up in Boston so he always wanted kids dogs kid to be self-employed so I named that to him Big Al's diner and catering continues to grow in popularity and attracts a steady stream of loyal customers and tourists but this is more than just a job for Al he says it's his calling it's what I consider my ministry just sharing conversation with people getting to know my customers we're all like family and everybody can sit down over a good meal and just have a good time that good time of course includes good food I'll start serving breakfast at 6:00 a.m. and there's one thing everyone seems to want the bacon egg change biscuit is by far the biggest elephant breakfast the bowels of biscuit which is a black pepper Parmesan biscuit you can get it with bacon egg cheese sausage egg cheese I'm making a balls on toes the portion sizes are just as popular as the food itself in fact that's what Big Al's omelettes are known for I sell a lot of humongous world-famous omelettes it's probably biggest omelet in town I dare you to try to eat it all oh man you have to try the omelet is top-of-the-line it's awful and either when people come in or they don't know what the water I've got pictures of the omelets and he's made for me in the past it just blows them away this is meatloaf this is a regular sized breakfast isn't the only meal that blows diners away al serves up a mean meatloaf and every type of meat you can dream up lunch herb roasted chicken to pull the raspberry chicken help your mom lean chicken meatloaf barbecue pork che this is this is a meal so how does al come up with his dishes here's a clue it's not in the kitchen I just keep my mind shot but just continually reading and then the middle of night I know that sounds crazy I'll think of something in my in my sleep I'll wake up I'll write it down half awake and when I wake up in the morning I'll look at it and I'll say yeah that make sense that I'll start playing with I just get a little more oil that desire to cook started at a young age and it's all thanks to Al's love and crisis well I started cooking was because my mother is a great cook but she does not like spice and out of seven in the family I was the only one that likes fight so my older sister started cooking and she was really brave and fearless and I said that she can do it I can do it over heartache the easy things in the world to make al can-do attitude has served him well it also works well for people looking for a memorable dining been coming here for about 18 months when Dale's walk driving by I was doing work down the road I was hungry for breakfast notice it was just a little building I thought it was regular deli walked in realized it was a restaurant I ordered the plate and I've been eating here ever since I went from a size 32 to a 34 I kid you not good stuff here we go bacon egg cheese biscuit with the pacifier did you enjoy it thank you so much well if you're looking for Southern Comfort foods it has a little bit of soul than Big Al deli and catering it's a place for you not only are the dishes made with love but they're also made with those touch of southern hospitality you know you can everything walk to the door I consider a friend al says he didn't achieve his success alone he gives a lot of credit to his staff I have the best staff in the world also with all family Irish love respect everything laughs one thing my brother Manny Hugo thanks that exceptional staff includes someone who's worked with the business from day one our son he plays an important role both at work and at home my son which I wish you would interviewing him because he works just as hard as I do a wonderful young man he's a Christian has a master's degree a Eagle Scout I'm proud that goggly gave me a better son not surprisingly al feels just as passionate about his customers I have the best greatest customers in the world no one on this earth has better customers than Big Al's deli al says he's thankful every day to do what he loved he's also grateful for the chance to create affordable meals that people can enjoy with their friends and family life is so hard and the way things are now it's a mimimi you know come to Big Al's and just eat some food enjoy yourself everybody's family and it's about love hi sweetheart you [Music]

Channel: Tennessee Crossroads

Views: 114,823

Keywords: Tennessee Crossroads, Nashville restaurants, Big Al's Deli, npt, wnpt, nashville public television, tn, tennessee crossroads, Restaurants & Food, nashville pbs, tennessee pbs

Id: 2KAfSqUAFA8

Length: 7min 2sec (422 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 27 2017