February 13, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 28 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E167-E168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF MR. ALAN CANTER

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                             HON. TED LIEU

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 13, 2019

  Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, today I rise to celebrate 
the life of Mr. Alan Canter, who passed away on January 25, 2019 at the 
age of 82. Alan's stewardship of his family's restaurant in 
California's 33rd Congressional District, Canter's Deli, was crucial in 
making it a fixture in Los Angeles culture and a gathering place for 
people of all ages and degrees of fame.
  Born in Los Angeles on May 2, 1936, Alan started out as a mechanic, 
with a love for racing cars and tinkering with new ways to drive 
faster. However, on the advice of his newly pregnant wife, Alan turned 
to the restaurant business in the 1950s, just as the deli expanded from 
its original Boyle Heights location, opened in 1931, to the Fairfax 
district.
  Though he started as a pickle packer and delivery boy, Alan 
eventually took over his family's deli and dedicated nearly every 
waking minute over the next six decades to his customers, sometimes 
working 18-hour shifts in a day. Alan took on all of it, even the 
seemingly menial tasks, like cutting fruit, pickling, selecting 
ingredients, and tending to the kitchen equipment.

[[Page E168]]

  Alan's mechanical expertise, learned from his years racing and fixing 
cars, kept the place running even when a machine acted up. As the 
family patriarch for so many years, Alan taught his children how to run 
the business just as his father taught him.
  Canter's Deli, ``the soul of Fairfax Avenue,'' served not only its 
neighbors, but also post-concert crowds, musicians, actors, and even 
presidents. Additionally, his selflessness and humor touched all who 
encountered him.
  Alan is survived by his wife; son, Marc; daughter, Jacqueline; and 
five grandchildren. I hope that Alan's family takes comfort in knowing 
that his family's legacy will live on in the memories of all the 
customers he served and the high standards he worked so hard to 
establish.

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