Column Chronicles: Ghost Hunter: haunted delicatessen

Ghost Hunter: haunted delicatessen

Frank Cotolo
August 24, 2023

When many ghost sightings were claimed to have taken place in a boarded-up store in a downtown urban area, we contacted Zach Lupard, Ghost Hunter, to check it out. He explained his findings to us.

"Once, a long time ago, this structure was a delicatessen. It was the only one for miles so business was brisk because no restaurant in the city sold cooked meats. Not one. If you wanted pastrami or corned beef, you went to this store," Zach said.

"Did they have knishes?" we said.

"I don't know, but one ghost told me the corned beef was to die for. He knew because he did. Another ghost thought he remembered the name of the owner, who was also the cook. The ghost said his name was Melamed Stern. Tall guy with lean cheeks."

"You ran into some talkative ghosts."

"Hungry ones, too. At least that's what they said. Ghosts can't eat but can experience sensations they had when alive. These ghosts died in the delicatessen and are stuck there recreating their deaths until they accept being dead. Normal behavior."

"How did six people die in a delicatessen?"

"I didn't say there were six. However, when I got there the place was crowded. I asked another ghost how he died and he said it was the Stuffed Derma. Must've been bad chicken fat or something."

"Did all seven of them die from the Stuffed Derma?"

"I didn't say there were seven. But no. Some of them died from fish poisoning. At least that's what they thought. What's curious is that they didn't all die on the same day. According to them it was over a period of time that people eating there became ill and not all of them died. Another ghost said the city department of health investigated and found some dirty parts of the kitchen but nothing exact could be blamed."

"If customers were getting sick and dying, why did people keep going there?"

"I told you, the corned beef was so popular that some thought it was too good to pass up. No one wanted to blame the corned beef, mind you, so maybe it was only the Stuffed Derma that did it."

"Was this the first haunted delicatessen you found in your career as a Ghost Hunter?"

"Yes, but I've noticed that restaurants, in general, are hot spots for ghosts. I'm not sure all the ghosts in restaurants die there. Perhaps we'll discover ghosts have the ability not to just eat but eat out."

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.