Carnegie Deli Owner, Husband In Heated Divorce Battle

According to the New York Post, the owner and operator of the world-famous Carnegie Deli in New York City is reportedly contemplating divorcing her husband and has accused him of having an affair while sharing secret recipes.

Marian Levine, 63, the owner of the deli, told the Post that her husband Sandy Levine, 71, had an affair with a server at the deli, Penkae Sirichroen, who she claims was trying to steal food recipes and “muscle” her way into the business.

Currently, the couple is involved in a legal battle over an apartment lease. According to the newspaper, Sandy provided Penkae with an apartment above the deli. Marian also said that she wants a divorce from Sandy, who she was married to for 22 years.

Marian’s father, Milton Parker, bought the deli in 1976. Sandy served as the “front-of-the-house man” for the deli until he took over day-to-day operations of the deli, as well as handling the leasing of the apartment above it after their marriage.

Marian reportedly hired a private investigator to monitor Sandy after he began to lobby her to sell the deli in 2012. “The investigator quickly found out that the affair between Sandy and Kay was an open secret among the deli’s workers,” the Post reported.

According to Marian, there were also suspicious merchandise invoice issues and payroll issues that sparked her knowledge of the alleged affair. Penkae reportedly left the deli in 2008 and was still receiving a paycheck after she quit.

Penkae, who is from Thailand, also arranged a tour with Sandy of the deli’s New Jersey plant with relatives, where the restaurant cures its meats and bakes its cheesecakes. After visiting the plant, the family members allegedly flew back to Thailand and opened a restaurant called “Carnegie Deli Thailand” in Bangkok.

Find Me a Bergen County Divorce Attorney

The Carnegie Deli battle is an extreme separation case. The business is a marital asset that should be evaluated and equitably divided in divorce. Issues over infidelity or finances can cause a marriage to spiral out of control. Keep in mind, if you are contemplating a divorce or your spouse has filed for one, you will need to deal with matters of child custody and visitation, division of marital assets, alimony and child support and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.

A spouse is entitled to recoup his or her share of marital money spent on an affair during a divorce. This is known as “dissipation”.

Talk to our family lawyers if you are experiencing issues with your marriage. Our attorneys have almost four decades of experience in family law negotiations—let our firm arrange your initial consultation.

Kantrowitz, Goldhamer, Graifman, Perlmutter & Carballo, P.C. – Bergen County Divorce Attorneys

Source: http://nypost.com/2013/11/17/carnegie-deli-owner-waitress-swiped-my-hubby-and-my-recipe/