Eli Sussman: The man behind the memes

Eli Sussman is a meme lord, cookbook writer, a very funny guy and restaurateur with a few big hits under his belt — notably the contemporary Middle Eastern Samesa and Gertrude’s, a Jew-ish style diner in Prospect Heights. We first became aware of Sussman before he opened Gertrude’s with partners Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson  a year ago. His Instagram account is chock-a-block with hilarious if-you-know-you-know service industry in-jokes, satire and original memes that skewer more famous restaurateurs. More recently, he has also now launched a video interview show called “Talkin’ in the Walk-In,” where he interviews his contemporaries inside restaurant coolers. Here, we discuss the first year of Gertrude’s, his viral micro-fame and growing up in the Midwest. We talk about culinary trends and his pet peeves about customers. And he gives us his personalized food tour of Brooklyn and beyond.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: [email protected] Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope