Why Locals Still Line Up for This South Miami Lunch Classic

Late August 1992 was supposed to be a big moment for Alan Lederman, his wife Joanna, and their sons John and Mike. After months of tastings, training, and stocking shelves, the family was ready to open their new independent grocery store along South Dixie Highway in South Miami. Joanna’s Marketplace was set to make its grand debut on August 24, 1992, but Mother Nature had other plans.

Hurricane Andrew slammed into South Florida that same week as a Category 5 hurricane, changing everything overnight. “We were, ironically, supposed to open that Tuesday when the hurricane hit,” Joanna’s co-owner Mike Lederman tells New Times. But as Miami rebuilt, so did Joanna’s, and just two weeks later, the shop opened.

Joanna’s Marketplace may have opened at one of the most challenging times in Miami’s recent history, yet it became one of its most enduring local businesses — even winning New Times‘ Best Gourmet Grocery 2024 (an impressive 31 years after opening). Today, the family-owned market celebrates its 32nd year, located on the corner of a South Miami strip mall along U.S. 1, solidifying its place as a local landmark. But before Lederman could talk to New Times about Joanna’s renowned deli sandwiches, baked goods, and legendary catering menus, he needed to go over his impressive culinary family tree.

Recipes Hail from One of New York’s Original Delis

Mike’s great-great-great-grandfather, Sussman Volk, a Jewish Lithuanian miller who immigrated to New York, opened one of Manhattan’s original deli-butcher shops. Volk was a religious man who earned an honorary title in the community, “Rabbi.” He permitted neighbors to store their meat at the shop, presumably for the sake of blessings. Volk befriended a Romanian immigrant in the neighborhood and gave the great-grandfather a recipe for pastrami as a token before immigrating back to Romania. “So my great-grandfather would start selling some of the first pastrami sandwiches and turn the butcher shop into a deli,” he explains. “A lot of the recipes we started using came from my great-grandmother — her chopped liver, for example.”

Mike’s paternal grandfather was involved in the New York dairy business, specifically with Hershey Farms Dairy. Mike’s maternal grandfather, Cecil, owned a restaurant on the East and West Sides in the ‘60s. Mike was born in New York City and moved to Miami with his family at the age of three in the 1970s, where his father, Alan, ran a wholesale food business.

Specialty Markets Didn’t Exist in Miami — So They Created One

Alan sold his food business, which left him “semi-retired and bored.” So, in his 50s, Alan purchased what Mike believes was a Hallmark store in South Miami (the site of the now-Joanna’s), devoted the shop to his wife, Joanna, and started a “full-fledged market” with meats, toiletries, produce, and gourmet items. Mike lived in Washington, D.C. at the time, working for the Hard Rock, while his brother, John, was the catering manager for Harvard University’s catering services.

“The idea was based on the concept of specialty markets in New York, like Balducci’s, an Italian market,” says Mike. “All these gourmet markets that existed in New York, like Zabar’s — there really weren’t markets like this in Miami.” Behemoths like Publix and Winn-Dixie, however, inspired the Ledermans to focus on prepared foods with a smaller emphasis on pantry fillers.

“Therefore, we moved to the things we were really good at — deli, bakery, and catering,” he says. “Our focus was on quality food with quality services.” And the rest is history. When Alan passed away in 2019, the brothers became equal partners in Joanna’s Marketplace.

The Enduring East Hampton-Style Market of Miami

Today, stepping into Joanna’s feels like meeting Ina Garten at a quaint market in the Hamptons (especially at her former gourmet market, the Barefoot Contessa). As soon as you walk through the door, you’re immediately greeted as though you are a regular. Just a few steps in, your eyes lock on either the gourmet coffee bar or the bread station, where they bake sourdough, ciabatta, Jewish rye, dinner rolls, and challah — all from scratch. “Aside from the bagels, everything is made in-house. That’s why the bread station is in the middle of the store. The idea being that when people are shopping in the store, you see fresh bread being pulled out from the oven,” explains Mike.

To your left is the sandwich station, featuring over 50 options. The items are divided into categories: poultry, beef, pork, fish, vegetables, and breakfast sandwiches. There are sweet sandwiches, including the “Elena Ruth” and “Curious George” (Nutella on bread with banana), as well as New York-style sandwiches (Nova on a bagel with cream cheese), and the “Reuben” (corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing). There are also hometown classics, such as the “Cuban” and the “Taste of Spain” (ham with Manchego, roasted tomatoes, and olive oil on a baguette).

I, New Times contributor Grant Albert, ordered the chicken avocado sandwich, which consists of grilled chicken, cheese, honey mustard, and greens on a ciabatta bread roughly the size of a football, along with an iced latte. Speaking of which, it was a particularly busy day, a few hours before the Miami Hurricanes game. Everyone was looking for a sandwich or something to bring over to watch the Hurricanes, and customers and employees were chatting like they had known each other for years — which they probably had. Mike adds that his doctor was once a toddler going to Joanna’s with his parents. “It’s kind of crazy.”

Patrons can also create customizable salads at the salad station, pick up prepared foods such as grilled vegetables and pasta salads, or grab something sweet from the pastry and dessert section. The market side of Joanna’s offers items suitable for bringing to a dinner party: chocolates, tinned fish, sweets, and chips. Customers also revere Joanna’s catering menus. From breakfast to lunch options and their upcoming Thanksgiving platter and holiday menus, Joanna’s has served many kitchen tables throughout the decades.

Nostalgia for The Next Generation

Despite the community’s enduring devotion to the market, it’s challenging to withstand external forces such as inflation, high costs, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Even restaurants that seemed untouchable, like Shorty’s and Norman Brothers Produce, are either closed or in the process of closing. The key to Joanna’s longevity isn’t black and white, but what we do know is that it’s a testament to its quality. “I ask myself those same questions,” says Mike. “Because we’re so labor-intensive and we make everything there; it’s the core staff, the chefs, the bakers, people at the deli, our managers—we have one employee that has been with us since we opened. I think that is the key, and as hands-on owners and managers, my brother and I are there. We’ve done basically everything and have a passion for it.”

Mike explains that running the business today is a balance between preserving the classics and experimenting. Joanna’s does not appear to be the place that would want influencers to invade; instead, it continues to rely on word of mouth and generations coming in for a simple sandwich. “There’s a lot of nostalgia now with Joanna’s. The next generation — it’s quite exciting, and one of the biggest rewards is watching the next generation of our customers coming in.”

Joanna’s Marketplace. 8247 S. Dixie Hwy., Miami; 305-661-5777; joannasmarketplace.com.