OK, OK, we did this interview back in the winter, so you’ll have to put up with references to mounds and mounds of snow. 

But this is the first time posting my interview with Cleetus Friedman. Why now?

Because this is my favorite time of year for eating and drinking, and Cleetus, the owner of City Provisions Deli, in Ravenswood, knows both.

He also knows how to run a small business in this day and age. People throw around the world “passion” way too much, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a guy who puts more into his business (in terms of time but also in terms of love for what he’s doing) than Cleetus. From organizing farm dinners all over the region to this week launching a series of beer collaborations with local breweries, the guy does not just sit still behind the register. And as you see here, Cleetus, who used to do one-man shows around the city, is a good talker as well.