To help kick off the first week of the NFL season, sports figures Sean Landeta and Adam Schefter will appear at a local deli, Delicacies Gourmet, in Roslyn to meet and greet fans.
The event will take place on Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They will pose for pictures and sign autographs.
“Everyone’s talking about [the season] coming up,” the deli’s owner, Jimmy Zanfardino, said. “With Schefter everyone wants to know about fantasy football and who to pick, and kids want to know which football players are nice.”
Landeta is a former punter for the New York Giants and a Manhasset resident. He took home two Super Bowl rings in 1986 and 1991 during his eight-year stretch with the team.
Schefter is a sports writer and football analyst for ESPN, who along with Landeta, frequents the Old Northern Boulevard deli.
In addition to the 500 to 600 customers the deli gets regularly, Zanfardino said he is expecting an extra 300 people for the event.
Landeta will also bring in two mock Lombardi trophies for attendees to see, he said.
The meet-and-greet has become something of a yearly tradition at Delicacies since Landeta started appearing four years ago, Zanfardino said.
“They’re both customers of ours, and one day I said [to Landeta], ‘Hey, have you ever thought about coming in to take pictures and sign jerseys?’ That’s really how it started,” he said. “We’re kind of like friends with him other than being a customer.”
It began with just Landeta, and eventually Zanfardino asked Schefter if he would join two years ago. He accepted and has since taken part in the event every September, he said.
“It’s kind of a nice thing for the community,” Zanfardino said.
Even when Schefter appears on television he has his cell phone out, and Zanfardino said it’s nice to have him give the residents a couple of hours.
The Delicacies staff has talked about possibly expanding the event by adding another guest in the future, he said.
“These guys were easy because they’re customers, so they walked in to us,” Zanfardino said. “We’re trying to get maybe another former player.”
