Leonard Pines (born Leonard Pinckowitz in 1911 - died July 2001) was a businessman who expanded

Hebrew National Hebrew National is a brand of kosher hot dogs and other sausages made by ConAgra Foods. In 1982, Hebrew National opened a non-kosher division under the name National Deli; it was sold off in 2001, and is now based in Florida. History The ' ...

Kosher Foods and introduced deli meats packaged for supermarkets.

Hebrew National Kosher Foods, Inc.

His most notable accomplishment was turning his

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n immigrant father's business from selling deli meats out of a wagon into

Kosher Foods, an industry leader. Leonard's revolutionary innovation consisted of packaging deli meats specifically for supermarkets. This successfully expanded his customer base beyond

Kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

Jews to the general public. Leonard took over

in 1935. He used a variety of promotions to expand sales to non-Jewish markets. For instance, a humorous ad campaign from the 1940s featured a boy balancing a gigantic

salami Salami ( ) is a cured sausage consisting of fermented and air-dried meat, typically pork. Historically, salami was popular among Southern, Eastern, and Central European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature for up to 45 days ...

on his head. The caption read: ''For a well-balanced meal.'' Another example of his innovative marketing from 1965, was when the company advertised that it answered ''to a higher authority.'' The slogan quickly became a symbol for quality, appealing to Jews and non-Jews alike.

Author

Leonard Pines was also a comedic author. He wrote "Hot Dog Jokes; Told with Relish" in 1976. A Tempo Books Original, it was published by

Grosset & Dunlap Grosset & Dunlap is a New York City-based publishing house founded in 1898. The company was purchased by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1982 and today is part of Penguin Random House through its subsidiary Penguin Group. Today, through the Penguin Gro ...

, Inc in America and Canada Simultaneously and retailed for $.95.Pines, Leonard (1976). ''Hot Dog Jokes: Told With Relish'' Grosset & Dunlap: New York.

Personal life

Leonard married his first wife, Mary Zucker, in 1932. They were married for 48 years until her death in 1980. Soon after he married his second wife, Jeanette Brooks. Leonard never remarried after Jeanette's death in 1999. He died in July 2001. He was survived by two daughters, Myrna Chase and Paula Pines and two sons, Isidore and Kenny Pines.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pines, Leonard 1911 births 2001 deaths American people of Romanian-Jewish descent