Denny Yushak is like a maestro, he stands behind the deli counter at Yushak’s Deli and grocery store in the small village of Shushan, N.Y. He knows almost every customer by name, and has a wry smile, easy manner and accepting way of looking at the world. If you even mention his granddaughter, he will come out from behind the counter and show you a dozen photographs of her, most of them with her walking around the store.

He will also, without being pressed, show photos of the big fish he has caught. He knows when to smile and how to nod solemnly, as if what he has heard is the wisest thing ever uttered. All the while, his hands are busy cutting, chopping and wrapping. It is all seamless, the chatter and conversation, the preparation of food.

People come to Yushak’s from many miles to get his meats, sausages and steaks. His meats are considered the best around for a hundred miles. I get all of my meat there now when  I shop, in part because its good, and in part because it is one of the best places in the world to see the impact of a small local business on a town.

Yushak’s is the soul of Shusan, and Denny and his wife Debbie are the souls of Yushak’s.

I went there yesterday to buy his sweet turkey sausage, some four-bean salad and enough chopped sirloin for dinner. His reputation is well deserved.

But his connection to the people in the town and his customers are what is striking. He knows how to listen, he knows how to laugh, no matter what people are buying, they come over to the counter to say hello. He doesn’t seem to ever know a thing, and his eyes remind me of a wise priest or rabbi who has seen it all and carries much wisdom in his head. I thought this photo nailed him right down.