Over 25 years tucked in the red stone cellar of the South End’s historic Kilburn & Gates building, Four Corners of the Earth Deli has built a reputation for its globally monikered menu, its distinctive owner and its artistic décor. Last week, sandwich savant Ladislav “Latzo” Pancisin put the leased Burlington space, including kitchen equipment and furnishings, on the market for $100,000. For about double that, Pancisin will also sell the business name, recipes and his support through the transition, he said.
Not included is Pancisin’s art collection, which includes works by dug Nap, Evzen Jurasek, Tony Shull and Marc Awodey that hang densely clustered on the deli’s walls and even ceiling. “The deli’s just a cover for having a museum,” Pancisin quipped.
Nap also gets credit for the deli’s name and global theme.
After arriving in Burlington as a Slovakian refugee in 1988, Pancisin worked at Bouyea-Fassetts Bakery, painted houses, became a carpenter, and studied political science and philosophy at the University of Vermont. His friend Nap suggested Four Corners of the Earth as they brainstormed deli names.
“That inspired the menu and everything else,” Pancisin said. “He opened the gate of imagination for me.”
For the past three years, he has worked solo, manning the panini presses to prepare sandwiches, such as Jamaican avocado loaded with fresh basil and cayenne pepper and Lebanese lamb with thin-sliced juicy meat, cabbage-carrot slaw, generous spicing and cheese.
In his early sixties, Pancisin said he’s “too old” to be on his feet all day. But until he sells, customers will still find him painstakingly building his inventive sandwiches at the cash-only deli. As always, call ahead or expect a wait.
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This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2025.
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