A year and a half ago, Matthew Porubsky had an idea to tell the story of his family’s iconic deli on film.

On Thursday, the vision complete, hundreds from the community gathered for the premier of “Porubsky Transcendent Deli.”

Food+Flicks asked Matthew Porubsky to reflect on the first public showing of the film that tells the story of the family business his grandparents started, CW Porubsky's Deli and Tavern. Here are his top moments from Thursday’s premiere:

1. THE CROWD: About 400 people (some familiar, some strangers) showed up to see the flick at the Hollywood Theaters — so many that the theater offered a second free showing.

“That was really cool,” Porubsky said. “I was a little surprised that the first showing was filled up by about a quarter till 7. I was just glad to see everybody. I was even happier that we got to do a second showing.”

2. LISTENING TO THE AUDIENCE: Listening to the audience respond to the movie for the first time was a huge highlight.

“I hadn’t had a chance to share that before — the jokes people laughed at and just the way people enjoyed it personally,” he said.

3. PORUBSKY CELEBRATION: After the showings, people were invited to head back to Porubsky’s for beers, cold plates and hot pickles. Porubsky said it was a great chance to celebrate with everyone who had worked on the movie, including Gizmo Pictures.

Having the Porubsky family back at the store serving customers felt just right after a movie that talked about doing just that.

“They served the people who loved the place,” he said. “It was a beautiful, beautiful night,” he said.

After a lot of late nights (particularly for Gizmo’s David Kitchner), Porubsky said they’d take a couple days to rest before returning to the movie to make additional edits.

Additional free showings are scheduled for the following dates:
● 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.
● 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at Liberty Hall in Lawrence.
● 7 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Wareham Theater in Manhattan.

PHOTO GALLERY FORM THE AFTER PARTY AT PORUBSKY'S DELI: http://bit.ly/1WqIBa