Joe Tenace is a comedic television writer whose show has just been canceled when two airplanes slam into the Twin Towers in New York. Although he is initially worried about his parents who run a deli in the city, he is comforted knowing they live in Brooklyn, far away from the Towers in Manhattan. But as days go by and Joe and his wife, Claire, hear nothing, they decide to pack the car and head from California to New York with their teenage son, Tony.

Soon after Joe arrives with his family at Foggia's Deli and learns his parents were in the wrong place at the wrong time on September 11, he realizes it is up to him to continue his parents' dream. But that may not be as easy as it sounds. As he battles persistent internal demons, Joe embarks on a journey of self-discovery that leads him down an unexpected path where he must determine what is truly important in life.

Cold Cuts follows a California funnyman's quest to reacquaint himself with his roots and learn to run the family deli in New York after his parents are killed on September 11, 2001.