Publisher Description

The fascinating, mouthwatering story (with ten recipes!) of the immigrant family that created a New York gastronomic legend- "The most rambunctious and chaotic of all delicatessens, with one foot in the Old World and the other in the vanguard of every fast-breaking food move in the city" (Nora Ephron, best-selling author and award-winning screenwriter).When Louis and Lilly Zabar rented a counter in a dairy store on 80th Street and Broadway in 1934 to sell smoked fish, they could not have imagined that their store would eventually occupy half a city block and become a beloved mecca for quality food of all kinds. A passion for perfection, a keen business sense, cutthroat competitive instincts, and devotion to their customers led four generations of Zabars to create the Upper West Side shrine to the cheese, fish, meat, produce, baked goods, and prepared products that heralded the twentieth-century revolution in food production and consumption.Lori Zabar-Louis's granddaughter-begins with her grandfather's escape from Ukraine in 1921, following a pogrom in which several family members were killed. She describes Zabar's gradual expansion, Louis's untimely death in 1950, and the passing of the torch to Saul, Stanley, and partner Murray Klein, who raised competitive pricing to an art form and added top-tier houseware and appliances. She paints a delectable portrait of Zabar's as it is today-the intoxicating aromas, the crowds, the devoted staff-and shares behind-the-scenes anecdotes of the long-time employees, family members, eccentric customers, and celebrity fans who have created a uniquely American institution that honors its immigrant roots, revels in its New York history, and is relentless in its devotion to the art and science of selling gourmet food.

Author Biography

LORI ZABAR was an art, decorative arts, and architectural historian; a historic preservationist; and an attorney. She was for many years a researcher in the American Wing and the Modern and Contemporary Art department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as an independent curator and consultant. She passed away in February 2022.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Julia Moskin ix
Map of the Volynia, Podolia, and Kiev provinces of the Russian Empire, Around 1900 xiii
Introduction xv
 
1. Ostropolia 3
     Lilly Zabar's Meat Borscht and Flanken Soup 13
2. In Transit and Acclimating to America 17
      Lilly Zabar's Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls (Knaidlach) 31
3. The Beginning of Zabar's 35
     Cheese Blintzes with Blueberry Sauce 51
4. The War Years 55
     Lilly Zabar's Latkes (Potato Pancakes) 67
5. After the War 69
     Lilly Zabar's Sweet Noodle Kugel 81
6. Life After Louis 83
     Zabar's Nova Cream Cheese Spread 99
7. The 1960s Culinary Revolution and Zabar's Evolution 101
     Eli Zabar's Thumbprint Cookies 121
8. The Epicurean Emporium Expands, 1970–84 123
     Lilly Zabar's Stuffed Cabbage 151
9. Trouble in Gourmet Paradise, 1985–95 153
     Lilly Zabar's Chopped Liver 169
10. Zabar's Present Tense 171
     Lilly Zabar's Gefilte Fish 183
 
Epilogue: The Future of Zabar's 187
Zabar's Key Players: The Staff   193
Acknowledgments 199
Index 203

Review

"A loving portrait of a business family, Zabar's is not a tell-all but, rather, an embrace-all . . . Recipes round out each chapter . . . Longtime staffers are honored, their names and stories pointing to how far Zabar's has come, from a Jewish-American produce stall to a global culinary destination filled with products and staffed by people from the world over."
—Rien Fertel, The Wall Street Journal
 
"A touching and well-researched paean to the Zabar family [and] a love letter to the business empire they created. It encompasses a history of Ukrainian pogroms in the early twentieth century, an exploration of the New York City grocery industry in the 1940s, and a discussion of the exploding gastronomic scene in the 1970s and 1980s. Family stories and photographs are deftly woven throughout, and some of Lilly Zabar's recipes are included . . . A beguiling stroll through New York history and a fascinating glimpse into an ambitious family."
—Jessica Howard, Shelf Awareness
 
"A loving and yet surprisingly candid history of the store and the family, complete with recipes for store favorites such as Lilly Zabar's sweet noodle kugel, flanken soup, and, of course, chopped liver . . . This is a joyful book, made poignant when you learn that Lori Zabar died a few months before its publication. One way to honor her memory is to try your hand at making that sweet noodle kugel."
—Jim Kelly, Air Mail

"A delicious, overstuffed history of the family and the store, including the precarious early days and the legendary price battles . . . And then there are the family recipes and the stories behind the company's almost infinite inventory of smoked fish, baked goods, herring, coffee, pastrami, and more. But mostly it's about the tenacity of Zabar's—and of the Zabars. Lori Zabar has written a loving and loveable book that captures the unique culinary and cultural cachet that the store still holds."
—Beth Segal, Hadassah

"Meticulously researched and beautifully written . . . There are brushes with the law, squabbles among the partners, and a vividly drawn cast of characters . . . Interwoven are fascinating descriptions of the foods sold at Zabar's—the ins and outs of herring, salmon, coffee, and caviar . . . The recipes that end each chapter, passed down from the matriarch of this estimable culinary family, feel like a gift . . . Thanks to Lori Zabar, Louis and Lilly Zabar's story will inspire and entertain generations to come."
—Liza Schoenfein, Forward

"Like the world-renowned store itself, Zabar's is overflowing—chock-full of family history, behind-the-scenes views of the store, traditional recipes and, most of all, how to offer the very best food at the lowest possible price . . . A detailed and fascinating look at how the store pursues perfection even as it expands it selections."
—Maron L. Waxman, Jewish Book Council
 
"I lived three blocks from Zabar's for fifty years, but knew little about the business and how it had come to be. Much of my curiosity has been satisfied by this detailed history of the family and the store. A historic preservationist, Lori Zabar was determined to be accurate and inclusive, and to her credit she makes no attempt to smooth the rough edges of her family history . . . She also gives readers insight into the ways in which children of immigrants somehow managed to retain their family ties and traditions even as they moved into the American mainstream."
—Gloria Levitas, Moment

"Lori Zabar's wonderful book is the story of America. Her family went from Eastern European immigrants to wildly successful businesspeople in just a few generations. I love this book, and the Zabar's recipes are a delicious bonus!"
—Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

"A must-read for anyone who has ever stepped foot in this New York City landmark, and a way for everyone else to find out what they've been missing."
—Nicolas Heller ("NewYorkNico")
 
"When I think of New York City and the impact of the food culture here, it goes without saying that Zabar's is at the top of the list. You truly can't say you have experienced New York City without having gone to the world-famous delicatessen on the Upper West Side."
—Marcus Samuelsson, chef, author, and restaurateur

"Historian Zabar provides a fascinating history of 'one of the most famous delicatessens in the world' [and] a pop culture icon . . . [T]he many devoted patrons of this legendary food purveyor will find themselves sated . . . A delicious story."
—Publishers Weekly

"In this charming family memoir, Lori Zabar documents every chapter in the store's history, from its inception in 1934 through its international expansion today, along with a goodly dozen recipes (latkes, chopped liver, sweet noodle kugel). This history comprises photographs and anecdotes, with tales of celebrities and ordinary people: Leonard Bernstein was denied delivery of Zabar's foodstuffs; an employee's ashes were buried in a store plant (and remain there today). With Zabar's telling comes an education in retailing as well as in gourmet goods."
—Booklist

Review Quote

"Lori Zabar's wonderful book is the story of America. Her family went from Eastern European immigrants to wildly successful businesspeople in just a few generations. I love this book, and the Zabar's recipes are a delicious bonus!" --Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa "A must-read for anyone who has ever stepped foot in this New York City landmark, and a way for everyone else to find out what they've been missing." --Nicolas Heller ("NewYorkNico") "When I think of New York City and the impact of the food culture here, it goes without saying that Zabar's is at the top of the list. You truly can't say you have experienced New York City without having gone to the world-famous delicatessen on the Upper West Side." --Marcus Samuelsson, chef, author, and restaurateur

Excerpt from Book

INTRODUCTION "Can I ask you a question?" I''ve become accustomed to hearing this from people who have just been introduced to me. I usually beat them to the punch by replying, "Yes, I''m related to the store." And to their inevitable follow-up query, I answer, "It was started by my grandparents in 1934." No matter how often I experience this exchange, the interest in my family''s business is always gratifying. These people know Zabar''s as one of the world''s greatest gourmet food stores, celebrated in books, in films, and on television, but they are amazed to learn that it has been at its original Broadway location for more than eighty-five years and that it is still being run by the same family who founded it--something that is quite unusual in today''s big-business environment. My paternal grandparents, Lillian Teitelbaum and Louis (pronounced Louie) Zabar, fled the pogroms and unrest in Russia before they were a couple and arrived in the United States in 1921 and 1922, respectively. With little but willpower and a keen business sense, they built a retail food business that eventually consisted of Zabar''s and four grocery stores, all located along Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, from 80th Street to 110th Street. When my grandfather died in 1950 at the age of forty-nine, the businesses were taken over by his older sons--my uncle Saul and my father, Stanley--along with their eventual partner, Murray Klein. Together, the trio developed the company''s offerings and its real estate until Zabar''s was not only an iconic food store on the Upper West Side but also one of the most famous delicatessens in the world. Zabar''s is a cultural landmark and a vestige of Old New York that has survived nearly a century of transformation. You can''t miss that four-story, white-stucco, and brown-wood gabled Tudor-style structure that takes up half a city block, and the store''s classic bright orange banner. Every day, thousands of loyal local customers and tourists from across America and all over the world stream into the store for their weekly roast of fresh coffee; for a yeasty chocolate babka or tender, raisin-filled rugelach; for flaky potato knishes or blintzes plump with fruit; for cheeses of all kinds; and, on weekends, for Zabar''s legendary New York bagels with nova and a schmear. Some keep coming back because they love the store''s chaotic energy or because the food reminds them of their childhood fare. Others have purposely moved to the neighborhood because of its "PTZ" (proximity to Zabar''s). Like many of these customers, I''m also an Upper West Sider who pushes her cart through the store''s narrow, jam-packed aisles several times a week. Customers have their own rituals for shopping at Zabar''s, and here is mine. My first stop is often just inside the store, at the bins of glistening olives--ebony, brown, and green--from France, Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Morocco, and beyond. I fill a container with my selections: intensely salty, wrinkled ebony Nyons; meaty, mild Cerignolas as large as golf balls; and my personal favorite, the petite and piquant French pitted Ni

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