Zabar's
A Family Story, with Recipes
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Narrated by:
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Erin Bennett
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Written by:
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Lori Zabar
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Julia Moskin - foreword
About this listen
The fascinating, mouthwatering story (with 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)
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 20th-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.
*Includes a downloadable PDF of recipes from the book
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2022 Lori Zabar (P)2022 Random House AudioWhat the critics say
“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
“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