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. “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
- Libro Impreso
- Edición:
- Editorial: Vintage
- Autor: Zabar, Lori
