What Is Zabar's Without Saul?

"" Perfectionist is not a strong enough word," she explains. "It's an unflappable sense of right versus wrong, integrity, and honesty - my dad did what he did and was how he was because that was the only way to do the job: Give the customers the most perfect product because he knew what that was and it was achievable.""

"Guys like Saul were the norm in establishments opened by Eastern European Jews who likely came to New York to escape the cruelties of czarist Russia, as his own parents had. He came from the same school of hospitality as guys who worked at the 2nd Ave. Deli when it was actually on that street and anyplace else a customer would get cursed out in Yiddish if they took too long with their order."

"On more than one occasion, I had heard people mistakenly refer to Saul Zabar as the founder of his family's famous Upper West Side store. I understood the confusion: Saul, who died this week at the age of 97, was old enough to have been around when his parents, Louis and Lillian, opened shop in 1934. Although he's one of three Zabar brothers - middle brother Stanley has always been more behind the scenes;"

Saul Zabar was the visible institution of his family's celebrated Upper West Side store, present from its 1934 founding by his parents, Louis and Lillian. He was one of three brothers, with Stanley working behind the scenes and Eli operating separately on the east side. Family members and employees regarded him with reverence for his uncompromising standards and insistence on perfect products. His approach reflected an Eastern European Jewish hospitality tradition focused on craft and directness. He personally sampled and guarded the store's offerings to ensure quality and integrity for customers.

Read at Grub Street