Stanley Zabar, co-owner of iconic NYC gourmet food shop, dies at 94

Stanley Zabar, co-owner of the famed New York City gourmet food shop, has died.

He was 94.

Zabar’s announced his death in a post on its Instagram on Tuesday, calling Stanley Zabar “a quiet force behind our family business.”

According to the post, Zabar worked alongside his brother, Saul Zabar, “to build upon and carry forward the vision of their parents, Louis and Lillian Zabar.”

Louis and Lillian Zabar opened the eatery on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 1934.

The cause of death was not announced, but The New York Times reported that Zabar died from cancer, citing his daughter Dr. Sondra Zabar.

According to the Instagram post, Zabar worked behind the scenes at the world-renowned shop, and his “legal and financial acumen was vital in shaping Zabar’s into a beloved New York City institution.”

According to the Times, Zabar handled the business side of the store but often appeared to greet customers. Saul Zabar, on the other hand, oversaw the store’s operations, taste-testing its famous smoked fish and coffee. A third partner, Murray Klein, did the store’s marketing, it reported.

Zabar and his wife, Judith Zabar, were also philanthropists, the store said in the post. The couple “dedicated their time and resources to the arts, education and culinary training,” it said, adding that they supported Hunter College, the New York Public Library, Symphony Space, NYU Langone Health and the Careers through Culinary Arts Program.