Zabar Dons His Overalls: Do We Like?

by Joseph Russell · July 16, 2008

    zabarAs I mentioned yesterday, the forlorn-looking stalls of the Amagansett Farmer's Market shall soon be filled by one of Manhattan's renowned, and very expensive epiciers. Eli Zabar owns a gourmet boutique, a grocery-cum-cafe, a restaurant, a wine store, a grocery-posing-as-a-vinegar-factory, and a bread factory, all beloved by those who can value product above price.

    His wife, meanwhile, is Devon Fredericks, who started Loaves and Fishes. Fun fact: Eli's lobster salad is $74 less per pound than Loaves and Fishes'. All this means that the quality of produce at the AFM is guaranteed, and Zabar has promised to maintain the market's "old-fashioned character." Whether this promise will translate into a McNallyesque simulacrum remains to be seen. What do you all think? Is Zabar a godsend or a usurping despot? [Image via Diana Maria Pittman]