{"id":234376,"date":"2021-04-24T03:13:51","date_gmt":"2021-04-24T00:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/beloved-91-year-old-lox-slicer-returns-to-new-yorks-zabars\/"},"modified":"2021-04-24T03:13:51","modified_gmt":"2021-04-24T00:13:51","slug":"beloved-91-year-old-lox-slicer-returns-to-new-yorks-zabars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/beloved-91-year-old-lox-slicer-returns-to-new-yorks-zabars\/","title":{"rendered":"#Beloved 91-year-old lox slicer returns to New York’s Zabar’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Beloved 91-year-old lox slicer returns to New York’s Zabar’s<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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He\u2019s no Nova novice.<\/p>\n

Legendary Jewish lox slicer Len Berk, 91, is back and brandishing his 18-inch knife behind the counter at Zabar\u2019s after a yearlong absence due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was nervous,\u201d the nonagenarian told The Post of his return to work on Thursdays. \u201cBut when I picked up a knife to slice my first salmon, it was like riding a bike. I didn\u2019t forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

A former accountant, Berk has spent the last 26 years of his retirement working at the Upper West Side institution, where his famously picky clientele over the years has included Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Stiller and Woody Allen\u2019s mom.<\/p>\n

He said there are some 20 kinds of customers, including \u201cthe watcher\u201d (who glares), \u201cthe taster\u201d (who noshes on free samples) and \u201cthe multitasker\u201d (who simultaneously shops at the cheese, meat and fish counters to save time).<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople come to me repeatedly,\u201d said Berk, who has reclaimed his long-standing far-left counter position.\u00a0\u201cSome people say that I\u2019m their lox slicer and they\u2019ll always come to me, even if they have to wait extra time.\u201d<\/p>\n

To satisfy the demands of the store\u2019s particular pescatarians, Berk specializes in nearly diaphanous slices.<\/p>\n

\"Len
Len Berk, 91, has spent the last 26 years of his retirement working at the Upper West Side institution.
\n<\/figcaption>
New York Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThin is the thing,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople go berserk if it\u2019s not thin enough. They want it thinner than anyone can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

To get the $49-per-pound lox just right, \u201cyou have to become one with the fish,\u201d said Berk. <\/p>\n

\u201cI found that slicing salmon is a very sensual experience,\u201d he added. \u201cI slide my hands across the oily surface of the fish, and it\u2019s so soothing and relaxing \u2014 it\u2019s a very pleasant feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last March, his employment was temporarily furloughed when the city entered COVID-19 lockdown. <\/p>\n

It was a blow for Berk.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018It\u2019s my life\u2019 \u2014 part of me wanted to make my own decision. I might very well have wanted to take the gamble and work,\u201d said the married grandfather of seven, who still drives in to work from Pelham. <\/p>\n

\"Len
Len Berk has had famously picky clientele over the years has including Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Stiller and Woody Allen\u2019s mom.
\n<\/figcaption>
New York Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWork and Zabar\u2019s are very important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Until his return to work a few weeks ago, Berk would occasionally visit as a customer, but with a heavy heart. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was bittersweet,\u201d said Berk, who admitted that after all these years, \u201cI was almost an institution there. I was told by the manager that people were constantly asking for me over the past year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berk first got the job after seeing a news<\/a>paper ad and trying out on the spot for co-owner Saul Zabar, one year his senior.<\/p>\n

\"Len
Len Berk, here with co-owner Saul Zabar, was temporarily furloughed in March when the city entered COVID-19 lockdown.<\/figcaption>
New York Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t do it for the money,\u201d said the lifelong foodie, who makes $18 an hour as a fish slicer \u2014 far less than the $200 rate he commanded as a certified public accountant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did it to have something to do. I felt like it was necessary as a human being to contribute to society.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, I made more money then, but I never had this much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, when you got it, you got it, Berk admitted. \u201cI have a way with salmon.\u201d <\/p>\n

And now that he\u2019s full vaccinated, he\u2019s not about to let the grass grow under his feet. <\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to go back from the day I stopped,\u201d said Berk, who got his second dose in February. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt my age, you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happ<\/a>en. I\u2019m 91, you never know how things are going to go.\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“#Beloved 91-year-old lox slicer returns to New York’s Zabar’s” He\u2019s no Nova novice. Legendary Jewish lox slicer Len Berk, 91, is back and brandishing his 18-inch knife behind the counter at Zabar\u2019s after a yearlong absence due to the pandemic. \u201cI was nervous,\u201d the nonagenarian told The Post of his return to work on Thursdays….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":234377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/len-berk-2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[103166,74687,70509,3885,103305],"class_list":["post-234376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-23-21","tag-bagels","tag-food","tag-new-york","tag-zabars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}