UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Saul Zabar, the president and co-owner of the iconic Upper West Side gourmet grocery store Zabar's has died at the age of 97.

His daughter, Rachel, who once worked behind the counter as a teenager, announced his death on social media on Tuesday.

Zabar became the face of the food emporium which was first founded by his parents in 1934.

The oldest of three brothers, Zabar left college to go into the family business after his father died in 1950.

He is credited for helping to turn the store into a cultural landmark. Over time, five locations were consolidated into a large single market at West 80th and Broadway.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams called Saul "A true New York legend."

"He gave the city lox, love, and a place to argue over babka," Adams

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