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Zabar’s 84-Year-Old Lox Cutter Says He’s Still Trying for the ‘Perfect Slice’

The Forward shot this amazing video of Len Berk, an octogenarian who has put in two decades now at Zabar’s on the Upper West Side. Berk, who decided at age 65 he wanted to stop working as an accountant and instead get into the smoked fish business, is the venerable gourmet store’s last remaining slicer who also happens to be Jewish. The part-time worker’s story is pretty amazing, and Berk even gets a bit mystical when Berk talks about his relationship with lox. “I’ve been trying to make the perfect slice for about 16 years now. But I know I haven’t achieved it yet,” he says.

Zabar’s 84-Year-Old Lox Cutter Says He’s Still Trying for the