80 Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 21 May '86

Zaberers' Jubilee Family Legend Has Flourished For '75 Years

ANGLESEA - Representatives of five newspapers and one television station showed up last Thursday to record Ed and Ayne Zaberer cutting a red ribbon across the front door of their Zaberer's Restaurant. It was opening night for the season, and also marked the 75th anniversary Diamond Jubilee Year that the Zaberer family has been serving food in the Wildwoods. TODAY THE county's largest restaurant, at Maryland and Spruce Avenues on North Wildwood Boulevard, it all began 75 years ago Zaberer said, with his grandparents's (on his mother's side) serving food in a boarding house in Wildwood. THE ZABERERS never blinked as Jthe cameras flashed. That's because A posing for pictures is old hat. The walls of their restaurant are covered with photos showing them with everybody from President Reagan to Bo Derek. When Zaberer's grandmother and grandfather. Hannah and Joseph, began serving tourists meals in boarding homes and later a restaurant in Wildwood at the start of the summer season in 1911, little did they know they would be the fore-runners of one of the foremost restaurants in the world today. Significantly, huge portraits of Hannah and Joseph adorn the walls of Zaberer's today. ZABERER'S mother, Frances M. Zaberer, also preceded her son in the food service business. Beginning 75 years ago. the

family was known to I operate dining rooms at 209 I Pine Ave., and at Maple I Glenwood and Magnolia I Avenues. The family once I ran the 50- room Glenwood I Hotel, which had a restaurant seating 150-175 I persons. When Zaberer's mother I ran the hotel in the early I part of this century, a | tourist could get a seven- i day vacation and three I meals a day, all for $14, ' Zaberer pointed out. "IT WAS wholesome I family style cuisine and 1 people came from all over I to vacation and dine there. ] It was one of the first i restaurants to serve over I 100 people a day at dinner, { Today Zaberer serves 10 I times that in a single even- • ing all summer long. Sunday worshippers at the old St. Ann's Church ! would frequently stop for I breakfast at the Glenwood Hotel and the place was fill- 1 ed after every Mass. After the old church burned down and the new one was built. | the Zaberer restaurant business continued to 1 flourish. IT OFTEN HAS been said that when you cross the threshold of Zaberer's Restaurant it's like stepping into another era, with dazzling decor of many ages and persuasions. The waAn and genuine welcome awaiting all patrons is provided by Mrs. Ayne Zaberer, charming and beautiful wife of the owner and her team of hosts and hostesses. A trademark at Zaberer's is his collection of some 300 stained glass shades made in the leaded

School Board Vets Honored by Peers

OCEAN CITY - Four * longtime school board members were honored by their peers at the annual dinner meeting of the Cape May County School Boards Association May 8 at the Flanders Hotel here. Herman Kapp was recognized for 33 years on the Stone Harbor School Board. Calvin • Back was credited with 24 years on the Middle Township board. Gamaliel Broadley. Marmora, was honored for 22 years on the Cape May County Vo-Tech Board. \In addition to his longtime membership on this board, Broadley served 12 years on the board of education in Upper Township. James Scrivani, Wildwood Crest, was also recognized for 21 years on the Vo-Tech Board. JERRY REGAN, vice a, president of county affairs of the New Jersey State Boards Association, presented the longtime members with a plaque of appreciation and a book "Gems of New Jersey". , Robert g. Bongart. county superintendent of schools, introduced Terry McGratb from Hackensack, a humorist, educator, school disciplinarian and school board member. Special entertainment

was presented by students of Ocean City High School, who were introduced by Michael M. Subotich, superintendent. Their scenes from "West Side Waltz," "Bad Habits," "The Good Doctor," and "The Foreigner" were performed in the recent Cape May ' County Teen Arts Festival. DON A JOHNSON, Ocean Cit^Rard member, presented Ralph E. Bakley, Sr., Lower Township, with a plaque in recognition of his two years as president of the county organization. Dorothy R. Armand, Upper Township, was elected president. She has been vice president during the past administration. Other officers for the coming year will be Steve Libro, Sea Isle City, vice president; Miriam Reeves, Lower Cape May Regional, secretary -treasurer. George Brewer will continue to serve as county representative to the NJSBA, and Andrea Balliette, Middle Township, continues as alternate. Audio-Visual Aids Commission members for 3-year terms are Iram McVey, Lower Cape May Regiona, and Marie DiGiacomo, Sea Isle City.

\ 'i Dorij Ward A TOAST — Ed and Ayne Zaberer clink glasses at the season's opening of Zaberer's Anglesea Inn Restuarant in Wildwood last Thursday. The event also marked the 75th year the Zaberer family has been in the restaurant business.

style popularized by Louis Comfort Tiffany a century ago. It is believed to be the largest collection of Tiffany type lamps anywhere under one roof. PRICELESS ANTIQUE stained glass wall panels and art works from around the world provide giant masterpieces in several of the dining rooms. To care for the colored ligh^ in all the dining rooms, lounges and bars, Zaberer employs a fulltime electrician who does nothing but maintain and change the lights. The restaurant is filled with enough memorabilia and antiques to outfit a blacksmith shop, turn-of-the-century general store, an early American home and an art gallery - with carloads of items left over. SOME OF THESE in elude marble figurines, a gigantic original French tapestry, depicting the wine festival at Beaujolais. a giant Zaberized Captain's Chair, old Atlantic City Boardwalk rolling chairs and antique barber shop chairs for adults and children. Ayne Zaberer has her own definition of the Zaberer decor. "It's a blend of New England, Pennsylvania Dutch. Bavarian, Swiss, Tudor Victorian, and Gay 90's and much more. It's a landmark. It's the Jersey Shore. You just have to see it to believe it." IT SEEMS as if destiny brought Ed Zaberer to Wildwood. His father, Charles F. Zaberer, and mother. Frances, brought Ed and the other three children from Philadelphia, when the restauranteur-to-be was only 5 years old. The elder Zaberer had operated a successful costume rental and theatrical supply business in Philadelphia which also specialized in decorating and sign painting. Throughout the 1920's, young Ed worked first in a boarding home for seashore visitors run by his grandmother and then in one opened by his mother. It was here that Zaberer got his first glimpse into the workings of the food industry: d

"She served breakfast, lunch and dinner. I received a good education working around her. I found out what type of service customers enjoyed and appreciated. I learned how to handle a kitchen and prepare and serve all types of foods." Even now, the Zaberers print menues and brochures in French to accommodate the increasingly large numbers of visitors from Montreal and throughout Quebec Province. An unselfish side of Ed Zaberer has been downplayed over the years. He describes himself as a poor boy who made good.

He cherishes the time he can give to potential highschool dropouts like himself by rekindling their interest in their studies. MUCH OF HIS winter vacation time has been spent lecturing young people in a state and federal work experience program that channels students into potentially rewarding employment in the restaurant and resort industry. He uses his own life experiences as a model for those in the program showing that they are not captives of their environment, but free to bring their own creative abilities into the profession of their choosing. While the story of Zaberer's Restaurant began more than three decades ago, the personal tale of Ed Zaberer, the resort businessman, goes back to his youth when his first job earned hime $5 a week. HIS RISE TO the top was steady but gradual. Honing his skills, he moved to the Wildwood Boardwalk, where he opened an ice cream and waffle shop. When he took over the restaurant in the Anglesea section of North Wildwood, May 29. 1955, seven previous owners had failed to make the business a success. Zaberer started with one small dining room seating 50 people The rambling two-story structure was at one time a traveler's inn. Wooden beams and high ceilings are still featured. Largely unnoticed because most people are in a rush to get seated for the meal, the restaurant boasts

a large lawn and floral garden. Ayne Zaberer is an artist and former model. She recently has been featured with her husband in several national magazines and trade journals for her contribution toward the operations of the restaurant. IT SHOULD also be noted that the ronning of Zaberer's is a family endeavor. The Zaberer's have been grooming their son, Donald, in every facet of the restaurant and resort trade since his graduation from Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pa. He is now a vital part of their management team. Zaberer's Restaurant, after its remodeling over the decades, now has seating for well over 1,000 patrons at one time, with banquet facilities for up to 1,200. THERE ARE eight dining rooms, four lounges and bars, with over 350 employes providing for the needs and comfort of the guests. The huge kitchen is the equivalent of six individual kitchens in normal establishments. Helping to meet the needs of this large operation, Zaberer has installed his own laundry, bakery, lobster tank, and butcher shop. Two full-time butchers and two full-time bakers help in the preparation of the food. A theme has been developed from all the accolades heaped upon Zaberer's. It's one that Ed and Ayne Zaberer cherish when they talk about the business themselves: "We might just be the best family restaurant in the world."

it? ll i fefliw iHh.' s i ' ** ' r Y~ is Dori» Ward n NUPTIALS — The first wedding of the season was performed at Historic Cold Spring Village Saturday. Pastor Mark Stiefel of Maranatha Christian Fellowship Church in Er:r ma performed the ceremony for Bonnie Sue Oliver of Town Bank and Robert Allamong ;o of Hampton, Vj^ Allamong is employed by Lund's Fisheries and the couple will reside d in Villas. Bonnie is the daughter of Richard and Susan Oliver of Cold Spring; Robert is the son of Robert and Muschie Allamong of Hampton.