Peanut Butter & Co.

Peanut Butter & Co. is a peanut butter brand based in New York City. Founded in 1998 by Lee Zalben,[1] from 1998 to 2016, the company operated a sandwich shop in Greenwich Village,[2][3] which sold gourmet peanut butter sandwiches for $5.[4] The company by 1999 was selling a line of peanut butter to supermarkets featuring ten "all natural" flavors and from peanuts grown by farmers in the United States.[5] In 2005 the company published The Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook.[6]

History
The former location of the Peanut Butter & Co. sandwich shop, near Washington Square Park.

Founder Lee Zalben graduated from Vassar College in 1995[7] and after a short time in the advertising and publishing industries he opened the Manhattan store on December 21, 1998. Zalben has stated that he began working with peanut butter due to a childhood love of it.[8][9] From 1998 to 2016, the company operated a sandwich shop in Greenwich Village, New York City.[10][3] Its menu primarily consisted of peanut butter sandwiches and other items made with peanut butter,[11][12] with gourmet peanut butter sandwiches sold for $5.[4] Each sandwich was available in a dozen varieties, with ingredients such as bacon, honey, banana,[13] spicy peanut butter, and grilled chicken.[14] According to Eater, it was a "single menu restaurant pioneer" for its focus on peanut butter sandwiches, and "paved the way for cutesy comfort food specialists like Rice to Riches, Insomnia Cookies, Meltshop, and Puddin' By Clio (RIP)."[15]

In 2003, the company expanded into retail distribution, selling ten varieties in the US and Canada, at franchises including Kroger, Safeway, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods.[16] In 2005 the company published The Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook, which has numerous recipes for using peanut butter.[6] The forward of the book was written by Jerry Seinfeld, as he'd had an item named after him: Jerry Seinfeld's Comedy Special, which was a toasted bagel with peanut butter, honey, and cinnamon.[13] By 2010, the shop served around 100,000 people each year.[13] Peanut Butter & Co. was the title sponsor of the Team TWENTY12 women's pro cycling team for 2011.[17] The New York restaurant closed in 2016, although the brand remains active with a line of jarred peanut butters.[15]

Products

It sells peanut butter, spreads, powders, and snack items.[18] By 1999 it was selling a line of peanut butter to supermarkets featuring ten "all natural" flavors and from peanuts grown by farmers in the United States.[5] A decade later, the company also sold flavors like White Chocolate Wonderful and Cinnamon Raisin Swirl in around 15,000 supermarkets in the United States.[19]

In 2010, the restaurant sold a lunchbox special - options for sandwiches included whole or white bread, crunchy or smooth, crusts on or off, type of preserves, etc. There were also items such as flavored milk, "ants on a log," and other "food as nostalgia" items. Each sandwich was available in a dozen varieties, with ingredients such as bacon, honey, and banana.[13] Former sandwich items have included spicy peanut butter on The Heat is On, which also had grilled chicken and pineapple jam.[14] Others were Et Tu Peanut Butter with romaine and anchovies, and Movie Night with M&M's and popcorn.[19]

Several of the company's products have been praised by publications such as Men's Health.[20]

See also

References
  1. Carter, Sylvia (September 8, 1999). "In the House where Lee Zalben". Newsday. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  2. "Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop". Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  3. Periera, Ivan (February 22, 2016). "Peanut Butter & Co. closes after 17 years". amNewYork. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  4. "A Lunch-box Staple Goes Upscale - Gourmet Peanut Butter Sandwiches Start at $5 in New York City". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 28, 1999. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  5. Fabricant, Florence (January 13, 1999). "Fresh Peanut Butter To Spread Around". The New York Times. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  6. "Eat This, Not That". Rodale, Inc.
  7. "Vassar's Own "Peanut Butter Guy" - Vassar, the Alumnae/i Quarterly". vq.vassar.edu. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  8. Collier, Brooke (May 24, 2007). "A tough nut to crack". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  9. Lippman, Laura (January 31, 2000). "Smooth or chunky, hold the crust". The Sun. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  10. "Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop". Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  11. Williams, Monte (June 20, 1999). "Paean to Peanut Butter; A Restaurant Gives Lunch Time a Lunch Box Flavor". NY Times. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  12. "PB By Mail Order, For a Grown-Up Love". Miami Herald. October 2, 2003.
  13. Gershenson, Gabriella (March 6, 2010), "A Boxed Lunch at Peanut Butter & Co", Edible Manhattan
  14. "Lee Zalben", Money Inc, July 27, 2019
  15. Morabito, Greg (March 2, 2016), "Peanut Butter & Co. Kicks the Bucket, McInnis's SOBE Spat, and More Intel", Eater
  16. "Lee Zalben", Serious Eats
  17. Frattini, Kirsten (November 2, 2011), "Exergy Twenty12 announces full roster", Cycling News
  18. Lee, Allen (July 27, 2019), "10 Things You Didn't Know About Lee Zalben", Money Inc
  19. Elbaum, Rachel (June 17, 2011), "Makeover! Peanut butter sandwiches get wild new look", Today
  20. "Sandwich Paradises". Travel Channel.

40°43′47.5″N 73°59′58.8″W

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