obitoftheday:

Obit of the Day: Top “Dog”

George Papalexis loved hot dogs. He ate them four to five times a week and a prominent side dish on the Papalexis Thanksgiving table was “franks and beans.” This should come as no suprise since Mr. Papalexis was president of the company which manufactures Sabrett hot dogs. For those who know New York hot dogs there are three brands of significance: Nathan’s Famous Franks, Hebrew National and Sabrett. The first two have gone national but Sabrett remains a regional legend.

Sabrett, which was founded in 1926, made its name through the ubiquitous carts dotting Manhattan. Papalexis, who originally ran a bakery that made hot dog buns before purchasing Sabrett in 1989, increased marketing of the frankfurter in the New York opening stores where you could purchase Sabrett hot dogs, chili sauce, sauerkraut, and onions in sauce. (OOTD highly recommends a dog with brown mustard, sauerkraut and onions. Trust me.) Sabrett’s are the hot dogs served at both New York’s famous Papaya King and Gray’s Papaya, and is the base of the “Papaya Dog,” from Gray’s which was named the best hot dog in NY by Time Out New York in 2006.

Mr. Papalexis was 86 years old.

(Image is copyright of Marty After Dark which has great site featuring shots of NYC at night.)

h/t to my brother, Matt