Peter Gene Zweigbaum, Bayside Skillet owner and former harness racing trainer, driver, and owner, passed away peacefully at home on October 5, 2026, at the age of 80. Peter was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Sidney and Evelyn (Mettler) Zweigbaum on September 26, 1946. As a youngster Peter enjoyed playing baseball, bowling, exploring with his beagle, Sam, and boating on the Long Island Sound where his family would summer at their East Haven beach cottage. After graduating from Clark University, Peter taught elementary school in Patterson, New Jersey, before pivoting to a career in horse racing. As a trainer, driver, and owner, Peter travelled throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic, racing at Pompano Park, Presque Isle Raceway, Hinsdale Raceway, Rockingham Park, Rosecroft Raceway, Yonkers Raceway, Brandywine Raceway, Freehold Raceway, and Liberty Bell Park Racetrack, among others. As fate would have it, a 1981 trip to Ocean Downs with his heart horse, Bart’s Surprise, led to this New Englander meeting the love of his life, Rebecca Janulewicz (Shmukler), and planting roots in Ocean City.

It was here that Peter began his venture into the restaurant business. Before joining Rebecca at The Bayside Skillet, Peter owned and ran The Boardwalk Gourmet at North Division Street. Through The Boardwalk Gourmet, Peter was the first to bring chocolate covered strawberries to Ocean City. He built a business focused on chocolate dipped fresh fruits, freshly squeezed juices, and fresh fruit frozen drinks. He brought his uncompromising standards to The Bayside Skillet where he transformed the restaurant’s business model by driving to Philadelphia produce markets where he handpicked the restaurant’s fruits and vegetables and created the hand-squeezed-to-order juice bar, which has been a hallmark of The Bayside Skillet for almost 40 years. He truly shined on those busy mornings at the restaurant, where he seemingly simultaneously managed the juice bar, directed parking lot traffic, kept tables turning on the deck, pep-talked the strawberries, and entertained waiting customers (for only 5-7 minutes, of course). Along the way, Peter touched so many lives. He was a mentor to local and international employees alike and made lifelong friendships with many regular customers.

As a husband and father, Peter will be remembered as an amazing listener, for his incredible patience, and for always having a good, long anecdote to share. He was the most well-read person we know. He retained an unbelievable amount of knowledge, particularly about history and baseball, and he loved to joke around and whistle or sing a tune. As a family we will miss the countless game nights when Peter would trounce us in Boggle, the nights at the track, and listening to tales from Peter’s youth. We will be forever grateful for the holiday, vacation, and sports memories…especially Peter’s devotion to coaching his kids’ sports teams.

In the ‘80s and ‘90s Peter coached his children and hundreds of kids in the Worcester County, Maryland, community in Ocean City Recreation League sports (baseball, basketball, and soccer). He carpooled as many kids as he could to every game and some of the best times were when he took the kids out to postgame dinners. His coaching set an example for all of us to follow. Regardless of size, skill, or experience he included everyone in the game plan. His fairness left a lasting impression on his own children, players, and parents alike.

Arguably though, those who knew Peter well may remember him best for his kindness and love of animals (to include most insect species). He donated generously to wildlife, cat and horse rescues. Many a lucky kitty chose Peter and Becky’s home as theirs…six strays to be exact. He was proud of the bonds he built with his horses and enjoyed showcasing their mutual trust through his mouth-to-mouth carrot transfer trick. Peter also had countless “unofficial” pets, including the squirrels he fed at home, the turtles he protected in the Skillet parking lot and Dion, the red-winged black bird, that would greet him every morning on the Skillet deck for a chat and a bird-sized omelette.

Most recently, Peter’s focus was on his three-year-old granddaughter, Jackie. He made her belly laugh with funny faces, taught her songs from “back in the day” (a favorite being the Chordettes’ Lollipop song) and spent days teaching Jackie about the plants and creatures found on the marshy shoreline. She was his number one helper in managing the phragmite population and honestly, we hope she retained enough information to train the rest of us in how to keep up with his project.

Peter is survived by his wife of 44 years, Rebecca; his children, Jennifer (Tara), Matthew, and Sidney (Allison); and his granddaughter, Jackie. A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a future date. While flowers are beautiful, the family suggests that donations be made to Standardbred Retirement Foundation at Standardbred Retirement Foundation | New Jersey | AdoptaHorse.org to honor Peter’s memory.