For immediate release
Contact Pete Sickman-Garner, [email protected], 734.904.0644

African Americans in the White House Dinner Highlights the Influence of Black Chefs on the Presidential Table

The day after Barack Obama is inaugurated as America’s 44th President, Zingerman’s Roadhouse will look back at the culinary history of the White House and the prominent role that African American cooking has played there. At the 4th annual African-American dinner, special guest Adrian Miller will discuss the influences of black chefs both in the White House kitchens and on the campaign trail and Chef Alex Young has developed a menu that highlights the blending of presidential preferences with foodways that have their roots in African cooking. Also, featured are exclusive desserts from Zingerman’s Bakehouse developed especially for this occasion.

“I’m especially excited to have Adrian here,” notes Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig. “We met through the Southern Foodways Association and he’s taught us so much over the years about the history of African American cooking.” The menu includes a crab and sausage gumbo developed by Hercules, the enslaved chef of George Washington, Dolley Johnson’s Devilled Almonds and Jefferson’s favorite macaroni pudding. From the Bakehouse come Jumbles, an unusual caraway and rosewater cookie popular at Christmas and taken from Martha Washington’s Rules for Cooking and Maple Hickory Nut Meringues made during the Coolidge administration

Zingerman’s Roadhouse hosted their first dinner celebrating African American culinary heritage in 2005 and have made it an annual event most recently featuring Sallie Ann Robinson and the history of Gullah cooking in 2007. Reservations for the $45 dinner on January 21st at 7pm are available at 734.663.3663.

For more information on the event, contact Pete Sickman-Garner, 734.904.0644 or [email protected].

*   *   *

Adrian Miller is former Special Assistant to President Clinton and is currently Senior Policy Advisor to Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr.  His experience in law has taken him from Washington D.C. to Denver Colorado and on the campaign trail in an informal role supporting Democratic initiatives, candidates and ultimately, President-Elect Obama. His passion for food leads him to spend his free time as a certified barbecue judge for the Kansas City Barbecue Society, and as a board member for the Southern Foodways Alliance, an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the diverse food cultures of the American South. He’s currently writing a history of soul food in America.

Zingerman’s Roadhouse, part of the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, is a full-service restaurant established in the old Bill Knapp’s building on Ann Arbor’s west side in 2003 and features a full range of traditional American foods along with a full bar specializing in small batch bourbon and the finest American beer and wine. Roadhouse chef Alex Young has been nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in the Midwest in 2007 and 2008. Zingerman’s founders Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw were awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Bon Appetit in 2007.

Zingermans.com Announces Limited-time Gelato Shipping Across the Country

Ann Arbor, MI—Once only available at Zingerman’s business in Ann Arbor and select retailers in Southeast Michigan, Zingerman’s Creamery gelato will be available for shipping across the country at zingermans.com. The limited time offer will extend through the holiday season. “It’s been a frequent request from our customers on the phone,” notes Zingerman’s Mail Order managing partner Mo Frechette. Adds gelato-maker Josh Miner, “We’re still making it in the same small batches but we’ve ramped up production to meet online holiday demand though the quantities are extremely limited.”

Made from fresh Calder Dairy milk (one of the last farmstead dairies in Michigan), Zingerman’s Creamery gelato features the same hard to find, top shelf ingredients that have distinguished Zingerman’s as a specialty food retailer for a quarter century including Mexican vanilla, Scharffen Berger chocolate, organic demerara sugar, dulce de leche from Argentina and coffee from Zingerman’s Coffee Company. The gelato is made in the traditional Sicilian style using equipment brought over from Italy by the Creamery.

For more information, contact Pete Sickman-Garner at 734.904.0644 or [email protected].

For immediate release
Contact: Pete Sickman-Garner, 734.904.0644

Expert Jon Rowley from Taylor Shellfish Will Discuss Oysters and Bring
Champion Totten Inlet Virginicas from Washington for the Event

Zingerman’s Roadhouse pairs up with Jon Rowley, one of the nation’s leading oyster experts, to share a special dinner featuring West Coast Oysters on Tuesday, Dec 9 at 7pm. Taylor Shellfish Farms in Washington state produces four kinds of oysters including the Totten Inlet Virginicas which recently placed first in flavor at the East Coast Shellfish Growers 2008 Invitational Oyster Challenge in Providence, R.I. Roadhouse Chef Alex Young has crafted a menu which reflects the nuanced flavor of each oyster and the event will also include a raw oyster bar, where guests can watch oysters being shucked, taste the distinct flavors of each, and talk to oyster experts.

Rowley, author of Art of Eating an Oyster and organizer of the Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition, will provide many varieties including the Totten Inlet Virginicas, recent winners of a spot in the holiday auction at the James Beard Foundation Gala in New York City, and Olympia oysters which are very hard to find in the Midwest. Roadhouse bar manager Jason Spaulding has worked with Rowley to select two wines to pair with the raw oyster bar. Featured will be Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris and Dry Creek Vineyard Fume Blanc. Also on hand is special guest Claire Seelig, local ten-year-old oyster aficionado, who will share her love of eating oysters.

Cost for the dinner is $45 and reservations are available at 734.663.3663 or at Zingerman’s Roadhouse, 2501 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor. For more information on the event contact Pete Sickman-Garner, 734.904.0644 or [email protected]. For more information about Taylor Shellfish Farms, go to www.taylorshellfishfarms.com.

For immediate release
December 3, 2008
For information contact: Ann Agler
[email protected]
734.930.1919

Business leaders from across the country come to Ann Arbor to learn about the system that has Zingerman’s Community of Businesses forecasting a $2.5 million increase in sales over last year – despite facing the most challenging economy in decades.

Taught by subject-matter experts from throughout the organization, including Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzwieg and Vice President of Administration Ron Maurer, ZingTrain’s exclusive “Fun, Flavorful Finance” seminar reveals all the details of Zingerman’s common sense, open book approach to operating the organization. This program is guaranteed to provide tools to reduce leadership stress and help businesses create an environment where all staff  are committed to, and deliver on, improving financial performance.

“Open book finance is one of the two or three keys to creating a great and enduring business and a culture that attracts and keeps the best people around,” notes Bo Burlingham, editor-at-large of Inc. magazine and author of Small Giants: Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead of Big. “Never has open book finance been more important than right now, when you need the brains of everyone in your organization to ride out the rough economy and make sure you emerge from it stronger than ever.” He adds, “This seminar should be at the top of every company’s list of can’t-miss training courses. Once you implement what you learn here, your only regret will be that you didn’t do it sooner.”

Zingerman’s Community of Businesses first became acquainted with open book finance in the mid 1990s when co-founder Ari Weinzweig read contemporary business experts Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham’s insightful book on the subject, The Great Game of Business.  Zingerman’s has now been practicing open book finance for over a decade, adapting an approach that is designed to help manage through all kinds of circumstances, including the current economic turmoil.

In the open book system, an organization’s entire staff participates in the financial workings of the business. Staff members don’t just passively see the numbers — they’re actively involved in managing them and are responsible for results. Huge surprises are avoided and when the numbers aren’t great, everyone can make informed decisions to help improve the financial bottom-line.

“When it’s done well, open book management is about teaching everyone here how business really works and then about actively involving them in the running of that business,” explains Weinzweig. “We see the difference in our finances, and also in the way people here feel about their work.  If you ask most any of our staff about how ‘being open book’ alters the way they respond to the economic challenges of this time, they’re going to pretty likely say something like, ‘If things aren’t good, we all know. And then we can all work together to get back on track.’”

Upcoming sessions of ZingTrain’s 2-day Fun, Flavorful Finance seminar are scheduled for  March 9-10, 2009 and May 18-19, 2009. Cost for each session is $945 and seating is limited. Call 734.930.1919 or go to www.zingtrain.com to reserve space.

Publicly Offered 2-Day Seminar Offers 5-year Food Safety Certification

With an inaugural Serv-Safe seminar on December 1-2, Zingerman’s is expanding their line-up of training programs first launched by ZingTrain in 1994 to share the best practices of the Ann Arbor delicatessen. Led by Zingerman’s Mail Order founder Jude Walton, the two-day class will lead students through the nation’s premier food safety training and certification program in the country. Successful completion of the seminar and exam leads to a 5 year certification in food safety, recognized by all local health authorities as meeting the requirement for food safety management training. The ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) – Conference for Food Protection (CFP).

As the instructor, Jude Walton, notes “The truth about safe food handling is that with the right procedures and knowledge, foodborne illnesses are completely preventable. What’s great about the ServSafe program in particular is the detailed approach and focus on practical skills, giving you the tools you need to ensure a safe food supply. Blend that with Zingerman’s love of great food and fun, and it’s a truly great combination!”

By the end of the seminar participants will:

•    Sit the official ServSafe examination, which leads to a 5 year nationally recognized food safety certification
•    Be able to identify how contaminants and microorganisms enter the food supply and how to prevent it from happening
•    Have worked with real world examples to put their knowledge into use
•    Have learned practical tools and procedures to ensure the safe handling, production and service of food

The seminars are held at Zingerman’s Southside offices at 3756 Plaza Drive. The easy access location has ample free parking, and rooms perfectly suited to accommodate seminars from 8 to 40 people.
The seminars will be held on a regular basis, approximately six times per year, with dates listed in the Chamber of Commerce business calendar, and online at www.ZingTrain.com. Custom seminar sessions are also available.
Please call ZingTrain at 734.930.1919 or visit www.ZingTrain.com for more information and for easy online registration.

ServSafe Seminar Outline of Topics Covered and Key Features
Sanitation
Managers will learn the dangers of foodborne illness, how to prevent it and the keys to food safety. They’ll see where contamination starts, the components for good personal hygiene, and how every employee can be a safe foodhandler.
The Flow of Food Through the Operation
Managers will discover how to prevent cross-contamination, and how to utilize time and temperature control effectively. They’ll get the inside story on safe receiving, food storage, preparation and serving, and cooling and reheating. They’ll also learn how taking active managerial control of critical foodborne illness risk factors makes all the difference for a safe operation.
Sanitary Facilities and Pest Management
Managers will cover all aspects of cleaning and sanitation in a practical, applicable manner. They’ll also learn about pest management, and how to keep pests out of the operation.
Key features of the seminar include:
•    Staying current with the latest updates to the FDA Food Code
•    Understand complicated foodborne pathogen information through simplified microbiology charts
•    Identify and convey where key local codes may apply with the “How This Relates to Me” tool
•    Learn from experience with segment-specific, real world scenarios that bring lessons to life
•    Prepare for ANSI-CFP accredited exams
•
By the end of the seminar participants will:

1)    Sit the official ServSafe examination, which leads to a 5 year nationally recognized food safety certification
2)    Be able to identify how contaminants and microorganisms enter the food supply and how to prevent it from happening
3)    Have worked with real world examples to put their knowledge into use
4)    Have learned practical tools and procedures to ensure the safe handling, production and service of food