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Zingerman’s co-founder Paul Saginaw to Interview Mario Batali at National Writers Series dinner

NATIONAL WRITERS SERIES TO HOST FOOD NETWORK STAR MARIO BATALI AT OUTDOOR DINNER CELEBRATION AUGUST 14

Traverse City, Mich. – July 22, 2010 – The Traverse City National Writers Series will host Food Network star and award-winning chef Mario Batali on the Historic Front Lawn of the Village at Grand Traverse Commons on August 14 for a spectacular outdoor celebration of food, chefs and restaurants, beer and wine, music and the local culinary culture.

Batali, the zealous and stylish star of Food Network programs including Molto Mario and Ciao America, has become one of the most recognizable chefs in America. With a restaurant empire, several cookbooks, a line of food products, and ubiquitous appearances on television and in print, it is hard to discuss current culinary trends in the U.S. without citing the name of Mario Batali.

The author has published acclaimed cookbooks including “Simple Italian Food,” “Mario Batali Holiday Food,” “The Babbo Cookbook” and “Molto Italiano – 327 Simple Italian Recipes.” Batali was named Man of the Year in the chef category by GQ magazine in 1999, won the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: New York City award in 2002 and was award Outstanding Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation in 2005. The famous orange-clogged chef splits his time with his family between New York City (where he owns and operates several Italian hotspots) and Michigan.

On August 14, Batali returns to his beloved summer community in Northern Michigan to participate in “An Evening with Mario Batali,” scheduled for 5-10 p.m. The event will feature dishes inspired by recipes in Batali’s cookbooks and prepared by chefs representing The Cook’s House and Epicure Catering, as well as world-famous mixologist Bridget Albert (who will create a signature Traverse City cocktail exclusively for the event), renowned magician and MC Billy Harris (of “Magic, Martinis and Mario” fame), and a live interview and interactive audience Q&A with Batali. The evening will close with music and dancing.

Guest host Paul Saginaw, co-owner and founding partner of Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, will interview Batali on stage at the event and facilitate the audience Q&A. Called “the coolest small company in America” by Inc. magazine, Zingerman’s expanded from a single deli started by Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig in 1982 to a multi-business conglomerate centered on a unique operational model of strong commitment to community, great food and service, and a passion for entrepreneurship and people.

Tickets for “An Evening with Mario Batali” go on sale Friday, July 9 online at www.nationalwritersseries.org and www.porterhouseproductions.com. Tickets range from $35-$100 and include two full plates of Batali food entrees (10 recipes total), cash bar, gelato station, live entertainment, an interactive audience Q&A with Batali and access to all event activities. Signed copies of Batali’s cookbooks will be available for purchase at the event.

Net proceeds from TCNWS events, including “An Evening with Mario Batali,” support the National Writers Series and its scholarship fund, which benefits college-bound writing and arts students attending Grand Traverse regional schools. Scholarship winners will have their works published in the Midwest’s best literary review, The Dunes Review, and receive their awards at a special multi-day gala reading event, also featuring nationally prominent writers. The program is currently accepting scholarship applications from junior and senior high school students through July 28.

The National Writers Series, founded by New York Times best-selling author Doug Stanton, Traverse City attorney Grant Parsons and Northern Express writer Anne Stanton, is a year-round book festival in downtown Traverse City, Michigan. The Series is dedicated to bringing to life great conversations with America’s most celebrated writers. Past guests include legendary news anchor Tom Brokaw (“The Greatest Generation”), NYT best-selling author Mary Karr (“Lit”) and acclaimed memoirist Rhoda Janzen (“Mennonite in a Little Black Dress”).

For more information, visit www.nationalwritersseries.org.

Zingerman’s Coffee Company Serves First Espresso at Plaza Drive Shop

Ann Arbor, MI—Following a month after the recent move of their roaster to a new space at 3723 Plaza Drive, Zingerman’s Coffee Company reached a new milestone today with the opening of their shop, three doors down from Zingerman’s Bakehouse. “We doing a very soft rollout. There’s a lot to be done to get the space looking great, but we figured since the espresso machines are up and running, we might as well start serving,” said co-managing partner Steve Mangigian. The space features coffee brewed just a few feet from where it is roasted, and guests can watch the roasters do their work through a large picture window. Alongside a full line of espresso drinks, the shop serves coffee brewed in a number of ways. “We’ve got regular drip, French press, Chemex filtered, pour over, Vietnamese style, and Japanese ice drip,” notes shop manager Anya Pomykala. “And, you can select from up to 12 of our roasts which range in origin from Paupua New Guinea to east Africa to South and Central America.” The Coffee Company also caters to the coffee devotee with a large selection of whole beans and home brewing and barista equipment. Says Coffee Company founder Allen Leibowitz, “We have a lot of great tools and lot of knowledge to share. We want to be the source for coffee geeks in the area.”  Future plans include coffee classes and cuppings open to the public.

Zingerman’s Coffee Company: 3723 Plaza Drive, 734.929.6060.

Retail hours: Monday through Friday, 7am to 6pm and Saturday and Sunday, 7am to 4pm.

For further inquiries or to set up an interview, contact Pete Sickman-Garner, pgarneratzingermansdotcom  (pgarneratzingermansdotcom)  , 734.904.0644.

Zingerman’s Roadhouse Special Dinner Features genwa gaa ezhi-zhitaatowaad gaantaagitowaad Anishinaabeg*

Sept. 18, 2009
for immediate release
contact Pete Sickman-Garner, 734.904.0644 or pgarneratzingermansdotcom  (pgarneratzingermansdotcom)  

2nd Annual Native American Harvest Dinner Explores Anishinaabe Culinary Traditions

Joining Roadhouse Chef Alex Young at this year’s Native American Harvest Dinner will be four University of Michigan professors for a lively and engaging look at dishes of the Anishinaabe, the native peoples of the Michigan Territory. The dinner will take place Tuesday, October 13, at 7pm at Zingerman’s Roadhouse, and the cost is $45 per person. University of Michigan Professors Margaret Noori, Michael Witgen, Howard Kimewon and Philip Deloria will talk about their connections to Native American culture, speak about native foods, and bring the language to life through readings. Guests will even enjoy an Ojibwe language lesson. “We want to build something really special,” notes Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig. “This is something we want to be doing every year, 10, 20 years from now and really build up, in a really fun and engaging way, people’s awareness of and appreciation for the history of where we’re living and for traditions that are still very much alive today.”

Professors Noori and Kimewon, who have worked with local community members and students to create the website, www.ojibwe.net which is a popular resource for speakers and students of the Ojibwe language, says, “I love to see native culture represented as a part of modern American life. It’s nice to see Indians in the Roadhouse. I especially love that Zingerman’s is willing to include Anishinaabemowin and invite detailed extemporaneous discussions rather than reduce native culture to stereotypes and small slices of history.”

James Beard-nominated Chef Young is preparing a five-course meal including starters of Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Fried Hominy, Rabbit Succotash with Puffed Wild Rice Soup, Roasted Duck, Corn Flour Batter Fried Walleye, and Wild Rice Stuffed Pumpkin.

Reservations for the dinner are available by calling the Roadhouse at 734.663.3663 or in person at 2501 Jackson Road at the corner of Jackson and Maple in the Westgate Mall in Ann Arbor. For more information on the event or to request an interview, please contact Pete Sickman-Garner, Zingerman’s Marketing Manager at 734.904.0644 or pgarneratzingermansdotcom  (pgarneratzingermansdotcom)  .

* what the Anishinaabe prepared when they harvested

Zingerman’s Coffee Plans Fall 2009 Move to Plaza Drive in Ann Arbor (8/09)

Move Will Allow New Retail Space and Locate Coffee Co. with Zingerman’s Bakehouse and Creamery

Ann Arbor, MI—Beginning in September, Zingerman’s Coffee Company will pack up their beans and their roaster and move the entire operation to a 6,400 sq ft. space in the Airport Plaza development on Plaza Drive. The move has many benefits for the coffee company. Chief among them is the that their new location will allow them the opportunity to sell coffee to retail customers. Plans are in the works to serve a wide range of coffee drinks as well as to sell beans and equipment. The move also gives the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses an even stronger presence on Ann Arbor’s southside as the Coffee Co. joins Zingerman’s other wholesale producers, the Bakehouse and Creamery, in a ‘manufacturer’s row’ on Plaza Drive. “Locating here was a natural for us,” notes Coffee Co. co-managing partner Steve Mangigian. “The Bakehouse has been selling the bread and pastries they bake on site here for 17 years. We’re excited to have that same kind of presence for our customers; letting them seeing the whole process and buy their beans right where they’re roasted.” The Coffee Company is currently located in the Zingerman’s Mail Order warehouse on Phoenix Drive and will begin moving in mid-September with an aim to be set up for roasting in October. The establishment of a retail operation will happen later in the fall.

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Founded in 2003 as part of the Zingerman’s Community of Businesss, Zingerman’s Coffee Co. is a wholesale roaster supplying cafes, restaurants and businesses. It was started by Allen Leibowitz and the founders of Zingerman’s Delicatessen, Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig. In 2008, Steve Mangigian joined Allen as co-Managing Partner of the business.

Zingerman’s Co-Founder Ari Weinzweig Declares Bacon “The Olive Oil of North America” (6/09)

for immediate release
Contact Pete Sickman-Garner
pgarneratzingermansdotcom
734.904.0644

Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon to hit store
shelves July 2009; Published In-house by Zingerman’s Press

Ari Weinzweig launches into a very popular topic in his latest book, Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon: Stories of Pork Bellies, Hush Puppies, Rock ‘n’ Roll Music and Bacon Fat Mayonnaise. As the subtitle suggests, the author digs deep into the history of bacon and also profiles some of the best artisan bacon makers in the United States including Kentucky’s Allan Benton, Virginia’s Sam Edwards, and Wisconsin’s Tanya Nueske. “Bacon is so integral to the culinary history of this country,” notes Weinzweig. “The roots are so deep in our cooking, I think of it as the olive oil of North America.”

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