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, pgarner@zingermans.com, 734.904.0644.

Sept. 18, 2009
for immediate release
contact Pete Sickman-Garner, 734.904.0644 or pgarner@zingermans.com

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 pgarner@zingermans.com.

* what the Anishinaabe prepared when they harvested

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.

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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.”

Weinzweig takes readers on a trip from medieval England, where bacon was used to promote matrimonial harmony, to the 19th-century drovers who were crucial to the hog trade of the early American nation, to modern blues singer and big bacon lover, Andre Williams. Ari also details how bacon moved from a farm staple to a huge-selling but flavorless commodity and how dedicated craftspeople are bringing back traditional curing methods today. In detailed tasting notes of his favorite bacons, Ari carefully lays out what makes one bacon different from the next, and, in the recipes section, shows readers how to take advantage of the different flavors in everyday cooking.

Going into the writing, Ari was fully aware of the challenges of taking on such a hot topic. “My reasons for delving into the bacon world don’t really have much to do with its present-day popularity. In July of 2008, New York Magazine was already wondering, ‘When will the anti-bacon backlash come?’ What fascinates me about bacon isn’t the latest trend but old-time taste, tradition and technique.”

While his bacon book might run counter to the “hot-topic” treatment bacon is currently enjoying, Weinzweig has also chosen an alternative publishing model for this book, producing it in-house under the imprint Zingerman’s Press. The Press, run by Jillian Downey, is a new venture for Zingerman’s and plans to publish a limited number of books annually. “We are focusing on a long-term, sustainable publishing model with books that help deliver the Zingerman’s experience to readers whether they are about food or business or any topic that fits with the Zingerman’s mission,” Downey notes. “We will publish books that have a long shelf-life, so to speak.”

Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon is illustrated by Zingerman’s award-winning art department and includes over 42 recipes, encouraging readers to put their new-found bacon expertise to use in the kitchen right away.

$29.99  |  ISBN 10: 0964-89564-1 | ISBN 13: 978-0-964-89564-5
Printed, bound, and warehoused locally, in southeastern Michigan.

Zingerman’s unique business model measures success based on three bottom lines: food quality, service quality and financial results. “Having service as one of our bottom lines sends a meaningful message to everyone in our organization that we are committed to walking our  talk,” Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig notes in his book Zingerman’s Guide to Giving Great Service: Treating Your Customers Like Royalty. He adds, “Our success and steady growth over the years are a testament to the fact that our customer service training and systems really do work.”

“Zingerman’s 5 Steps to Effectively Handling a Complaint”  features actual Zingerman’s employees in Ann Arbor, MI sharing their own experiences and describing a step-by-step service recipe guaranteed take the stress out of one of the most challenging encounters in customer service.

What Are Zingerman’s 5 Steps To Effectively Handling A Complaint?
1. Acknowledge
2. Sincerely apologize
3. Take action to make things right
4. Thank the guest
5. Document the complaint

This new disc is the companion to the  “Zingerman’s 3 Steps to Giving Great Service” training DVD.  Together the DVDs share core customer service concepts from ZingTrain’s bestselling “The Art of Giving Great Service” seminar  which teaches business leaders how to incorporate great service into every single element of their organizational activities.

Here’s what customers have to say about Zingerman’s training DVDs:
“As a small, seasonal business owner, I really appreciate your training DVDs. Last year, I showed it to my employees at the start of our busy season, and we saw an 18% increase in sales! Every time I hire new people, I show the ‘Zingerman’s 3 Steps to Giving Great Service’ training DVD, and ask all of my existing staff to watch again. It’s the best tool I’ve found to encourage great service.” Diane Riehm, Riehm Farms, Tiffin, OH

“Just wanted to let you know that we recently purchased the ’5 Steps to Effectively Handling a Complaint’ video and have incorporated it immediately into our customer service training for our front line staff.  The feedback we received from them was that it was an excellent lesson and that they found it to be very useful.  We are starting to see noticeable improvements in service delivery and our internal recognition board has more thank you notes on it than ever.” Perry Spencer, University of Michigan Hospital Security

Order “Zingerman’s 5 Steps to Effectively Handling a Complaint” for the introductory price of $250, (retail price: $350) and receive free UPS Ground shipping AND a free sourcream coffeecake. Pair it with ZingTrain’s first training DVD, “Zingerman’s 3 Steps to Giving Great Service,” for the bundle price of $500 – a $700 value.  (The 3 Steps DVD is available individually for $350.)  Introductory pricing is available through July 31, 2009. For more info and clips visit http://zingtrain.com/trainingvideos.php

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ZingTrain shares the “Zingerman’s experience” with forward-thinking organizations from around the world. ZingTrain’s managing partners, Maggie Bayless and Stas’ Kazmierski, use their experience in training and organizational change to help clients understand and apply the real-life systems, tools and techniques used at Zingerman’s, helping clients make meaningful, bottom-line-enhancing changes in their own organizations. ZingTrain, shares Zingerman’s expertise in training, service, merchandising, specialty foods, open book finance and staff management with the public through seminars and customized workshops.

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The Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB) is a family of seven businesses all located in the Ann Arbor area and reflects the novel strategy for business growth created by Zingerman’s Deli founders Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig. Rather than replicating their deli through the franchise model, Paul and Ari instead chose to develop new, independent businesses, all rooted in our local community that work together as one organization.

Each business is operated by one or more managing partners who share ownership and put their particular expertise to work in the day to day running of their business. The idea for the ZCoB was laid out in Zingerman’s 2009 vision, written by Ari and Paul in 1994 and highlighted in Bo Burlingham’s 2003 article for Inc. Magazine, “The Coolest Small Company in America.” In 2006, the ZCoB managing partners began work on Zingerman’s 2020 vision. It was completed a year later and paints a picture of the ZCoB at the end of the next decade. Zingerman’s 2020 vision was featured in a New York Times article from June 2007, “The Corner Deli that Dared to Break Out of the Neighborhood.”

The history of Greek-Jewish cuisine in the United States began in Spain where Sephardic Jews, persecuted by the Inquisition, fled and settled in Salonika in Greece and adapted their cooking to the local ways. For many centuries, Salonika was a model for diversity, where different ethnic and religious groups lived together. While Greek and Turkish politics are usually presented in the context of conflict, there are many overlaps between the two very important and interesting cuisines; the cooking of the Jews of Salonika includes both influences, but blended in a unique-to-the-food-world way that also includes the heavy influence of Spain. However, the story takes another tragic turn there as the Jewish population in Salonika was devastated by the Nazi regime. A sizeable population of Jews from the area escaped and settled in the U.S., bringing with them their complex and flavorful history.

This event incorporates many of the traditional dishes the Sephardic Jews brought from Greece, prepared with an American twist. Menu items include Stuffed Grape Leaves, Semolina-Olive Bread, Egg-Lemon-Rice Soup, Roasted Lamb & Fideikos (Macaroni & Feta), Sponge, Ameretti, Spoon Sweets & Nuts and more, prepared with the finest, and where possible, local ingredients, for a rich, full-flavored culinary experience.

For more information on the culinary and cultural history of the Sephardic Jews in Salonika, read please Ari Weinzweig’s essay at www.zingermansroadhouse.com.

Seats for this special dinner (no. 72 in the long-running special dinner series at the Roadhouse) are $45 and reservations can be made by calling 734. 663.3663. For more information contact Courtney Ceronsky, Zingerman’s Marketing Coordinator, at 734.904.0562 or cceronsky@zingermans.com

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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.

Ann Arbor, MI—To mark the historic inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, Zingerman’s Creamery has created “Baracky Road” gelato and is shipping nationwide beginning Monday, January 12 at www.zingermans.com. Baracky Road is the brainchild of gelato-maker Josh Miner, who “just wanted to find some way to mark the occasion and, given President-elect Obama’s well-known taste for good food, I thought this was appropriate.”

Based on traditional Rocky Road, the gelato is made Sicilian-style with Michigan milk and cream, butter roasted Virginia peanuts, chocolate chips (made at the Creamery from Callebaut and Valrhona chocolates), dulce de leche from Argentina and handmade marshmallows from Zingerman’s Bakehouse. Asked whether he’d try to get some of the gelato into the new President’s hands, Miner was hopeful but realistic. “I’m a Chicago native and have had the pleasure of meeting the Obama family on many occasions. I’d love to get his feedback, but I don’t imagine gelato is the first thing on his mind right now. We just wanted to have some fun with it.”

Miner also noted the paradox in celebrating the new administration with something that recalls “rocky road.” “It wasn’t intentional,” he notes “but, given the shape of the country, it’s a pretty fair description of what’s facing his administration.”

Baracky Road is available to ship nationwide in limited quantities from www.zingermans.com or by calling 888-636-8162. Six 12-ounce cups are $75. It is also available in Ann Arbor at Zingerman’s Creamery, 3711 Plaza Drive (734.929.0500), Zingerman’s Delicatessen, 422 Detroit Street (734.663.3354) and Zingerman’s Roadhouse, 2501 Jackson Road (734.663.3663).

For more information or for photos and packaging samples contact Pete Sickman-Garner, Marketing Manager, 734.904.0644 or pgarner@zingermans.com.

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Zingerman’s Creamery was founded in 2001 by John Loomis as Southeast Michigan’s only artisanal cheesemaker. They have won several awards for their cheeses from the American Cheese Society, and their cream cheese has been hailed by the New York Times (“This Cheese Stands Alone.”). The Creamery brought a traditional Sicilian gelato machine over from Italy and began selling gelato out of their shop and at other Zingerman’s businesses. The gelato has been voted Best in Southeast Michigan by the Detroit’s Metro Times in both 2007 and 2008. Currently, Zingerman’s Creamery gelato is available at all Zingerman’s locations and select retailers in Southeast Michigan.

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 pgarner@zingermans.com.

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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.

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 pgarner@zingermans.com.

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 pgarner@zingermans.com. For more information about Taylor Shellfish Farms, go to www.taylorshellfishfarms.com.