Photo by Heather Nash Photography

Tabitha Mason on the Magic of Zingerman’s & Cornman Farms

Tabitha Mason is the co-managing partner of Zingerman’s Cornman Farms, located in Dexter, Michigan. I spoke with Tabitha about her 10 years on the farm, and topics near and dear to her heart, from open-book management to magical wedding moments. Whether or not you’ve ever had the distinct pleasure of meeting this enthusiastic entrepreneur, prepare to be inspired by her sincere approach to giving great service, treating guests like family, and creating memorable experiences for all.

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Sara: Where did your career begin before you came to Ann Arbor?
Tabitha: I grew up in Frankenmuth, MI, an hour and a half north of Ann Arbor. I spent 16 years working at Bavarian Inn, a 1,200-seat German restaurant. Most of my time there was spent in catering-front-of-house. When I was going to college, I moved into sales and then created our off-premise catering division.

Sara: How were you introduced to Zingerman’s?
Tabitha: I have been a lifelong Zingerman’s fan. I would drive down from Frankenmuth with family or friends and go to the Deli. We’d buy all the things we needed to picnic at home and head back up north. I was always really impressed with the phenomenal food, but what was equally impressive was how I would get consistently great service.

Sara: Tell us about your path to working at Zingerman’s.
Tabitha: When my daughter graduated from high school, my husband John and I had this window to evaluate what we might want to do differently. I had seen a posting for the restaurant manager position at Zingerman’s Roadhouse. I had already met Alex, former chef and partner, and Ari, Zingerman’s co-founder,  at a wine dinner there. So I applied on a whim.

I really wanted to see what Zingerman’s was doing. I felt like they must have been attracting a different kind of applicant since everyone was giving such great service. I wasn’t feeling that where I was in my role managing people. When interviewing, I kind of went on a super secret mission to see what they were doing there. I discovered a few things. I realized that they were being really upfront about job expectations, including giving great service in all roles.

In my interview process for restaurant manager, a role in which I would be managing other managers, we talked a lot about servant leadership and giving service to staff. I was asked to demonstrate examples of strong relationships I’d maintained with people in other departments, like back of the house—I liked that a lot. They offered me the job. To John’s credit, he’s an incredibly supportive husband who really just wants me to be happy. I took the job and we moved our family to Washtenaw County in 2011. 

Sara: How did you make the move from the Roadhouse to Cornman Farms?
Tabitha: The Roadhouse is where I met Kieron [Editor’s note: Kieron Hales is Tabitha’s co-manager partner and the chef at the farm]. I was running the front of the house when he was running the back of the house. We both felt fiercely protective of our teams and what we were doing. So that meant that we would butt heads over what was the right thing to do or what was the right decision for the restaurant. I think that it helped us build an incredible working relationship. I think that we know each other, truly. We drive each other crazy, but we also have a lot of respect for each other.

Kieron wrote this vision for a business at Cornman Farms. He really saw it as a canning and jarring business. That’s what he wanted to do, jar green tomato chutney and other British concoctions. But that wasn’t going to pay the bills, So this idea of an event venue on a beautiful piece of land where people could see where the food comes from and how much work goes into it was born. It was really appealing to him. And to me, there’s no greater day to give someone great service than on their wedding day.

I had left the Roadhouse and was working at Zingerman’s Service Network as the service steward. My job was to teach, measure, reward, and define service at an organizational level. I also provided a lot of support for the farm when they opened. Setting up new systems, hiring and training staff, and things like that. I believed so strongly as I saw it come together that it was going to be successful. That’s when I was like, okay, I want you to take my money. Let’s go. I worked as an employee for a few years while I worked on my Zingerman’s Path to Partnership and became a co-managing partner in 2017.

The Farmhouse at Cornman Farms

Sara: What aspect of this business do you find the most rewarding?
Tabitha: My favorite thing we at Zingerman’s do is open book management. I think that there are a lot of places in the world that are really focusing on great service, regardless of industry. I think it used to be a huge differentiator for us. Now I feel like people expect great service everywhere, but open book management isn’t something that you see a lot in the world at large.

My husband was running a brewery when we lived in Frankenmuth. I had gone on a business trip to Salt Lake City and John called me and said, “I’ve been driving around for hours trying to psych myself up to make this phone call.” Never a great way for a conversation to start. He said he went to work and the doors were padlocked. This restaurant that he was running, where we were at the owner’s house regularly, closed without any warning. We had just bought a house and I was pregnant with our first son. We didn’t know what open-book management was then, but I knew immediately that we never wanted to experience that level of uncertainty again. And so when I discovered that element of Zingerman’s, I was like, this is what I’ve been looking for. I love working with employees and helping them see what goes into running a business.

When I worked at the Roadhouse, there was a server we hired (she’s still there) who came to huddle after serving for decades around Ann Arbor, and asked questions like: “We spend how much on labor? What is the food cost?” It changes how people see things and it helps them understand their role. I think that the more information we share, the better. It can be a challenge. People have to want to be involved, rather than simply do a job and go home. I really love open-book management.

Sara: Tell me about your new role on the Zingerman’s Stewardship Council.
Tabitha: I’m so excited. This five-member group, created in 2020, thinks about the governance of the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses as the founders used to do. With Paul retired and Ari a little less involved in the day-to-day, the Stewardship Council was created as part of succession planning. I really wanted to be a part of it. I applied for two reasons. One, I believe that when we’re sort of uncomfortable and learning, growth and great things happen. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken on something new. I feel like I’m good at what I do in the day-to-day, but I do know that you have to have some grit in order to continue to grow. I don’t want to be complacent in my role.

And two, I looked at it as a chance to participate. I wouldn’t want to own a business in any other organization. I never saw myself as an entrepreneur. I came from a family where women didn’t work. The idea that I was going to work outside of the home was already radical, so owning a business never crossed my mind growing up. Zingerman’s guiding principles, our commitments to the community, what we commit to doing for staff, and the things that we make and do, are really inspiring to me. I hold that dear.

The Red Barn at Cornman Farms

Sara: How does Cornman Farms give back to the Dexter and Washtenaw County communities?
Tabitha: Our very first event at the farm was a fundraiser for Mott Children’s Hospital. So from the very first thing we did as a new business, we knew that being a part of the community was important to us. I had little kids at the time and Kieron was starting a family, so it was an easy cause for us to get behind, supporting this great resource we have right in our own backyard. We have a decade-long relationship with Mott to this day, particularly with the pediatric cardiology doctors. They were already friends of Zingerman’s and became really great friends of the farm, too. We’ve hosted numerous events for them from small dinners to annual fundraisers like Caden’s Full Throttle, a car show and auction.

We support a variety of other causes that are important to us such as Ellie’s Place, Garrett’s Space, Planned Parenthood, Food Gatherers, Merit’s FATE program, and the Red Shoe Foundation for Ronald McDonald House. We host events like Cook for a Cause where groups can come to the farm. Someone from the non-profit will come and talk to the group about the services the organization provides, and then together we will make meals to donate to the people those organizations serve. It’s really one of my favorite things that we do.

This year was the 10th anniversary of the Dexter Community Fund, which is part of the Ann Arbor Community Foundation. We reached out to them to offer our support and held a fundraiser for them, since we were both turning 10! 

Sara: As you just shared, you celebrated Corman Farms’ 10th year in business this past summer! What is the biggest change about the farm over those 10 years?
Tabitha: When we opened, same-sex marriage wasn’t legal. In 2014, every wedding that came here had a bride, so the room upstairs in the farmhouse was called the bridal suite. In 2024, because not every wedding has a bride and not every wedding has a groom, it’s now known as the dressing room.

When people call and say, “Do you have this date available? Here is my budget. P.S. It’s a same-sex marriage. Is that going to be a problem?” That breaks my heart. No one should have to ask that. I’m personally proud of the growth in how we changed language and imagery at the farm so everyone feels included. People can see themselves on our website and social media, regardless of what they look like or who they’re marrying.

Photo by Lola Grace Photography

Sara: What’s different about you 10 years later?
Tabitha: The pandemic really forced me to evaluate life and what I wanted to do. After 2020, we decided to close the farm one day a week. That way there was at least one day we could all schedule appointments and just have a day off. That was also when we started shifting to smaller events. Someone who’s looking to have a 20-person wedding and is very focused on a different type of experience—that is the kind of place I want to be. I want our culture to be safe and loving and supportive for employees and for guests. 

Sara: Tell me about your vision for the future of Cornman Farms.
Tabitha: I love the idea of us continuing to get better and better at the finer details. I think that the first 10 years were figuring out how to get really good at the service, the event, the wedding, the food. And now what we’re focusing on are all of these little tweaks that make a difference. Like finding out what would be meaningful to a guest, so that when they come on our property, they feel like they’re being doted on and their needs are anticipated.

Sara: What’s the biggest change from the vision you wrote before opening?
Tabitha: The vision is what success looks like without a lot of the “how” you’re going to get there. We wrote in our vision we were going to hold these large, 300 to 400-person events. As the business evolved over 10 years, we found that what we really wanted to do, and what people were asking for, were smaller events. After feedback from guests on their experience, reflecting on what we enjoy, and what made for a better work experience for our staff, we scaled back. We sold our big outdoor tent. Now we’re focused exclusively on offering intimate weddings, which we define as 75 or fewer guests. But we still do weddings six days a week.

Sara: That is always surprising to me, I’m sure others might be surprised by it too. Tell us more about weddings on weekdays.
Tabitha: Yeah, I think Thursday is probably our most popular day of the week to have a wedding! The majority of our couples don’t live here in Washtenaw County. They’re already traveling, or their friends and family are already traveling, and midweek weddings are a lower-cost offering. It’s a really great value if you have the flexibility. 

We had a wedding this past Monday for 14 people. The grooms both live in California, but one of their moms lives here in Michigan and wasn’t up to traveling. So they did a destination wedding—destination Dexter! They flew in on Saturday, picnicked with us on Sunday, and then came back on Monday for the ceremony and reception. They all arrived together, got ready together, had a beautiful ceremony, a really special meal, and then they all went up to northern Michigan for what they called a “familymoon.” We have found that the day of the week doesn’t matter, it’s the marriage that matters, which I love to see. It’s less about the party and more about the life they’re starting. You can do that on any day of the week.

Photo by Jill DeVries Photography

Sara: When you think of Cornman Farms, what are you most proud of to be a part of?
Tabitha: I find it incredibly humbling that people choose us to host their wedding because it makes us part of their story forever. I have made lifelong friends and am even a godmother to a baby whose moms got married here. The relationships we build here are deep and special.

Sara: How many events did you host last year?
Tabitha: We host about 200 events every year, always with the goal of making every event feel like they’re the only one at the farm that year. Last year, 143 of those events were weddings. 

Sara: What does it take to be a great wedding planner?
Tabitha: There are so many places where you can get married, and am honored when someone chooses the farm. Wedding planning is a little bit of therapy, expertise, art, and science mixed together. Every couple’s needs are different. Couples often come to us with unexpressed expectations or expectations they don’t realize that they have. I love helping them figure out what’s important to them and how we can make it happen. 

Sara: What trends are you seeing in weddings for 2024 and 2025?
Tabitha: The trends around wedding timing and decor are all gone—anything goes. Today, it’s all about the couples, and creating a personalized and aligned experience. Years ago, we used to have this belief, that people were choosing small weddings because they had a smaller budget. What we’re seeing now is that people are having smaller weddings because they want to have a very specific experience. You can have 14 people and spend a thousand dollars a person and give them this really remarkable experience that they’ll talk about forever.

People care more than ever about the values of who they’re working with. We communicate how we support the LGBTQ+ community because even cis-gendered people want to know that where they’re spending their money and the vendors they’re choosing are in line with them as people. We get asked questions that we were never asked before, such as “How do you train staff on inclusivity?” 

We’re also seeing no more rules about titles and roles in the wedding. You can have anyone stand up in your wedding party regardless of gender, you can have an uneven number of people in the wedding party, you can have no wedding party. And also, the food is really important, it used to be what’s pretty and now people care more about what it is going to taste like.

Photo by Marina Goldi Photography

Sara: Thinking back on all the weddings you’ve planned, I know each one is unique, but what is that one magical moment that they all have in common?
Tabitha: I am a boy mom so it always gets me when a groom dances with someone special to him at the reception. I can’t help but imagine my own boys 15 or 20 years in the future. That gets me every time.

I also really love the moment when the couple comes in right after they’ve gotten married, the wedding party still behind them. They come into the farmhouse or the barn after the ceremony. I get to see this sort of private moment that no one else gets to experience. They’re looking at each other and they’re just so happy. I think that’s a really special moment.

Sara: What’s the farthest a couple has traveled to be married in Dexter?
Tabitha: We regularly have couples from California and Texas. We’ve hit nearly every state, except for Hawaii and Alaska. That’s where I was born so I would be very excited to talk to someone from Alaska. The farthest a couple has ever had us travel is to Gunturstorff, Austria! We catered a wedding there for a couple who lives in Chicago. That was really fun and definitely the most mileage in Cornman Farms history.

Sara: Does your relationship with a client stop after the wedding is over?
Tabitha: Not at all. Sometimes it can, but for couples who want to build a connection that’s something that we really excel at. That’s part of the reason why we do our food pop-ups, like, fish and chips, Thanksgiving to-go, and picnics. Those events give families a chance to come back to the farm. This past summer at our Sunday picnics we had a mix of couples who’ve gotten married here (some with their kids!), couples who were thinking about getting married here, and some who had just booked. I love that I can stay in touch with people this way all these years later.

Photo by Captured by Kelsey

Sara: Inquiring minds want to know, how are the goats?
Tabitha: The goats are happy and healthy, but they don’t live here anymore. They live around the corner at another farm now. Couples can still request goats for photos.

Sara: This is probably hard to answer, but what is the most memorable event that’s ever taken place on the farm?
Tabitha: I can’t say favorite wedding because my gosh, we’ve had so many. One that really stands out that we still talk about is our first Indian wedding. When we first opened, we had a lot of very lovely weddings that all looked very similar. But the first Indian wedding was a really fun experience because we got to learn a lot about a completely different culture.

The family was very excited that we wanted to learn and understand and be more than just a space. They invited us to dress in traditional Indian clothing, so we did. There was music, fire, horses, singing, chanting, and dancing. That was a DAY! We had no idea what we were in for. It was completely different from a traditional Western wedding. That couple just came to visit over the summer for one of our pop-ups and they brought their two kids to show them where they got married.

It was a really wild and fun special day. I think that was one of the first weddings where we felt like family on the wedding day. That’s something that we hear a lot from our couples, you felt like an extension of our family.

Sara: For those who are not planning a wedding, how can they experience all the farm has to offer?
Tabitha: Definitely sign up for our e-news so you stay up-to-date on our food events. We try to do something every month at different price points that appeals to a variety of people. Cocktail classes, special guest chef or cookbook author dinners, holiday dinners to-go, and more.

Sara: If you were planning your own event, like your next big birthday, what space, music, and menu?
Tabitha: That is so fun. I did get to do this a little bit in 2022 because my daughter had her wedding here. Morgan, if you’re reading this, that was hands down my favorite event ever! But, John and I have been married for 20 years, and I think if I wanted to do a celebration here at the farm, it would definitely be in the farmhouse. I love how comfortable the farmhouse feels. I would probably do it in the winter so that we could have the fireplaces going and mulled wine on the stove as people walk in. 

The winter lends itself to some of my favorite foods. Think gathering with cocktails in the kitchen while the fireplace is roaring and then we sit down at one table in the farmhouse dining room. Some really warm delicious soup to start. I would probably give Kieron real creative liberty on the rest. He has been feeding me for 14 years, so he’s very well-versed in what I eat. There’s really nothing I don’t eat. And music. Gosh, I love live music. I’d love a little trio in the background. I’m a big fan of pop music made into classical music. I think that’s very fun. But John would probably just want us to use our piped-in sound system to play classic rock. Dim lights, lots of candles, lots of greenery.

The Farmhouse dining room

Sara: Is there anything you won’t do at the farm?
Tabitha: We don’t serve shots. We don’t serve alcohol for more than five hours. We are serious about serving alcohol responsibly. We want to honor all of the things that go into legal and responsible alcohol service.  But if someone has an idea that we can safely, legally explore, we will!  

Sara: How far out into the future are you booked?
Tabitha: We always book just the current year plus one more. Because the property and what makes the farm beautiful changes year to year, we have to consider that in planning. What will the trees look like, what’s growing and where, where have we moved crops around to take care of the soil. So right now we are booking for 2025.

Sara: What is currently being grown on the farm grounds?
Tabitha: Lots of herbs. We use them not only in our cooking, but in cocktails, too. A basil gin gimlet or a rosemary or lavender French 75 are some favorites of mine. Summer savory is a really fun herb that not a lot of people know. We just used it to garnish a crudités board and a guest asked “What is on this board? It’s so pretty and it smells so good!” So I sent her an article: “Summer Savory…the Herb No One Knows About but Should be Using.”

We always have rhubarb. Kieron smuggled some in from his mum’s garden. We just finished the elderflower season so we made quarts and quarts of elderflower liqueur that we’ll use to make drinks and things in the future. Always tomatoes. Lots of nice greens. All are exclusively used here in our farmhouse kitchen.

Another thing that’s being grown here that I think is really special is our flowers. We have a plot of land that’s dedicated to flowers tended by Alex Finch of Finch Florals. She’s a florist who lives here in Dexter. We met a few years ago and she was really interested in growing her own flowers, so we gave her this plot of land to use at no charge. It gave her the opportunity to literally grow her business and gives us these really beautiful flowers on the property. Wedding couples love having their photos taken in the flower rows. She’s got some really beautiful arches covered with hops right now and she’s actually created a cross-bred Cornman Farms Dahlia. The Cornman Dahlia is a really pretty pink, but it has a lot of texture and it isn’t a solid pink. I think it’s pinky-purple. We’re hoping that next summer they’ll be officially certified and we will be able to sell a Cornman Farms Dahlia. Everything that’s grown here is used for our weddings. You can’t get more local than having your bouquet come from literally right outside.

Sara: What is it like working with Kieron?
Tabitha: Haha, I get to work with my life partner and my business partner. Imagine that. It’s fun. I know Kieron well. He knows me well. We really understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I think that if this farm only had one managing partner (ahem, me) it would be very well run, but very structured and we wouldn’t try a lot of new things. If there was only one managing partner and it was Kieron, it would be, to me, utter chaos, but a lot of new ideas. The balance of the two of us is a nice push and pull between staying true to what we’re really great at and getting better and better at what we do.

Photo by Heather Nash Photography

Sara: What is it like working with your husband?
Tabitha: I really love having John here, we will ride to work together when our schedules allow. The whole drive home, we’re allowed to talk about work. We get to jam all of our work stories in there and then once we get out of the car at home, we’re just Tabitha and John, a happily married couple and we need to find other things to talk about. So it comes with its own challenges but it is fun that when I tell a story now he knows all of the players and he gets to see what I do. I hope that helps him have a new appreciation for all the work that I put into these events.

Sara: Do your kids ever help out at the farm?
Tabitha: They do! My boys are 15 and 17 years old now. They work here in the kitchen with their dad. Sam, my 17-year-old son, wants to go to culinary school, and Tommy, my 15-year-old, loves to buy expensive clothing, so that keeps them motivated to come to work.

Sara: Your sons, husband, and business partner all cook at the farm. Do you ever cook?
Tabitha: I exclusively cook at home. I love it. That’s how I show love and care. It’s important to me to make food for my family and put it on the table. I love to cook, but John’s in charge of grilling. And he is a great at-home sous chef because I don’t want to actually dice onions or chop carrots or debone a chicken.

Sara: What do you like to cook?
Tabitha: We eat a lot of tacos because my boys will eat anything in a tortilla shell. So Korean tacos, turkey tacos, it doesn’t matter what the flavor combo is. We love tacos. The Zingerman’s managing partners all took a trip earlier this year to Mexico City and Oaxaca and I learned about tortilla making. Sam and I bought a tortilla press and the nixtamalized corn we needed to make proper fresh tortillas at home. Sam loves to be my tortilla maker, I make the filling, and then Tommy and John just eat whatever we put in front of them.

Sara: What would they say it’s like working with you?
Tabitha: I think they would say that I run a tight ship. It’s really important to me to do what we say that we do and to honor the commitments that we’ve made to employees and guests. I love to have a good time and I also like to work really hard. I want to make sure that when people come to work or guests come to the property, they feel like they are the most important thing. I hope that they appreciate the structure that I bring. They’ll tell you that I am nothing if not consistent.

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I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but root for Tabitha, her family, her business, and what the future holds for them. Her heartfelt hard work makes everything brighter for every person she serves. Her commitment to bettering our community of businesses and the communities we do business in is a shining example of doing business differently. 

Sara Hudson
Former Zingerman’s Creative Services Director

P.S. Goats. Austria. Tacos. Bet you didn’t have those on your Zingerman’s Newsletter Interview bingo card!