Have you ever wondered what it might be like to help run an organization with revenues of around $80 million? If you work at Zingerman’s, you can experience it firsthand as a Staff Partner.

The Zingerman’s Community of Businesses includes 11 businesses, all independently owned and operated by one or more managing partners who come together to lead the organization. That governing body is called Partners Group (PG), and in addition to the managing partners, it includes Co-founder Ari Weinzweig and Chief Administrative Officer Rohit Bery. And, here’s the unique part: Our Partners Group also includes four Staff Partners. As the moniker implies, they are Zingerman’s staffers. Each serves a two-year term, and, like everyone else on PG, has another role in the organization, whether as a baker, busser, server, supervisor, or something else entirely.

Partners Group makes decisions by consensus, and Staff Partners are full members, not just observers—their voices carry equal weight to that of Managing Partners. The role was introduced in 2014 to add diverse perspectives and backgrounds to the mix. Ari says that having Staff Partners’ voices in the room is “critical,” adding, “Ultimately, I believe our long-term organizational health depends on creative and inclusive paths like this one.” I was excited to hear from our current Staff Partners—Liliana Grueber, Zach Milner, Jenny Tubbs, and Hazim Tugun—and shed more light on this highly impactful role in our organization.

Lindsay-Jean Hard
Content Creator at Zingerman’s Creative Services
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Lindsay-Jean: What was your very first introduction to Zingerman’s?
Liliana: Twenty years ago, when I came to Michigan to visit my future husband, he took me to the Delicatessen. He told me the Deli has the best sandwiches. We were waiting in a very long line that extended outside around the side of the building. He always got the #74 Dave’s Open Road with an Old Pickle. It was delicious!
Zach: For me, it was my parents always ordering the Bakehouse’s Chocolate Cherry Bread through Zingerman’s Mail Order (ZMO). We discovered Zingerman’s through my aunt and uncle, who were U of M grads in the ’90s. Whenever we would travel to Ann Arbor, we would hit up the Deli. Ironically, I had never heard of the Roadhouse until I applied to be a busser.
Jenny: I came to town in 1998 to look for an apartment and a job. I had heard that Zingerman’s was a place that made wonderful cheesecakes. I saw an ad in the Ann Arbor News for someone to do the soups and salad bar at Zingerman’s Practical Produce in Kerrytown. I replied to the ad and had an interview the same day.
Hazim: I moved to Novi, Michigan, from the Bay Area in 2011, back when I was still doing engineering work. I remember wanting to get some Mt Tam cheese from Cowgirl Creamery of Point Reyes, California. I looked around but couldn’t find it in any stores. Finally, I went to Plum Market in West Bloomfield, and they told me I should go check out Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor. I was so happy to find my food heaven in Michigan!

LJ: How long have you worked at Zingerman’s?
Liliana: I worked at ZMO as a seasonal employee around the holidays in 2018. From January 2019 until March 2020, I worked at the Delicatessen. I returned to ZMO in 2021 for the holiday season. Then in April 2023, I transferred to the Deli.
Zach: I started in April 2016, had an eight-month hiatus popping around different jobs, and returned in April 2019 as a supervisor. So about eight-ish years collectively.
Jenny: I started on August 11, 1998. I’ve worn many hats in the organization since—always working closely with Ari.
Hazim: November 1, 2016, straight into holiday action at the Bakehouse. So, it’s a bit over eight years now.

LJ: What should we know about your work history or life before Zingerman’s?
Liliana: I grew up in Bogota, Colombia. My first job was in a beer company, where I learned how to make beer. I’ve worked in many jobs, including for a multinational company, as an International Liaison in Ann Arbor schools, and as a hockey mom, driving my kids all over the place and standing in cold ice rinks!
Zach: I had always worked at food spots, as I found myself loving hospitality and serving others. I worked IT for Concordia University Ann Arbor (CUAA) while attending school there as a theology major and joined the Roadhouse after I graduated. At the time, I was trying to figure out my next step … and well, here we are still, one wife and two kids later!
Jenny: I worked in a Pizza Kitchen in high school, shifting to work the flat grill and oven. All through college I worked in a natural footwear store. After college, I worked with toddlers at a daycare and spent two summers in the Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) program with an herbal therapist—gardening, preparing herbal remedies, and preparing all the food for on-site workshops.
Hazim: It’s been a long and kind of winding road. I came to the U.S. with a scholarship and studied civil and environmental engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. I spent a number of years doing environmental engineering, but eventually, food started to become a bit of an obsession. Living in the Bay Area in California really opened my eyes to a whole new world of great food, beyond the great food I was exposed to growing up on the island of Cyprus. I balanced my day job with experiences in the food world, like an apprenticeship at a Sicilian restaurant in Oakland and a pizza class with Peter Reinhart in San Francisco. It was eye-opening in the sense that I was so drawn to the science aspect of cooking and baking. Back in Cyprus, I got into baking bread for my family, using our backyard mud-brick oven under a fig tree. It was a magical time.
After marrying my wife and moving back to the U.S., I eventually made the big decision to quit my engineering job and follow a new career in baking. I went to the San Francisco Baking Institute for their artisan bread baking course, and then in 2014, decided—with the support of my wife—that I wanted to go back to Cyprus and bake bread. Right before we left for Cyprus, my family and I went to the Roadhouse for a farewell brunch. I bought Ari’s books; my wife saw Ari pouring water and asked him if he could sign the book for me. She told him that I was going to bake bread in Cyprus. He signed the book, and said, “Why don’t you come and bake bread with us?” After two years of growing as a baker and learning from other bakers around the world thanks to connections I made on Instagram, we returned to the U.S. and I was ready to do just that.

LJ: How has your journey evolved to lead you to your current role?
Liliana: I got more and more involved over time. Attending the ZCoB huddles [Editor’s note: Huddles are important, informative meetings where we measure performance and forecast our future. There are huddles for business departments, for entire businesses, and for the full ZCoB.], learning about the different businesses, and meeting fellow ZCoBbers got me more curious about the organization. I loved working in different roles and positions.
Zach: Everything clicked. This place wasn’t just the pinnacle of food, but also in how to treat coworkers with respect. I knew my passion for loving and serving others would fit well here. Servant leadership, humility, dignity… these are all tenets of my faith as a Christian, and you’re telling me I get to do that here and get paid to do that? I was as sold then as I am now.
Jenny: I started at Zingerman’s Practical Produce as the sole prep-food cook. My mornings were an exercise in culinary creativity—it was all improvisational cooking in a sun-filled kitchen that faced the farmers market. I loved it! It was during my first year that I attended Ari’s Leadership Workshop. I remember suggesting to Ari that he needed an assistant, and that if he ever posted for the position I’d apply. When the time came to hire an assistant to work with Ari to develop the recipes for Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating, I applied and got the job! When that project wrapped up, it was time for the next project. That’s how my work has flowed over the years, taking on new skills and building on others.
My work has varied over the years. In 26 years, I have been part of many projects and helped out in various businesses when extra help was needed. I worked in the role of Service Director, helping support our bottom line of Great Service. At that time, I was also giving presentations and teaching for ZingTrain. Today, I still wear a number of hats! I manage the creation of our publications at Zingerman’s Press, I help bring Ari’s Top 5 e-news to light every week, and I also work with Zingerman’s Food Tours as a tour guide to Spain.
Hazim: Since I joined the Bakehouse in 2016, my role hasn’t changed that much, really; maybe it expanded a bit. I recall Frank [Editor’s Note: That’s Frank Carollo, retired managing partner and one of the founders of the Bakehouse] giving me the title of Bread Quality and Innovation Specialist … that’s kind of still what I do. I help in bread production when needed, especially during busy times. I am a big advocate for using fresh flours. I teach an internal class for staff on Mindful Baking and I also get to teach some bread classes at BAKE!, our hands-on baking school. I love great food and especially focus on the intricacies of breads. It’s hard for me to keep a lid on that passion really, so I try to use it to my advantage, and the bakery’s in all that I do.

LJ: What made you want to be a Staff Partner? What was your path to becoming a Staff Partner like?
Liliana: I want to learn more about the ZCoB. I like to participate in discussions and want to bring value to the organization, employees, and the community through my contributions.
Zach: For me, it was the natural progression of my desire to be a leader in this organization. I felt that my gifts of being able to serve those I managed with dignity, love, patience, and empathy would be greatly appreciated and serve the Partners Group well. I made the final round in back-to-back years, and I got [the role] this time, so I guess the third time is the charm for me.
Jenny: During my time spent working at, in, and on Zingerman’s, I’d been thinking about how I could dig deeper to give back in a meaningful way that helps the ZCoB and the staffers and the community of which Zingerman’s is a part continue to learn, connect, and thrive. Having worked closely with many parts of the ZCoB, working within ZingNet, working with individual businesses, and working on ZCoB-wide changes, I have the gift of coming to work each day with an eye and commitment to the ZCoB community—to be thinking about the we in the work that we do while recognizing and celebrating each individual business. I see the Staff Partner role as a meaningful way to further explore that experience and support.
Hazim: Coming into 2023, I was starting to feel this need to evolve. I was asking myself what could be the next big learning challenge I could take on and how I could contribute more here in our wonderful community, beyond what I was already doing. As I was feeling all that, I got nominated for Staff Partner. It felt right to go for it. I’m grateful to have been nominated and chosen to be part of the PG in this role!

LJ: Tell us about your “+ One” work. [See below for more on what this is!]
Liliana: Officially I do not have a “+ One” at the moment (other than being a Staff Partner!), but I have my eyes and ears open to get the proper one. I always love going the extra mile for guests and my teammates. When I worked on the sandwich line at the Deli, I decided to celebrate staff birthdays with balloons or small cakes. These days, I try to be a resource for staff that don’t speak English fluently.
Zach: In 2016, we needed someone on our team to get coffee certified to track our CXI (Coffee Experience Index) and share that with the Coffee Company. I timidly volunteered for the opportunity, and was off on my first + One work! From there came facilitating our Roadhouse all-staff huddle, which propelled me to want to facilitate the ZCoB huddle! I joined the Great Service Group around 2021 and became a co-chair in 2023. I’ve also taught the Art of Giving Great Service (AGGS) since 2021; it’s one of my favorite things to do.
Jenny: Over the years, I have been the class owner of Great Service classes, and I’ve actively taught Knife Safety; Sell Food, Have Fun; Time Management; Train the Trainer; and Personal Visioning. I also host a Visioning Forum, where we take a deep dive into some of the nuances of visioning. I facilitate the ZCoB huddle and other ad-hoc groups. I am currently a member of our Great Service committee.
Hazim: A few years into my time here at Zingerman’s, I turned my passion for making bread into a 3-part series of classes I could share with staff, called Mindful Baking. I have been teaching for a while to our bakers at the Bakehouse and anyone else in ZCoB interested in the craft of baking bread. I am also grateful to have been a part of Planet Zing for a couple of years now, helping our organization embrace ways to be better stewards of the beautiful planet we all depend on.

LJ: Tell us about one of your favorite Zingerman’s food items and why you love it.
Liliana: I love the Deli’s #48 Binny’s Brooklyn Reuben because the pastrami tastes so good with the rest of the ingredients on grilled pumpernickel from the Bakehouse.
Zach: There are so many to choose from! The Bakehouse’s Somodi Kalács is amazing, and their chocolate banana bread is an all-time fave … but if I had to pick, it would probably be the Bakehouse’s French Crullers on Saturdays. I have one every Saturday—I think I am going on a year straight. They’re just the best doughnuts I’ve ever had.
Jenny: I agree, there are too many to name—so right now, I’ll share that I’m dreaming of Street Style Tteokbokki at Miss Kim!
Hazim: The Roadhouse’s Sea Island Sweet Potato Fries. The dish is simple yet complex; it has history; it’s comforting and so full of flavor, marrying sweet, savory, and spicy.

LJ: What’s a hobby of yours or something outside of work that you’re passionate about?
Liliana: I love to play and train my two dogs, Kobe and Rocky, and spoil them with homemade treats. I like to ride my bicycle, visit Colombia, and have some arepas!
Zach: I enjoy playing and watching sports. I like gaming and “League of Legends” (and the show “Arcane” is delightful). “Ultimate” is also really great too.
Jenny: I’m passionate about the joy I find in pottery and watercolor. As a volunteer monitor at the Ann Arbor Art Center pottery studio, I imagine myself as a sort of ambassador to the space, welcoming folks in and helping if they have questions.
Hazim: Water is my happy place. I love windsurfing and I recently started wing-foiling.

LJ: What’s one of your favorite parts of ZCoB culture?
Liliana: I like so many things about the culture. One very special thing is the continuous training that’s offered. I’m able to take classes to engage and learn in a variety of topics like Lean concepts, the power of beliefs, and other training opportunities that maintain a positive culture in the organization and keep me growing!
Zach: Gotta be the commitment to servant leadership and all that comes with that. It’s the reason I wanted to be a manager and a staff partner.
Jenny: The openness—the communication and Open Book Management. The level of genuine care and connection, combined with a whole lot of fun and laughter.
Hazim: There are so many! Maybe I can sum it all up in the fact that I can bring my whole self to work.

LJ: What’s something cool/unusual/memorable you’ve seen happen at a ZCoB business?
Liliana: “Good Morning America” came to Ann Arbor last year and featured Zingerman’s! I got to be on TV with some ZCoBbers and meet the hosts and Representative Debbie Dingell.
Zach: Bernie Sanders came by one night, and we all got a picture with him! That was a pretty special moment. That, and when I first started, I almost lost it when I was able to meet Coach Lloyd Carr.
Jenny: When Sean Sherman, the Sioux Chef, came to our ZCoB huddle and spoke with us. His teachings opened my eyes. I felt incredibly fortunate and awed that we had the honor of hosting him.
Hazim: Tasting polycrop biscuits at the Roadhouse (thanks to Bob and his team!) during the Glenn Roberts (of Anson Mills) special dinner. This was before we started milling at the Bakehouse, and to me, Glenn Roberts is like a legend—bringing back heirloom grains, fighting for regenerative agriculture in the face of our commodity food world, and making them available to us with his meticulous, flavor-preserving milling techniques. I was pinching myself and thinking how privileged I was to hear him talk and experience the food his philosophy could bring to life.

LJ: Tell me about an organizational change during your time in the ZCoB that’s meaningful to you.
Liliana: While there have been some changes, I really love the consistency of the leadership in the businesses during my time. It creates so much stability.
Zach: Leadership transitions are sometimes tough, but they can be wonderful opportunities to showcase our culture. When Lisa Schultz and Ari took on leadership of the Roadhouse, we saw how leaning on a culture of love and care really benefited how we operate.
Jenny: A big one that I worked on many years ago: the beginning stages and evolution of the Customer Complaint (Code Red) and Customer Gratitude (Code Green) forms—documenting the feedback so we could have data rather than just fixing it and moving on!
Hazim: The roll-out of the Statement of Beliefs. It’s so cool and special that we can turn inwards and look at our beliefs in order to be a better organization at the individual and business levels.

What’s your favorite ZCoB organizational recipe?
Liliana: I like the 10/4 Rule because it shows respect and kindness. I see how well it works to make guests feel welcome and at ease. It is amazing how you can change people’s days and lives with a simple smile.
Zach: I use the Stewardship Compact almost every shift I work. It values and nurtures creative thinking.
Jenny: I have many. I like that they all work as loose frameworks that give us space to create and make each experience unique. Choosing one for today, I’ll say our recipe for organizational change, what we call Bottom-Line Change, and that anyone can bring a change forward!
Hazim: I love the 4 Steps to Effective Energy Management. We impact each other with our energy. It can be like a wave traveling in all directions. The more aware we are, the better we can help ourselves and each other, and the more effectively we can provide the Zingerman’s experience we strive for.

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One + One = a Lot!

How a bit of unorthodox math can make your business a more rewarding and productive place to work

The first “One” in the equation is the staff member’s core position. It’s what we hire them to do, the job that takes up the bulk of their workweek. By definition, it’s the role that most likely taps into a significant part of their skill set. Being a baker, a sandwich maker, a line cook, a member of our catering crew or our HR team—you get the idea. The second “One” (we call it the “+ One”) is less obvious. It’s an additional piece of work, something outside the staffer’s core day-to-day activity. The + One could find them joining one of our organization-wide work groups that focuses on service, training, benefits, etc. They might teach a class about our products, food safety, merchandising, management, service, sales, or sanitation. They might take responsibility for leading a project. They could also “own a line” in our open-book finance system—that means they’re taking “ownership” of managing a key “number” that might involve sales, product quality, cover counts, check average, or service scores, to name a few. There’s really no limit to what they could do since we have so much going on, and most anything of consequence here is done collaboratively.

The point of the + One is that while it’s also work, it’s a different activity from what the staff member is doing during the bulk of their week. Most of the time it draws on skills that are different from what they use every day. And it will certainly put them into a different role in the organization, one in which they interact with people outside their regular daily orbit and in which others start to see them in a new light. It’s not hard to understand how that starts to change things up. When they do One + One work, a staffer uses a different part of their skill set, meets other people, and learns new things. In the process, we enhance creativity, connection, caring, communication, and commitment.

Excerpted from Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading, Part 4: A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to the Power of Beliefs in Business.