Zingerman’s Bakehouse Partners with Skill & Ability Education on Inclusive Hiring

Zingerman’s Bakehouse is proud to be partnering with Skill & Ability Education (SAE) this summer to promote inclusive hiring and offer meaningful work experiences to individuals in the community.

Based in Ann Arbor, SAE has a mission to provide people with disabilities “the opportunity to build skills and gain work experience and independence, and to best prepare them for future employment success,” says Steve Berg, a special educator who co-founded the organization with his wife, Amy, a social worker. SAE’s broad array of services includes vocational evaluation, work-readiness training, and job placement. 

This June through August, two participants in the program are working shifts at the Bakehouse three days a week, accompanied by two dedicated job coaches who are there to guide them and support their growth and progress.

“We’ve been trying to rotate the participants through different types of work to give them different kinds of experiences,” explains Bakehouse Human Resources Liaison John Rolfe, who is coordinating the partnership. “At the Bakehouse, we might have 20 or more unique roles just in one building, so there’s a lot of opportunity for such a wide range of skill sets and exposure.”

In the Bakehouse kitchen, for example, the program participants might, on any given day, be engaged in “small tasks that make a huge difference,” Rolfe notes—from peeling chilies to weighing ingredients and packaging products. “The kitchen crew loves having them there.” 

And as much as the participants benefit from acquiring new abilities and learning to be part of a professional team, the Bakehouse benefits greatly, too, by embodying Zingerman’s core principles of inclusivity and community connection. 

“It’s a chance to really live out what we say in our vision at the Bakehouse about being ‘our community’s bakery,’” Rolfe says. “That means we’re actively involved in the community, and here we’re collaborating with an organization that’s working really hard to help community members and the businesses in the community at the same time. So it’s the ultimate win-win.” 

The Bakehouse has hired individuals drawn from other local organizations in the past, including Ann Arbor Academy, an independent K–12 school for students with learning differences; Dawnfarm treatment and recovery center; and Pathways to Success, an alternative public high school. But the formal partnership with SAE represents an exciting new step—one that both parties hope to carry forward into the future. 

“Zingerman’s Bakehouse has been incredibly welcoming and inclusive,” Berg says. “Since starting, our Skill & Ability participants have felt part of the Bakehouse team, gaining valuable work experience and building skills through various job tasks. We look forward to continued growth in Skill & Ability’s partnership with the Bakehouse and the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses.”