Author: Sara Hudson
This is the inside scoop on a secret Zingerman’s shopping location with special sales and food gifts to-go. An Ann Arbor local’s guide to shopping Zingerman’s Mail Order.
Zingerman’s Mail Order is the online store for food lovers at zingermans.com. They ship bountiful gift baskets, monthly food clubs, sandwich kits, rare pantry finds and so much more to lucky recipients all over the country.
But for local Zingerman’s fans we introduce the Zingerman’s Warehouse Shop, located at 710 Phoenix Drive in Ann Arbor. Here’s what you’ll find when you get there and how to take advantage of it like a pro!
- Pick up orders you placed online, and save packaging while you’re at it
- Shop catalog-finds in person
- Taste samples
- Get in on deal pricing
- Discover limited edition or new foods
- Buy Zingerman’s flair
- Self-serve checkout
- Get help from a service star when you need it, just ring the bell
Now you’re in the know on the Zingerman’s Warehouse Shop, located on 710 Phoenix Drive in Ann Arbor. It’s one of the tastiest secrets in town, but it doesn’t need to be. We give you permission to tell all your foodie friends. Hope to see you there soon!
Author: Sara Hudson
Behold the top five most unique holiday gifts from zingermans.com. These rare food finds have holiday flavors and gift-worthy packaging.
They don’t call Zingerman’s Mail Order the land of 1,000 flavors for nothing. The online retailer has been traveling the country and the world searching for the best in food since the 1990’s. Today they have an unrivaled selection of food gift baskets, olive oils and vinegars, exquisite chocolates and confections, as well as foods you can only find at Zingerman’s. Here are their expert picks for standout holiday gifts. These are rather dazzling rare food finds that show off special holiday flavors. If you’re looking to make more of an impact with your gifts this year, these unique treats are sure to leave a lasting impression on the lucky recipients.
Lebküchen
An artful tin with a sweet German cookie tradition inside.
Sandy Lee fell in love with lebküchen, the traditional German Christmas cookie, while living in Berlin. “It was like nothing I’d ever tasted,” she recalls. “I couldn’t get all those complex flavors out of my head.” She became obsessed, learning all she could about them before returning to the states and starting her own lebküchen bakery.
The recipe dates back to Medieval times and has many steps. The dough is made from almond and hazelnut flour, whole almonds, egg whites, honey, marzipan and a bevy of spices. The dense dough rests for nearly a day before heading to the oven. The finished cookies are hand glazed and studded with almonds (classic variety) or cloaked in dark chocolate.
You will find three classic and two chocolate cookies in this wintry-themed tin, designed by Zingerman’s own super talented in-house illustrator Ryan Stiner, featuring foxes walking through the snow in front of Zingerman’s Deli. Each cookie is about four inches across and an inch tall. They’re thick, moist, slightly spicy, sweet and very nutty. The consistency is a cross between cake and marzipan, making them the perfect after dinner treat with coffee or tea. A cookie with history, a perfect gift for anyone on your list.
“Even German expats find these gingerbread cookies (lebküchen) baked on the Lower East Side by a lebküchen obsessive named Sandy Lee bafflingly authentic — and delicious.” –New York Magazine
Sugar Plums
Yes they are a real thing, and they are delicious.
We all know the line from The Night Before Christmas “Visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads”. Though, most of us grew up with sugar plums nowhere in sight. We assure you they’re real, Zingerman’s has them and they make a unique holiday gift.
Greengage plums are harvested in Portugal in late summer, then submerged in sugar syrup, where they rest for six weeks, slowly absorbing sweetness. Finally, they’re laid in the sun to dry. The long, complex process makes a candied plum. These are slightly sweet, green and fuzzy on the outside like a peach. Remarkably, the texture is firm, like a fruit you’ve just picked. An English and Portuguese tradition that’s very difficult to find in the United States.
“If Michelin rated fruits, greengages surely would merit three stars.” –David Karp, The Art of Eating
Chocolate Dipped Ganache Filled Figs
Serenity in a wrapper from Spain.
Lynn Fiorentino, Zingerman’s employee for nearly 30 years, has eaten a lot of amazing food. Here’s her take on these popular confections.
“These figs are the best combination of fruit and chocolate that I have ever had. The figs themselves are luscious, rich, and full-bodied with a gentle sweetness. Their scent may be difficult to place at first, until you remember that they have been soaked in a liqueur. The flavor it imparts is subtle, though it adds another layer of richness without being noticeably alcoholic. The outer layer of chocolate is soft and also very deep, and collaborates deliciously with the fruit. Together, the flavors and textures of these figs are succulent and lush. I think that they pair beautifully with a creamy cheese and a heavy red wine, though they would also be a wonderful replacement or even companion to chocolate-covered strawberries. My favorite way to eat them is alone in a room with my eyes closed. I like to be able to concentrate fully on every sumptuous bite.”
The chocolate dipped figs are available in a 3, 6, 9 or 12 piece shiny gold gift boxes.
Vintage Fruit Cake
Flavor to be taken seriously.
These are no joke. If you already consider fruit cake a joke, the idea of a vintage fruit cake must seem like a real marketer’s whopper. Selling last year’s fruit cakes? Yes, that’s exactly what they’re doing.
In the summer of 2018, Robert Lambert made a small number of his rare citrus fruit cakes to age: a handful each of his classic White Fruit Cake and his dusky Dark Fruit Cake. He cellared them in California. Over the last year the flavor has developed, expanded and become more complex. Like a wine that was fun while young but more serious now that it’s aged, these fruit cakes have become a real fruit cake lover’s treat. Each cake is hand wrapped, tied with twine and gift boxed.
Panettone Balsamico
A luscious dark twist on the cake of angels.
Italians inject their beloved balsamic vinegar into many foods. Turns out this invasion is an excellent innovation. And it kind of makes sense since cooked grape must—the base of balsamic vinegar—was traditionally a sweetener in Italy. That’s how it’s employed here. The balsamic is laced through the cake, forming a ribbon of sweet, dark glaze. Instead of finding panettone’s usual gems of candied fruit, you’ll discover veins of cherry-sweet, luscious caramelized balsamic. If you’re looking to expand someone’s horizons this makes a great gift. Like with all panettoni the packaging is stunning.
“The perfect panettone” –Charles Passy, Wall Street Journal
These unique holiday gifts from Zingerman’s Mail Order range from $7 to $85 each. Order them at zingermans.com, for shipping or pick up. Check out their list of most popular gifts.
Author: Sara Hudson
Dining out with kids at Zingerman’s Roadhouse in Ann Arbor is a special experience for kids and parents alike, because of the tasty menu and more.
Variety
With more than a dozen items on the kids’ menu, and half a dozen side options, young diners can build a meal that’s just for them at Zingerman’s Roadhouse. The selection is sure to please even the pickiest eaters, or the more adventurous eaters who are bored with the average restaurant kids’ menu. There are portions to satisfy different size appetites, too. Be sure to check out the weekend brunch menu, including kids’ chocolate chip pancakes.
“I’ve been to all the restaurants, like 3 restaurants, and this is the best burger and mac and cheese I’ve ever had!” -young Roadhouse diner
Unique
The food found on this kids’ menu is not an afterthought, but kid-sized portions of the same full flavored great American food served to adult Roadhouse fans. You’ll definitely find upgraded renditions of common kid favorites like chicken nuggets, grilled cheese sandwiches and burgers. But the magic is in those kid-sized versions of the favorites that have made Zingerman’s Roadhouse a destination restaurant in Ann Arbor since 2003.
They’re known for their pit-smoked meats, and the kids barbecue sampler that features pork, chicken and beef is a hit. The Roadhouse mac and cheese was chosen by Food Network’s Alton Brown as “America’s Best Comfort Food”. Kids can enjoy a bowl of the classic, or one that’s kicked up with Monterey Jack cheese, fresh cut corn, and shredded smoked chicken. Another popular choice is the crispy fried chicken leg (also available in gluten free!). Or there’s always the grilled New York strip steak or filet of salmon.
“I love the pink fish place!”- young Roadhouse diner
Fresh
You won’t find frozen nuggets or box mix macaroni in the kitchen at the Roadhouse. They pride themselves on in-house butchering, partnering with local farmers and food producers, and making everything from scratch. That philosophy is applied to the entire menu, including the kids’ entrées. And if you’re looking for fresh sides beyond the french fries, welcome options include fresh fruits, steamed vegetables and sautéed spinach. The restaurant also serves baskets of warm sliced bread (complimentary with your meal, upon request) that’s baked fresh daily by their friends at Zingerman’s Bakehouse.
“We want to go to the bread place!”- young Roadhouse diner
More
If you want a cozy place for dining out with kids in Ann Arbor, a menu the kids are sure to love, and James Beard Award nominated customer service, Zingerman’s Roadhouse is your place. By the way, your fur kids (the kind with four legs who get along with other animals), are welcome on the restaurant outer patio. During the warmer season, the space fills up quickly, so we recommend a reservation if you would like to bring your pup!
And if it’s just one of those days, you don’t even have to get the kids out of the car. Visit the Roadshow, the teapot-shaped trailer parked in front of the Roadhouse. Call 734.663.3663 (FOOD) to order and pick up your meals, or just drive thru to grab sandwiches, muffins, and more.
Download the Zingerman’s Roadhouse Coloring Page & Kids’ Menu
Author: Sara Hudson
The Food Gifts That Make Zingerman’s Mail Order
Zingerman’s Mail Order has been sending the best in food since the 1990’s. Today they have an unrivaled selection of food gifts, olive oils and vinegars, chocolates and confections, and Zingerman’s made specialities like breads, cakes, gelato and candy. Here’s their Top 5 Most Popular Gifts. You can’t go wrong with any one of them.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Deliver the legend.
A Zingerman’s Bakehouse classic and always the most popular Zingerman’s gift: rich, moist coffee cake made with organic flour, local sour cream, real butter, Indonesian cinnamon, brown sugar and toasted walnuts, baked in a traditional bundt pan. It’s very impressive and extremely delicious. And it lasts. In theory, a week or two after delivery, wrapped, it’ll still be soft and scrumptious, melting in the mouths of happy eaters. It’s great served for any holiday or occasion, and any time of day. Gift boxed in a branded wooden cheese crate or a cartoon gift box. Check out the other coffee cake flavors including hot cocoa, lemon poppy seed and seasonal gingerbread or coconut lime.
The Weekender Gift Box
Send high-end snacking supplies.
This is a great all-purpose gift, built from foods the recipient can snack on right out of the box. Whatever the occasion, folks will dig right in. Assembled in a signature Zingerman’s cartoon gift box with a loaf of Zingerman’s Bakehouse artisan bread, a no-nut Black Magic Brownie and a dulce de leche caramel-layered Buenos Aires Brownie, Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory Peanut Brittle, La Quercia’s Borsellino Salami, Zingerman’s Nor’Easter Cabot Cheddar, and a nosher-sized version of the extremely popular Sour Cream Coffee Cake. Something for everyone in the family or the office.
Bacon Club
Ship the flavor, on repeat.
Food clubs are great, but this one is better with bacon. It’s so special in fact it was featured on Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”. Men’s Journal called it “The country’s finest slabs of hog”. The lucky recipient gets a box of bacon on their doorstep each month, just in time for weekend frying. Each shipment contains 12 to 16 ounces of artisan bacon, stories, and recipes, plus a fun pig magnet the first month. An unforgettable gift they won’t be expecting.
Reuben Sandwich Kit
Give them the Deli at home.
This is the gift for displaced Ann Arborites and University of Michigan alumni who are missing their good old Deli days. Or it’s simply a unique gift for someone who loves real deli fare. Some assembly is required, but it’s worth it. Instructions are included. Kit includes Jewish Rye bread (Pumpernickel in Brooklyn Reuben), sliced deli meat (Corned Beef, or Pastrami, or Turkey), sliced Emmentaler Swiss cheese, Zingerman’s potato chips, Coleslaw, Sauerkraut, Russian dressing, garlicky pickles, and Magic Brownie Bites. They’ll be delighted with this one.
Almost as Good as Grandma’s Gift Basket
Mail a basket full of love.
Some of the best baked goods from Zingerman’s Bakehouse, presented in a keepsake wooden box stamped with the Zingerman’s name. Deluxe size includes Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Zingerman’s Magic Brownie and no-nut Black Magic Brownie, Sea Salt Topped Pecan Blondie, a Currant Scone and a Lemon Scone, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, Chocolate Chunk Cookie, Ginger Jump-Up Cookie, Italian Honey, and English Preserves. They’ll feel how much you care when they are sinking their teeth into this sweet hand-made gift.
These gifts from Zingerman’s Mail Order range from $45 for a nosher coffee cake to $395 for 12 months of bacon, and everything in between. Order them at zingermans.com.
Find out more about business gifts from Zingerman’s
Author: Sara Hudson
Looking for a space for Ann Arbor private events? How about a restaurant offering exceptional, unique food that caters to special diets, all in a charming, intimate urban space? If you’re planning a birthday, graduation, anniversary, or retirement celebration, you’ve found your ideal event spot with Miss Kim, Zingerman’s Korean restaurant at Kerrytown in Ann Arbor. With all the choices for private events across the city, here’s why this one is a true gem.
Customized Private Events
There are a full spectrum of options to create an event that’s right for you and your group. You can reserve the entire restaurant, or choose just the front or back half of the dining room. When it comes to having the restaurant to yourselves, Mondays are your best bet because the restaurant is otherwise closed. You’ll also find weekdays and lunchtime or happy hour get togethers to be a lower cost than weekends and evenings. The event planning staff will work with you to find an available date and time of day that works for your needs and your budget.
You can also choose the serving style that suits the desired vibe of your event: a self serve buffet, family style for sharing at each table, or plated individual meals. Beverage options are also flexible including an open bar, a cash bar or offering guests paid drink tickets. The bar features exclusive Miss Kim cocktails and mocktails, as well as select beers, ciders, and wines. You can include special Korean drinks like nonalcoholic banana milk or Soju, a distilled liquor made from rice.
Cap off your celebratory meal with a customized cake from Zingerman’s Bakehouse. From a simply decorated buttercream cake with a personal inscription to a three-tiered hand-painted work of art showcasing the event’s theme, they can create the perfect cake for you. Your cake is sure to taste as good as it looks, too. The Bakehouse bakes with great ingredients and makes everything from scratch, even the fondant.
Intimate Ann Arbor Events Space
What makes Miss Kim a charming space for your Ann Arbor private events? The restaurant is part of historic Kerrytown with its cobblestone courtyard and interior brick walls. The interior of Miss Kim is painted white with rich wood tables and sleek metal chairs. It’s a modern and neutral backdrop for your event. Your event staff will provide table flowers from the neighboring farmers market for small fee. You’re also welcome to bring in decorations in advance of your event.
The service at Miss Kim is helpful, informative, warm and enthusiastic – everything you’ve come to expect from Zingerman’s. The staff works together to ensure every detail of your event is attended to and every guest is well taken care of.
Exceptional Food
Miss Kim serves fresh, modern interpretations of traditional Korean dishes. The flavors are unique, fresh and approachable. The menu is a product of long hours Chef Ji Hye spends at her desk pouring over
ancient Korean cookbooks; at the market, collaborating with local farmers, and in the Miss Kim kitchen, translating and perfecting those ancient Korean recipes to showcase Michigan produce.
The chefs at Miss Kim can easily accommodate all your guests. The menu and kitchen is very friendly for those with food allergies or diet preferences. It just so happens that traditional Korean cuisine, more often than not, is already free of common allergens and vegetarian fare gets equal billing with meat dishes. Vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free individual meals or full event menus can all be accomplished, and with great flavor, too!
There are a selection of private party menus to choose from, or you can create your own. It’s hard to choose with options like sticky Korean fried chicken, tempura fried vegetables with fish sauce caramel, spicy rice batons called tteokbokki, bright best-of-the-season salads, warming stone bowl dishes, and more.
For a one-of-a-kind experience, you can choose to recreate one of their popular monthly buffets for your private party, such as the vegetarian feast or the suckling pig dinner. The latter is particularly festive and impressive, when the chef pulls the pork before your guests.
Ready to start planning your private party at Miss Kim?
Email [email protected]
Author: Sara Hudson
Nearly 90 years and 20 million copies later, Irma S. Rombauer’s self-published Joy of Cooking is a kitchen staple for generations of home cooks and professional chefs.
In November 2019, the 12th edition of the iconic cookbook Joy of Cooking was released after undergoing a thorough revision and expansion by Irma’s great-grandson, John Becker, and his wife, Megan Scott. They developed more than six hundred new recipes for this edition, tested and tweaked thousands of classic recipes, and updated every section of every chapter to reflect the latest ingredients and techniques available to today’s home cooks. Their strategy for revising this edition was the same one Irma employed: vet, research, and improve Joy’s legacy recipes while introducing new dishes, modern cooking techniques, and comprehensive information on ingredients now available at farmers’ markets and grocery stores. This latest version is a great addition to cookbook collections for Joy of Cooking fans and budding cooks.
Inspiring Joy
Here at Zingerman’s, where hundreds of people are living out their dreams of working with food every day as a career, it turns out that the Joy of Cooking has helped inspire some of those dreams.
“It was the first book I cooked from. I’d come home from school when I was in 5th grade, read the recipes and pick some to try, always something baked. I used my mother’s copy, which was printed in 1953. She got it as a sophomore in college when she got married and moved into her own apartment. She still has that book. When I visited her last week it was right above her refrigerator with a couple of her other favorites. This made me laugh. At 83 she doesn’t cook much anymore but there it was, Joy of Cooking, right within her reach in case she needed it. I continue to use it as my tried and true resource book for basic information. I have a much newer copy that I bought in 1988 when I moved into my first apartment after college.”
-Amy Emberling, Zingerman’s Bakehouse baker, author and co-managing partner
“Reading this book in junior high is part of what inspired me to be a chef. My favorite section of my 1960’s edition was ‘know your ingredients.’ I think it’s a foundational cookbook everyone should have.”
-Rodger Bowser, Zingerman’s Delicatessen chef and co-managing partner
“It has changed my life. I go there first for nearly every recipe. I love the pancake recipe. I’ve also made the doughnuts, and it felt so good to have done this thing that seemed so hard, but was actually pretty easy! The descriptions and depth of ‘why’ put into the book is what is missing from most recipe books.”
-Gary Mazzeo, Zingerman’s Web Designer
“The Joy of Cooking version my mom had included recipes for ostrich and alligator. As a child, this brought me a tremendous amount of joy (ha!). I never tried making them though.”
-Sara Molinaro, Zingerman’s BAKE! principal
“I grew up with this cookbook as a child. My amazing mother sent me a copy for my 20th birthday (37 years ago). I made my first Hollandaise sauce when I was probably 10 years old assisting my mom with a dinner party. To this day I still use the recipe for quick tapioca custard.”
-Amy Berger, Zingerman’s Bakehouse bread mixer
Joy Comes to Zingerman’s Bakehouse
When asked about his desire to visit Zingerman’s, John Becker said “We met Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig eight years ago at one of the first food-industry events we ever attended. Knowing next to nothing about said industry, we asked him what Zingerman’s was all about, and his answers really piqued our interest. One of the things Megan and I first bonded over was cheese, and we vowed to make it to Zingerman’s if circumstances ever took us through Ann Arbor. Since then, we have befriended Ann Arbor expats where we live who have nothing but glowing things to say about the Deli–and the community of businesses that have grown from it.”
One of John and Megan’s few midwest stops on their national book release tour brings them to Ann Arbor and Zingerman’s Bakehouse. In fact, it will be their only Michigan appearance! The authors’ visit on February 25th, 2020 includes a talk and a demonstration. Copies of the new edition of Joy of Cooking will be available for purchase and to be signed by the authors. Tickets for the 2pm and 6pm events are available now. This is part of the “Brown Bag Talk” series hosted by BAKE! at Zingerman’s Bakehouse in the ZingTrain speaker and meeting space.
The interview will be followed by a cooking and baking demonstration. Head to the BAKE! classroom at Zingerman’s Bakehouse to watch the authors create four recipes chosen from the book: olive oil flatbread crackers, spicy chickpea soup, frico eggs (with crispy cheese), and chocolate swirl halvah (a sesame butter fudge). After the demonstration, there will be generous samples to share, and you’ll go home with the recipes.
Get yourself inspired in the kitchen again. Pick up a copy of the new Joy of Cooking for you and for the cooking curious youngsters (or adults) in your life. And be sure to grab a seat at one of these special Zingerman’s events before they sell out!
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Reserve Your Seats!
The new Joy of Cooking will be available for purchase and signing at the event, or order your book now.