Tag: BAKE!

“How did I get the name ‘Breakfast Queen’? I gave it to myself!” announced Ina Pinkney. As we learned during the two demo classes she recently taught at BAKE!, the iconic Chicago restaurateur isn’t exactly one to sit around and wait for things to happen. And in truth, the regulars who flocked to her legendary Chicago restaurant Ina’s for over 30 years, probably wouldn’t argue with her self-proclaimed royal status.

Ina’s story, which she told as she prepared some of her most popular recipes, including her ultra-fluffy, sour-cream-based Heavenly Hots pancakes, is one driven by tenacity. Born in Brooklyn, New York in the 1940s, she was stuck with Polio at 18 months old, leaving her with permanent damage in her right leg.

“I knew the inner Ina would never match the outside world,” she said.

But the experienced gave her a sense of fearlessness, she says, which has followed her throughout her life—it’s what carried her through when she was disowned by her family for marrying a black man in the 1960s (when interracial marriage was still outlawed in many states), and what helped her meet the challenge of living in a new city when the couple moved to Chicago in 1977.

Once in Chicago, which she said felt like a “small town” compared to New York, Ina started a cake delivery business even though she’d never even beaten an egg. “If you can read, you can bake,” she says. As her following grew, she added restaurants to her client list. It wasn’t long before she decided to open a breakfast restaurant.

Ina’s became an institution in Chicago, so much so that a documentary called Breakfast at Ina’s was made about its last days in operation when Ina decided to close shop. When asked if she misses Ina’s, she’s not overly sentimental. “I think when you do something well, when it’s over, it’s over,” she told us,  adding that the day-to-day stress of running a restaurant is exhausting.

She does, however, enjoy doing personal appearances like the one at BAKE! when the mood strikes her, and she was definitely in her element cooking and sharing anecdotes about everything from an ill-fated stint on a cooking competition reality show (they told her the ovens were pre-heated, but they weren’t) to making Governor Rod Blagojevich hang up his phone before she would serve him (the whole restaurant cheered).

Ina prepared four of her favorite dishes for the BAKE! crowd. In addition to those aptly named Heavenly Hots, which had most of us asking for seconds and thirds, she also whipped up a delicious Moraccan Sweet Potato Stew with Raisins, Pasta Frittata, and New Old Fashioned Vanilla Bean Pound Cake. All of the recipes Ina demonstrated were easy to make and suited perfectly for brunches, potlucks, and weeknight dinners.

If you couldn’t make it to BAKE!, you can still try them out for yourself. Her book Ina’s Kitchen features these delicious dishes and more—it would make a great addition to any cookbook collection. Look out for the documentary Breakfast at Ina’s. It played at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2015 and will hopefully be coming to your favorite streaming service soon. You can see the trailer right here. And keep up with Ina with her breakfast column at the Chicago Tribune.

Want to take a class at BAKE? Check out the schedule! Want to meet other great chefs like Ina? Sign up for the BAKE! newsletter to keep up with special appearances.

BAKE!, Zingerman’s hands-on teaching bakery, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016, and this year, one of our most dedicated students has celebrated an anniversary of her own: her 200th class!

Briana Chen has taken almost every single class (she’s still considering Fondant Fondamentals) offered by BAKE! She started her journey back when our school was first launched—a longtime fan of Zingerman’s, she’d already been attending tastings and 101s at the Deli when she found out about the learning opportunities at BAKE!

“I started taking classes, and I really enjoyed them,” she says. “I loved the setup and how they teach in terms of the low student-to-instructor ratio. It was just made for fun, and not super serious.”

After her first class, Scrumptious Scones, she was hooked. At first, she figured she’d take on a new topic once a quarter, but that quickly snowballed. “Once a quarter became once a month at a certain point a couple of years into it. And then I don’t remember when it was, but it was probably into the mid 70s in terms of number of classes I took, and someone jokingly said, ‘Hey, do you think you’ll actually make it to 100?’” she says.

Describing herself as someone who always does everything “150 percent,” she took the comment as a challenge and kept signing up for more and more courses. But, beyond accepting the dare, Briana says she values everything she’s learned from better organization for baking to advanced pastry-making techniques. Plus, it’s a nice respite from the daily grind. “I joke with people and say, it’s like the Zen of baking because when you start to knead dough, you kind of get into a rhythm. It was a way that I could channel my energy when I was stressed.”

Briana says she feels like she’s part of a community at BAKE! She’s made a lot of friends through the years, and they meet up socially outside of the learning kitchen. She’s a big sharer, and the treats she brings to the office have also been instrumental in recruiting others to come and try a class. “I’m the local food dealer in the office now,” she says.

Briana’s experience is what BAKE! was made for, according to Amy Emberling, a Managing Partner of the Bakehouse. “Briana has engaged with BAKE! just as we hope students will, plus some,” she says. “When we started BAKE! we wanted to inspire a community of home bakers among the students who attended the class. Briana has done that. She’s made new baking friends. We also want to teach people to bake, as well as provide a welcoming and entertaining experience.”

As far as having a favorite course, Briana says it’s hard to pick just one. “Every instructor brings a different strength, so it’s just tapping into people and learning about how they learned to see if there’s stuff that I can use,” she explains. However, she does think that starting with scones was a bonus because it was a great intro to the fundamentals of mixing and baking. She says that cookie classes are always really fun, too, and she’s enjoyed the Dinner Series sessions.

Even though she’s exhausted the curriculum at BAKE!, Briana has no plans to stop. She’s currently going on a “bread journey” and retaking a bread class once a month—she’s very excited to learn from new BAKE! instructor Sara Molinaro.

(And here’s a little secret: students who want to take a class for the second time receive 50 percent off. “This is because we understand that learning requires practice, and we want to support our students learning. Fifty percent off a repeat classes makes that much easier. Briana is going for mastery—she’s inspiring even to us!” says Amy.)

And what about that fondant? “Never say never—I’ll probably take it eventually,” she says with a laugh.

Want to get in on the fun? Be like Briana, and take a BAKE! class (or 200). We offer a huge variety of classes for every level (absolute beginners are welcome!) weekdays, weeknights, and weekends. Learn all about sweets, savories, cakes, cookies, breads, pastries, and so much more. There’s something for everyone and sign up is easy—check out the schedule today! 

“It’s very sweet and surprising and fulfilling. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years!” says Amy Emberling, co-founder of BAKE!

This summer marked a decade in business for the hands-on teaching bakery at Zingerman’s Bakehouse. To celebrate the anniversary, BAKE! hosted special events and welcomed some exciting guests, including James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan, who demoed her famous Jammers among other signature treats, and Alejandro Ramon, a beloved instructor who was instrumental in designing the original program—he taught a Mexican Dinner class, where he shared his family’s mole recipe and lead a group in flan and enchilada making.

When BAKE! first began, the vision was simple: take the mystery out of baking and inspire people to do it at home. The goal was to provide rich learning in a fun, informal environment that encouraged students to engage with each other and, by extension, grow a community of home bakers.

“It’s really special because we did it totally from our hearts because we thought it could contribute to people’s lives, and we wanted to engage with customers in a more personal way,” says Amy. “We had no idea if people would come. We didn’t run any numbers, and we didn’t even think about the money and the investment. Then, it was sort of amazing—people liked it.”

While attendance was light in the beginning, the feedback was positive. As word got out, BAKE! attracted more and more new students and regulars (some of whom have taken as many as 100 classes!). “It kept on going, and it’s really become what we made the mission statement to be,” explains Amy.

To salute those who’ve come to learn over the years, the celebration included two installments of “Open Mic Night.” For the events, BAKE! turned the stage over to student teachers, who gave half-hour demonstrations while telling their own stories. The volunteers whipped up everything from New York cheese cake to Chinese steamed buns. Many brought family and friends along, making for a lively time. Admission was $10, and all proceeds went to benefit the Ann Arbor chapter of  Les Dames d’ Escoffier International, an organization of women leaders in food, beverage and hospitality whose mission is education and philanthropy.

So, what does the next ten years hold for BAKE!?  “To expand the community, and give people the opportunity—both customers and the chefs and bakers—to be in touch with one another,” says Amy. A big part of that will be to bring in more local professional chefs and bakers to teach and connect with their customers. To facilitate this, building a proper demonstration space that’s comfortable for students and effective for presenters is being considered

You can be part of  the next chapter. BAKE! currently teaches classes a wide variety of classes in pastry, cakes, pies, bread and more. And it’s not just all about sweets—there are also plenty of sessions that cover pizza making, savory baking, and pasta. International cuisines are on the roster, too. Think breads from Transylvania, stews from the British Isles, Southern brunch, risotto from Sicily. There’s also the closer-to-home Detroit Classics session that covers Detroit deep dish pizza and coffee cake. You don’t need any experience, just a desire to learn and eat!

Classes are offered daily. See the full list and calendar on our BAKE! website.

Beloved recipes & stories of an annual tradition.

Since BAKE!, the hands-on teaching bakery at Zingerman’s Bakehouse, began teaching classes in 2008, the Fancy Schmancy Holiday Cookie class has always been the most popular class. Thousands of folks have traveled from around Ann Arbor and across the country to bake these cookies with us, many returning year after year and bringing a host of their friends and family.

Now for the first time, this cook book shares the stories—and 17 of the most loved recipes—of the class. Learn to make Zingerman’s Bakehouse favorites like Classic Rugelach, Mandelbread, Ginger Jump-Ups, and Chocolate Macaroons. Get a taste of this treasured Zingerman’s tradition, straight from your own kitchen.

You can find the recipe booklet at Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Zingerman’s Delicatessen, Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Zingerman’s Coffee Company, or ZingTrain.
Need it shipped?  Zingerman’s Mail Order can ship one straight to your door!

See you soon! 

Make your own holiday treats

Unleash your creativity on cookies! Sign up for our Creative Cookies class on Thursday, October 29th, 5:30-9:30pm and celebrate the season with treats you made yourself. Decorated cookies make great gifts, party favors, stocking stuffers and holiday centerpieces. In this class you’ll learn to make tasty butter cookies and use a variety of decorating techniques. You’ll make your own cookie dough and fresh fondant from scratch. We’ll show you how to decorate your cookies with fondant and royal icing and then you’ll get plenty of hands-on practice. We provide an assortment of cookie cutters, but you’re welcome to bring your own (3″ to 4″ please).

You’ll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, fondant and a dozen dazzling decorated cookies you created yourself, plus great coupons.

Reserve your seat here