September 21 – 23—A weekend of great eating, drinking, laughing and learning

One of the little-known secrets of the Zingerman’s world is…well, if I tell you, it won’t be such a secret anymore…but then if I don’t tell you…well, that’s clearly no good, either. So here’s the deal—just don’t tell everyone because seats are limited and we’ve chosen to stay on a relatively small scale. But the secret is: we do Food Tours!

There’s a terrific tour to Hungary early in September, but it’s already sold out. Then we have one going to Croatia—I haven’t yet been but it’s been near the top of my list for a long time. I hear nothing but great things. Only two seats left on that one!! Coming after that, with a few more seats still remaining is a shorter, more economically and schedule-friendly little jaunt up to northern Michigan—a weekend culinary tour of the Grand Traverse Bay region. (If you’re looking ahead, early October is Tuscany—also sold out but you can ask to be added to the waitlist; and then France, which is almost sold out!)

This little weekend wonder of a food tour should be pretty terrific! Traverse City scored high—in the top five!—of food towns in the U.S. I can’t really think of a better place to put autumn into action. It’s three days of eating artisan food and drinking craft beer and carefully made Michigan wines. All of which will be led by co-managing partner and chef at Cornman Farms, Kieron Hales—you’ll get to talk and taste food with an expert throughout the trip, and you’ll surely be charmed by this Brit and his old-world outlook.

If you don’t know it, the region has a really special microclimate that makes for great agricultural activity. It’s at about the same latitude as some of northern Italy’s and France’s great wine regions. Lots of snow keeps vines safe in the winter; the late spring means there’s low risk of buds coming out too soon. This cooler micro-climate allows for later harvests as early frosts are held back, deep lake-effect snow helps to insulate the vines in the winter, and early budding is rare because of the chill off the lake in the spring. All this helps to create clean, fresh wines, which rival those grown in hotter regions. My friend Justin Rashid from American Spoon Foods calls it, “One of the premier microclimates in the world!”

In case you needed further persuasion, the trip happens to take place on the Autumn Equinox. The sun should, if I understand the science, be shining directly over the equator. You, on the other hand, can mark this special day by being up in Traverse City eating great food, drinking delicious wine, and having a grand old time. The vernal equinox is the day that there’s roughly the same amount of sun and dark. If you’ve been working hard, or if you didn’t quite get in that long summer vacation you were going to take (or even if you did), this is a great way to rebalance and re-center. It could be the ideal opportunity to get a few days away, learn, laugh, eat and drink well.

Book today before this special little culinary field trip fills up!

While Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay has long been known as a four-season recreational destination, it’s booming food scene is also something to celebrate—Bon Appetit named it one of its top five foodie towns in America. The freshwater lake breezes that draw thousands of visitors to this charming lakeside community every year also create ideal conditions for some of the best farms, orchards, wineries, and fishing in the midwest.

And that’s where Zingerman’s Food Tours come in. Join us next month, September 22-24, when we travel to Grand Traverse Bay to explore the bounty and the beauty of this robust food region—easily, one of the most interesting in the US—with a 3-day trip that includes a visit to Traverse City’s gourmet food truck hub, our favorite breweries and distilleries, family-style farm spreads, foraging for ramps and mushrooms, and a sunset sale on the bay. And that’s not even the whole itinerary!

This is an annual trip for Zingerman’s Food Tours, and every time we return, we’re more and more impressed by the vibrant community of chefs, artisanal food producers, farmers and distillers we visit. Those who’ve taken this trip with us, have this to say:

“I thought I knew the Traverse City area, but this trip was full of wonderful surprises of food and scenery. We got to learn and understand how all of the chefs, farmers, vintners, work in harmony, and we got to really see behind the scenes in a new way.”

“It was very hands-on, interactive and also lovely to have access to so many personal stories behind where the food/wine/beer comes from.  We thoroughly enjoyed every minute.”

This is a great trip for adults of all ages. We keep the group small, so everyone can get the most out of the experience—you’ll be able to ask questions at every stop and really learn about the food you’re eating. Zingerman’s very knowledgeable Tour Guides will handle all the details, so you can enjoy yourself worry free.

 The Grand Traverse Bay Tour includes 3 nights a the beautiful new boutique Traverse City Hotel Indigo, breakfast, lunch, and a nightly family-style dinner with special guests to liven up the conversation, and much more. Check out the whole itinerary here and secure your spot soon. The trip takes place September 22-24, 2017!