Roadhouse Chef Bob Bennett reflects on his Zingerman’s career

Within sniffing distance of the eight-foot oak-wood pit smoker and earshot of the sizzling stainless steel flat-top grill, Chef Bob Bennett from Zingerman’s Roadhouse sat down with me for a chat. We reminisced about the start of his Zingerman’s career at the turn of the century, struggled to narrow down Roadhouse menu favorites, and reflected on the special community we’re a part of. Read on to experience a few morsels of his earnest and heartfelt approach to cooking and working. And don’t miss those menu picks! It was a tough job (as Bob says “Like picking from my children!”), but he pulled through for you.
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Sara: We’ll call this an icebreaker. How many pairs of socks do you have and what’s your favorite pair?
Bob: [Laughs] I do have a lot of socks. I probably have a dozen pairs that I rotate through the most. Hedley & Bennett (Editor’s note: no relation!) makes a soft, super cozy sock that I wear pretty much exclusively. They’re made for people who are on their feet all day, and they stand out with their patterns, which I enjoy in a sock. My favorite is a color block and polka dot pattern called “Wake Up and Fight.”

Sara: What first brought you to Zingerman’s in 2001 when you joined the Deli?
Bob: I was working my first restaurant job in downtown Ann Arbor and one of my friends was working part-time there and part-time at the Deli. He was like, “Hey, I think you could do really well on the sandwich line.” I felt like I could use a change so I went on a trial shift. I was at the Deli for two and a half years. At the time I was going to Eastern Michigan University studying psychology. A degree I thought I was probably never going to use, but maybe I use a lot working in a restaurant. It gave me more tools to be helpful, be a better listener, and have more empathy. After moving over to the Roadhouse, I decided I was going to stay in cooking and go to culinary school at Washtenaw Community College.

Sara: In just a few words, what do you love about the Roadhouse?
Bob: For myself, it always comes back to the people. The relationships we’ve made with those that we work with, our customers that come in, and our vendors. That brings me a lot of joy and makes me feel pretty good about what we’re doing.

Sara: You have been with the Roadhouse since before its doors opened in 2003, even helping paint the walls. If those walls could talk, what would they say?
Bob: They would say this place has grown a lot! It’s an interesting question that I have never even thought about. The changes from that summer before we opened to almost 21 years later. The different things we’ve added, like a patio, a gluten-free fryer, in-house butchering, and so on. And then there’s looking back on all the folks that have come through our front door, the different things we’re able to do for people, and being part of their memories.

Sara: What is different about the Roadhouse today than when it opened 21 years ago?
Bob: We certainly know our identity, what we know about food, what we know about ourselves, what we want to put forward, and how to uplift the community around us. We’ve done a really good job over the years of building our culture and creating connections. Working in the kitchen can be stressful but we know how to have a good time. Also, people know they can step back and ask for help and they will be supported. So I think we’ve done a good job of building that identity for ourselves.

Sara: What’s different about you 21 years later?
Bob: I talk sometimes. [Laughs] Not having a whole lot of experience with food going into working here, I was super nervous. When I first started I had never cooked a hamburger or a steak. I grew up on Hamburger Helper and hot dogs with boxed mac and cheese. But I had a willingness to come in early, stay late, and learn. I knew I could work hard and I just wanted to get better at what I was doing. Now, I feel more confident and experienced which enables me to talk to guests in the dining room and be a leader in the kitchen.

Sara: How has working at Zingerman’s impacted your career and your life?
Bob: Since I’ve worked here over half my life, and nearly all of my culinary career, I would say it’s had a huge impact! I tell people it’s like the unicorn job. I don’t think there’s anywhere else like it out there. We bring our staff in and really support them in a lot of ways. And we are always pushing each other to learn more about what we’re doing. I went to culinary school, but realistically I learned more working here. From reading countless cookbooks to visiting BBQ joints in Charleston and chicken spots in Nashville to receiving a Zingerman’s staff scholarship to study cooking in Oaxaca, Mexico. There are all these different opportunities for those who want to step in and take advantage of them. Getting to work around top-notch service providers and people who know a lot about food has always made me want to learn more. Next up on my list is touring part of the Texas barbecue circuit and hopefully, sneak into a kitchen or two.

Sara: How would you describe the Roadhouse to those who have not been?
Bob: I would say we try to make people feel at home. It’s comfortable and lends itself to a lot of different occasions. Whether you’re just going out for some oysters and wine with friends, a burger and a beer after work, or celebrating an anniversary, birthday, or bar mitzvah! It’s also a place where you really can’t go wrong on the menu. There are so many options for so many folks.

Sara: The neon sign out front states “Really good American food.” What does that mean to you?
Bob: It could mean a whole lot of different things, but at our core, it’s traditional Southern foodways. We focus on grits and greens and fried chicken and whole hog barbecue. We’re a scratch kitchen, so we’re butchering whole sides of beef in-house and frying chicken to order. We’re also recognizing the diversity of where we are in the world, being thoughtful about honoring the folks we’re bringing to the table, whether it’s a small farmer and a local crop or chefs who came before us and traditional recipes. I think we try putting food and tradition out there in a respectful way.

Sara: What makes traditional barbecue?
Bob: There’s a lot of things that define it. I grew up knowing barbecue as burgers on a gas grill. Traditional barbecue is a long process that takes serious work. Usually, it’s six to eight hours. You use local wood, so each region has its own flavor twist. Each one’s a little bit different. I think it’s honoring the whole animal, like our whole hog barbecue where we’re using snout to tail. There’s a lot of skill that goes into traditional barbecue in terms of getting the fire right, especially in the elements, and knowing just when to pull the smoked meat off the pit. As you look through history, barbecue was a centerpiece of church events, political events, and other community events that brought people together. It becomes this gathering point. Traditional barbecue is a kind of storytelling, the ingredients and techniques are passed on from person to person, generation to generation. We first learned from pitmaster Ed Mitchell from North Carolina here at the Roadhouse. And we’ve been practicing and refining it ever since.

Sara: What is unique about Roadhouse barbecue?
Bob: We’re outside barbecuing, rain or shine, sleet or snow, like 362 days a year. Being able to barbecue in the elements is one of the hardest things to do. Whether it’s raining or it’s hot, each adds variability to how we’re smoking and cooking things. I think our barbecue continues to evolve and grow. We were probably one of the first and still one of the only places in Michigan that does whole hog barbecue. We just brought in a new hog, a heritage breed called the red waddle. It was almost extinct in the ’90s, but we linked up with a 4th generation farmer named Matt Bailey out in Schoolcraft, Michigan who raises them. It’s one of the best barbecue hogs I’ve ever had. We’re gonna start doing Texas barbecue, which is beef brisket that doesn’t have sauce. It is just meat on display. I’m excited about what we’re bringing to the table.

Sara: Red Rage, North Carolina, or South Carolina barbecue sauce?
Bob: Red Rage. I love our other sauces just as much, but that’s what I put on more things because it’s just really good.

Sara: Macaroni and cheese or grits?
Bob: Like picking my favorite child! [Long pause] I would say grits, just because I feel like with the mac and cheese I almost need a certain time of day to really enjoy it, one where I can sit down for a few minutes afterward. Grits I can eat at any time of the day. I like everything about good grits. We get our heirloom grits from the great folks at Anson Mills in North Carolina. I like the creaminess that comes out and how well it melds with the corn flavor when you cook them well. I like the simplicity of their grits and how well they go with and stand up to so many different flavors. 

Sara: Sweet potato fries or mashed potatoes?
Bob: Sweet potato fries for sure. I love our mashed potatoes, but the sweet potato fries with the spicy mayo? I always tell people they are our secret weapon. They’re awesome.

Sara: Pit-smoked chicken or fried chicken?
Bob: Fried chicken, for sure. When we were growing up, my family didn’t do much cooking for family gatherings, but we ate a whole lot of fast food fried chicken. Ours is 200 times better in my book, so it’s one of my favorites. I can’t really get enough of it.

Sara: What do you think makes Roadhouse fried chicken so good?
Bob: Our attention to the details. There’s really good chicken coming in our back door. Bringing in fresh, high-quality products is always a good starting point. Then it’s marinated for 24 hours. I think that the spice on it is pretty good. That seasoned, crispy, crunchy outside. We make it to order, and you can see the person making it. That’s just a cool thing in my mind and adds a whole lot to it.

Sara: Donut sundae or brownie sundae?
Bob: [Said with zero hesitation] A donut sundae, for sure. The donuts by themselves are something fresh out of the fryer. But when you top it with some Creamery gelato, fresh whipped cream, and bourbon caramel sauce? It’s an event.

Sara: If you were to recommend three items to a Roadhouse first-timer, what would they be?
Bob: 1. Whole hog barbecue. Whether that’s the plate or the sandwich. This continues to be one of my favorite things that we do.
2. North Carolina shrimp. Whether it’s a shrimp burger or shrimp po boy. They are just outstanding, probably the best shrimp I’ve ever had. They’re caught the right way. I don’t think anyone is really getting them outside of North Carolina. They’re delicious.
3. Ribeye steak. My favorite cut. Ours is butchered in-house. We break down two whole steers a week. For about 16 years we’ve worked with a company called E. R. Boliantz. They coordinate with Northern Ohio farmers to bring us Black Angus steers. They are treated well, and the meat is super consistent with a really nice flavor. The steak is aged and cooked over oak. They’re pretty awesome.

Sara: Your sides with that steak?
Bob: Bacon-braised greens. They blew me away when I started here and still do. Braised greens were not on my radar growing up or even in my young adulthood. They are awesome. I go with the grits second, which I still love and I could eat any time. You never know if you’re gonna have room for that third one. I would probably go with the pimento mac and cheese.

Sara: I love the Roadhouse Just for Kids menu because there are so many options. What do your kids order?
Bob: I have an eleven-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter. She is still firmly in the mac and cheese stage. She’ll eat any pasta that’s in front of her. My son is just starting to be like, “I think I want a whole burger or a full basket of chicken.” He has always been a fried chicken leg guy, but now he is in love with scallops. He yells at me if he comes in and we don’t have them. He’s like “Who’s running this place?” [Both laughing]

Sara: Earlier you mentioned the Roadhouse being a place where people celebrate events and milestones. What type of event is the most frequently celebrated?
Bob: Judging from the amount of birthday desserts that I see leaving the kitchen, birthdays are definitely up there. (Editor’s note: Enjoy a free Donut Sundae on your birthday at the Roadhouse!) I think with the size of our restaurant and our capacity we’re uniquely suited for a lot of different celebrations, so we see engagements, wedding rehearsal dinners, anniversary parties. Only a handful of weddings.
Sara: Wait, what?!
Bob: I would say three or four. A couple of them even included the ceremony.

Sara: What do you think the Roadhouse’s role is in the Ann Arbor community?
Bob: I think our role is being that place that folks can rely on. Kind of that bellwether in a storm where people know come rain or shine that Monday through Sunday, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we’re going to be open for them and we’re gonna have a meal for them. We have a warm place at the table for them. I think that’s our role. And regardless of where they’re from or what they like, they can find something for themselves on the menu. It can even be a place where our kids grow up. Lately, when we present our Welcome to the Roadhouse class to new staff members, some say, “This is the first restaurant I ever ate at so of course I’m working here.” Being that place for a lot of folks is pretty awesome.

Sara: I know you step out of the kitchen and spend some time in the dining room from time to time. What do you learn from talking to the customers?Bob: Usually Friday and Saturday nights I’m pretty much stationed in the dining room talking to folks at the chef’s counter and tables in the dining room. I think it’s a lot of fun getting to meet folks outside of the kitchen walls, hearing their stories, where they’re from, and what brought them in that night. Being able to just build those relationships with folks, I think that’s pretty cool. It’s a lot of fun to share new items on the menu and involve them in the process, asking them to taste it and tell me what they think. It’s a lot of fun for me and I think for them because I don’t think many folks expect that when they go out to eat.
Sara: Now that you say that, I’ve been offered samples at the Roadhouse many times. I can’t think of another restaurant that’s ever brought me a free sample.

Sara: How do you think having the Westside Farmers’ Market in your restaurant parking lot influences the restaurant and the menu?
Bob: I think it’s one of the cooler things that we do, having that direct connection to farmers. When we talk about our role in the community, of being a place where the community gathers, I don’t know if there’s a better place for that than a farmers market. Come through and buy produce straight from the farmers and also enjoy it at the Roadhouse. Being able to go out and get something from a farmer and put it on the menu that night is a pretty cool thing. And we get to build these long-lasting relationships with the folks out there. They’ll stop by at other times and say, “Hey, I had this row of green beans that I thought weren’t gonna grow anymore. Would you like them?” Which is an awesome thing for me personally and a cool thing for the restaurant.

Sara: What are you looking forward to in the fall that you will be putting on the menu?
Bob: In early fall it’s peppers. There are so many different things that we can do with those. We will probably have some form of panzanella salad using roasted squash and peppers. Then as we get further into autumn, it’s squash and carrot season, so we’ll really be bringing those to the forefront. One of the new farms we’ve been getting our lettuce greens from will have some spicy greens in the fall. There’s very little I’m not excited about.

Sara: What’s next for the Roadhouse?
Bob: One of the things in front of my mind is elevating the visibility of our barbecue program. I think we’re probably one of the best barbecue places in Michigan and I’d like to showcase that and bring it to more folks. Also, we’re looking at how we refresh ourselves—a dining room facelift, updating our training, and innovating the service that we’re giving to our staff and our guests. We will always look to improve on things.

Sara: What’s next for you?
Bob: I want to be here and continue to grow, both myself and the restaurant. I don’t imagine working anywhere else because I don’t think there’s anywhere else like this. I really enjoy the folks I get to work with and our vision for the future. I’d like to focus on what restaurant work looks like and different ways I think we can move forward and improve the quality of life for a lot of folks. Not just in this restaurant, but all restaurants.

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I feel like giving a hug and eating a fried chicken leg, and maybe hugging a fried chicken leg. Perhaps I need some warm Roadhouse bread and biscuits with butter and honey, too. How about you? Say hi to Bob for me if you dine at the chef’s counter. Enjoy the really good American food, really great service, and a side of community spirit and barbecue sauce. Try them all!

Sara Hudson
Zingerman’s Creative Services Director

An early evening belief in the beauty of bivalves

If you’re up for a bit of an ocean-based boost, between 2 and 6 pm, Monday through Friday, here you go. At Mail Order and the Deli, our annual Summer Sale will conclude at the end of this month. The Roadhouse though has a different, year-round special that opens eyes in an equal but very different way. That Happy Hour slot is when we have East Coast oysters on special for the very low price of just $2 a piece!

While the Roadhouse Happy Hour is still relatively new, oyster fossils have been found from as far back as something like 530 million years ago. Here in North America, First Nations people on both coasts were consuming great quantities of oysters long before Europeans arrived. On Manhattan Island, the Native people traded oysters to the Dutch; there are still massive, covered-over “middens” of oyster shells all over Manhattan. Mark Kurlansky’s excellent book The Big Oyster addresses this New York City history in great detail.

By the end of the 19th century, many natural oyster banks were already exhausted. Happily, over the last 20 years, there’s been a lot of work done to restore the quality of the watersheds and un-dam some of the waters, and the oysters have come back nicely. The folks at Foley Fish, from whom we have been buying these for over 20 years now, have been at the forefront of that ecological restoration work! All of these are raised sustainably and are carefully checked by Foley to maintain their 100-plus-year tradition of having incredibly high-quality fish and shellfish. One of the four will be available for a couple bucks per piece every Happy Hour day!

• Blue Point – While the “Blue Point” name is widely (mis-)used, authentic Blue Points of the sort we buy come only from the estuaries of Long Island. Ours are from one oyster farm in the aptly named Oyster Bay, named by the Dutch colonists back in 1615 due to its abundance of shellfish.
• Chebooktook – These come from New Brunswick in the Canadian Maritimes, north of Maine. Harvested in Bouctouche Bay, the Chebooktook oysters generally bring a softer salinity with a lovely sweet, nutty finish.
• Savage Blonde – From Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province. These are harvested at the beautiful Savage Harbour on the far eastern end of the island, and have a wonderful meaty flavor.
• Wellfleet – Harvested, eaten, and enjoyed for many centuries from Wellfleet Bay about two-thirds of the way out on Cape Cod. Wellfleets are known for their sweet/salty flavor.

As with fresh fruit and vegetables, the flavor of any particular oyster will be different from week to week—more rain will make the merroir (the oceanic equivalent of terroir, i.e., the flavor that the soil imparts to what grows in it) less salty; less rain will increase the salinity. As a big oyster eater, I will say from first-hand experience all of these always taste great! It’s no accident that the Roadhouse rolls through a LOT of oysters each week.

If you love oysters, $2 high-end oysters in 2024 are a totally terrific way to break up your day! If you don’t love oysters, there are also other great offerings on the Happy Hour menu, as well as a plethora of drink specials. While the Happy Hour oyster offering will be different from week to week depending on what’s available, more often than not, it’s one of these four. All, I will say from firsthand eating experience, are fantastic!

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Fried pies are the perfect pastry to take on the road!

Once upon a time, about 15 years ago, we started selling pimento cheese. Back then, only a handful of folks in Ann Arbor seemed to have heard of it. Anyone who grew up in the South was excited to see it on the Roadhouse menu. But most everyone else—Midwesterners like me—really had no idea what it was! Most gave the menu listing a quizzical look and very few orders ensued. That was then. Today, in 2024, pimento cheese is one of our biggest-selling items! We still serve it at the Roadhouse (where it started). But the Deli has it as well, and the Creamery ships a whole lot of it to food stores and restaurants all over the country!

Fried hand pies, I forecast, are today where pimento cheese was 15 years ago. Although hardly anyone up here has heard of them, by the time we arrive at our 2032 Vision, the fried-hand-pie business will be hoppin’! They are, without question, a special comfort food pastry with deep roots in the Mid-South. Many Southern cities have bakeries that make next to nothing other than hand pies!

Fried Pies’ Origins

Made by the Bakehouse, and sold at the Roadhouse, the fried hand pies have deep Southern roots. They could be carried more easily out to the fields, into the mines, or, in more modern times, to the factory. Fried pies worked well too in the winter months when the fresh fruit season had ended, and dried fruit was all that was available. They were already well known around the time of the American Revolution and were particularly popular in the middle of the 19th century, especially so in Appalachia. Rossi Anastopoulo writes in Saveur:

In a region where life could be hardscrabble and unforgiving, fried pies proved to be a culinary balm for busy women with a high burden of responsibility. Unlike cakes, which typically took all day to prepare and required expensive ingredients that might be hard to access, fried pies were a quick, affordable way to enjoy something sweet. 

To this day, they evoke emotional reactions in folks who grew up on them. Arkansas restaurateur Jennifer Jones shares, “These old recipes connect us to our past, help define our reality, almost tell us who we are. It’s a way to talk to each other about something tangible.” The Mountain Association says, “Every time we reference our aunt’s fried apple pie recipe that’s written on the back of an old-school credit card receipt from the service station where she used to work, we connect to our heritage—our collective past as mountain people, hewn from hard-scrabble times.”

Fried pies are caringly hand-crafted with a traditional lard crust at the Bakehouse, filled right now with tart Michigan cherries. At the Roadhouse you can get a taste of this centuries-old tradition right by ordering one hot from the fryer for dessert after dinner (add some Creamery gelato too). And, we also have them cooked ahead and ready to grab from the Roadshow for breakfast. It’s like eating a jelly donut, but far better suited to “dining” while driving. They keep well for a day or so after they’re fried. (Remember it was typical to take one with into the fields in the morning to eat for later in the day).

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An Interview with Joan Nathan

Meet Joan Nathan, world-renowned authority on Jewish cooking, James Beard and IACP award-winning author of 11 cookbooks, New York Times and Tablet Magazine contributor, star of the PBS television series Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan, University of Michigan alum, and friend of Zingerman’s.

We’ve followed Joan’s career and admired her work since she met our founder Ari’s mother in the kosher section of a Chicago grocer in the ’90s. Joan shines a spotlight on the spectrum of flavors and traditions of Jewish food that exist all around the world, something near and dear to our hearts here at Zingerman’s.

I sat down with Joan in advance of her upcoming tour for the release of her twelfth book, My Life in Recipes (Knopf, 2024). Her trip includes stops at The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center in New York City, Akasha restaurant in California, The Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and Ann Arbor to visit us (and you?) at Zingerman’s Roadhouse on May 7! After our interview, I found myself missing my grandmother, daydreaming about traveling more, and wishing I could tear into a warm loaf of challah with Joan.

Sara Hudson
Zingerman’s Creative Services Director

Sara: Your newest book, My Life In Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories is part memoir, part cookbook, and organized almost like a travel diary. How did the idea to present your story that way come about?
Joan: I thought, “What should I do next?” I told myself this is the time to stop and do a last book. I’ve had a really interesting life. My editor suggested I do a totally new kind of book that nobody’s ever done. Very often chef memoirs put one recipe at the end. She said, “Why don’t you do a memoir and recipes?”

Sara: Tell me about the process of creating the book.
Joan: The process took a few years. I started writing, but my husband got very sick and he died. And then, of course, there was Covid after that. At first, I couldn’t do anything for several months, but then I went to visit my daughter in New Orleans and I started writing. I got up very early in the morning and wrote in bed, which I love to do. I would take long walks and think about what I had written. Then I’d put it all away and take a break. In the end, my editor cut 30,000 words. I had so many stories to tell! Putting it all together amazed me.

Sara: Some of my favorite parts of the book are the old photos, diary entries, and letters to your family. Who do we have to thank for saving all of those?
Joan: My mother saved everything for me. When I went to France as a student, when I went to Israel to work—she saved all my letters. I saved my diaries. I wrote my diary in French when I was studying in France—I can’t believe I did that! 

Sara: As you collected your life stories was there anything you thought, “I can’t believe that happened!”?
Joan: We tried to keep the stories to be only about food but there are certain things I wanted to include, like the time I met Marilyn Monroe. I found it in my diary from when I was 12 years old. I saved her autograph. It’s framed in my house.

Sara: What led you to this full life of travel and learning?
Joan: Maybe this is because of my parents, but I’ve always felt I could do whatever I wanted to do. I thought, “Just do what you want in life. I mean, just go for it.”

Sara: Tell us about one of your favorite more recent trips.
Joan: I was taken with cinnamon because in the Geniza, a hidden trove of ephemera in synagogues and mosques in the Middle Ages, I found mention of the spice. For my 70th birthday, I told my husband I wanted to go to Sri Lanka with the whole family because that was the home of cinnamon. Before I go anywhere, I find families to go to see and see the place through their eyes. I went on my own to a family in a neighboring town that worked in the cinnamon industry. They were making something just like a cinnamon babka on the side of the street. I use that recipe in the book.

Sara: For the most part, you have been baking a loaf of challah every week since the 1970s. Does anyone ever bake it with you?
Joan: That’s a good question. My assistant Hannah is a very good baker. She’ll help me and I’ll learn from her. I rarely buy a challah. Most of the time I do make it. It’s not very hard to do once you know how and it can be done very quickly. My hands in the photo on the cover show I’ve been making it for a long time! I try to have a Friday night dinner either at my house or somebody else’s every week, and I make the challah.

Sara: I love the recipe in the book you call Seasonal Challah. What inspired that?
Joan: That just happened. I live in Martha’s Vineyard in the summer and I have a big garden with lots of herbs. So I took whatever seasonal herbs there were and put them in my challah dough. I thought it was really good, and if you make it at home, you can do that. There’s tarragon in my garden and it’s one of my favorite herbs, but I like to save it for other things besides challah. You have to have a strong flavor to get through the baking. I like using basil in the summer and rosemary in the fall. I also like putting anise in my challah which makes for such a wonderful flavor. But I don’t like raisins in challah. Raisins are for stuffed cabbage, with onions, pine nuts, Italian spinach, and sardines.

Sara: What do you have planned for your upcoming book tour besides your visit to Ann Arbor and the Zingerman’s Roadhouse dinner?
Joan: I’m giving speeches in San Francisco and New York. Ruth Reichl is interviewing me at an event at Temple Emanu-El for 1,000 people!

Sara: What are you looking forward to about coming back to Ann Arbor for the first time in more than a decade?
Joan: Ann Arbor was a big part of my life when I was in school there. It was natural that I would come back to it for this book. I’m looking forward to going back to my own history, but some of the places I frequented in Ann Arbor decades ago aren’t there anymore. It’s just sort of a memory, but Ari’s made Ann Arbor so much more tantalizing with what has grown from the Deli through the years. I need to see Zingerman’s. I’m looking forward to seeing how it has yet again morphed into something more, because it has every time I visit. I’m looking forward to seeing Ari. This is fun for me to see because I’ve been following Ari for years after meeting him in the early ’90s on a book tour. I just looked at a photo of him. He never had gray hair when I was there and he’s got a little gray hair now. I do too, but I cover it.

Joan proudly read me an excerpt from Jewish Cooking in America that references Zingerman’s:

When I first heard about Ari Weinzweig’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I couldn’t believe it was a deli in the home of my alma mater. It’s not really a deli, but more of an International Food Emporium like New York’s Zabar’s with the definite Jewish touch. Mr. Weinzweig, a dropout PhD candidate, has taken an academic and appetizing interest in updating Jewish recipes like mushroom and barley soup going back in history to the 19th century Eastern European version similar to that served at New York’s Second Avenue Deli.

Sara: What will be on the menu when you host a special dinner and book signing at Zingerman’s Roadhouse?
Joan: Smoked Whitefish Spread, Galilean Hummus, and Syrian Mahammar all served with bagel chips, Armenian Stuffed Grape Leaves, Mediterranean Salmon with preserved lemon and za’atar, and much more. For dessert, Ann Arbor Schnecken, those wonderful sticky buns they used to serve at Drake’s that Frank Carollo also made at Zingerman’s Bakehouse. [Editor’s note: You might know them today as Obama Buns!]

Sara: One chapter title stood out to me: “Jerusalem: Learning About Living and the Meaning of the Meal.” What do you think the meaning of a meal is?
Joan: When you sit down with a person of a different background, maybe with different beliefs, I try to take the time to watch the meaning of food within that meal. In that chapter, I talk about going to an Arab home. The first thing served is coffee before the meal. It leads into the meal. People just relax and as you talk to each other things sort of slow down. It’s not just in Arab homes, but Jewish homes in the Middle East and everywhere. You start slowly, whet your appetite, get to know people as human beings, and enjoy a meal together. I’ve really seen this around the world, the importance of food and sharing it with a stranger.

Sara: How do you approach your recipes?
Joan: The traditional food and recipes I study have been made the same for thousands of years, carried down from generation to generation. Sometimes we need to freshen them up a little bit. That’s what I try to do in my books, so there’s a little bit of added color and a little less fat, but the essential taste is there and that’s the important thing.

I think all of us live too disconnected from what other people’s reality is and so that’s what really interests me, trying to get the humanity of everyone. That’s what I’ve tried to do for my whole life. I get a high from finding a recipe, but I don’t get excited by fancy schmancy restaurants. Maybe that’s why I like Ari so much, I have a feeling he’s the same way. He’s discovering artisan food producers and highlighting those people. That’s what I like to do.

Sara: You’ve traveled a lot and experienced different cultures, languages, and flavors. What was the common thread in those experiences and recipes?
Joan: Humanity. Pride in what you’re making. I notice that universally.

Sara: If you were to go back and add another chapter of what you’ve been eating or making at home since completing the book, what would you include?
Joan: Wow. That’s a tough one. I think I put it all in the book. I might have added the story of another adventure I’ve been on. Or I might have added something like brownies or chocolate chip cookies because my kids really like them, but you can get recipes for those anywhere. Actually, I have an update of a children’s book coming out in November I did with my grandchildren called A Sweet Year. Every grandmother is going to want to buy this book because the photos of my grandchildren are so good and I include fun things: a pomegranate punch, how to make cheese and butter, recipes for what I named East Coast and West Coast Brownies.

Sara: What do your grandchildren ask you to show them how to make?
Joan: They like to perfect making eggs in the microwave, it’s sort of like sous vide. They experiment with different toppings and make faces with the eggs and Challah. We make pesto and pasta from scratch together all the time. I’ve even shown them how they can make their own fresh cheese.

Sara: I want to show you this well-worn Cooking with Joan pot holder that’s hanging in our kitchen here at Zingerman’s Service Network. You’re here with us.
Joan: Oh my gosh! Look at that. I don’t even have one of those. I hope I get to meet you. You’ve really done your homework. Thank you so much.
Sara: Thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on the book. We’ll see you at your dinner!

The Coffee Blend Creating a Buzz Around the Zingerman’s Community

Roadhouse Joe Coffee is the house brew at Zingerman’s Roadhouse, specially created by Zingerman’s Coffee Company for the Roadhouse’s 2003 opening. (Are you new to Zingerman’s? The Roadhouse is our full-service restaurant and bar on Ann Arbor’s west side, known for its mac and cheese, barbecue, and more.) As Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig tells it:

Back then, we were already working to get going on what was soon to be opened as Zingerman’s Roadhouse. Our intention, as per the vintage neon sign (done by Mark Chalou, “Mr. Neon,” with old neon tubes he found in a warehouse in Detroit), was to serve “Really good American food.” To go with it, we knew we would also need a really good American cup of coffee, a cup that consistently would please nearly every (no one gets ’em all) palate. The result was—and still is, decades down the road—Roadhouse Joe.

Roadhouse Joe is beloved in its original form, of course, but its popularity has continued to grow throughout the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB), too, as over the years, Roadhouse Joe has evolved to be a key ingredient in other Zingerman’s-made products. Here are all of the ways you can enjoy it, from the original coffee blend that started it all to an improvement made from a buzz-worthy switch and more.

1. Roadhouse Joe Coffee

Comprised of not just one type of bean, but an ever-evolving combination, Roadhouse Joe has remained one of the Coffee Company’s most popular blends since its debut. “The point of a blend—as opposed to the many single origins we do,” Ari explains, “is that we can adjust it a bit regularly to keep the flavor profile consistent.” Currently, the Roadhouse’s signature coffee (psst: weekly breakfast Blue Plate Specials include a free cup!) is a crowd-pleasing blend of Papua New Guinea, Costa Rican, Indian, and Brazilian Peaberry beans. Designed to complement food from breakfast through dessert, the Coffee Company describes this blend as emphasizing body and balance over sharpness and acidity. Steve Mangigian, long-time managing partner and head roaster at the Coffee Company says,

I believe today’s Roadhouse Joe is one of the best blends on the market. It’s smooth, rich, full-bodied, clean, and craft-roasted to highlight the nuances of each of the coffees in the blend. India for a little pepper and spice, Brazil for its nuttiness, Costa Rica for the body and richness, and Papua New Guinea for adding a solid base of cocoa; all designed to complement each other when it strikes the palate!

Enjoy a cup at the Roadhouse or visit the Coffee Company to taste the difference in brewing methods. At the Coffee Company, you’ll notice their Big Brew Board, a board that outlines the different flavor profiles each type of coffee can have depending on its preparation. Of the Roadhouse Joe, the Coffee Company crew says, “Amazing in a Chemex, which highlights the sweetness and complexity. The Aeropress gives it a wonderful thicker body with a nice dried fruit finish. In the press pot, we noted flavors of rye, wood, and spice.” To brew up a batch at home, pick up some beans at the Coffee Company or Deli, or ship a bag to your favorite coffee connoisseur.

2. Rhode Island Coffee Milk

Coffee milk is a cold drink made with coffee syrup and milk. The Roadhouse’s version starts by slowly cooking Roadhouse Joe coffee and sugar until it reduces to a rich, thick syrup, and then the housemade syrup is mixed with milk and cream from Calder Dairy. As the name suggests, coffee milk is the official beverage of Rhode Island, but it has a pretty solid local following, too, at least among Roadhouse regulars. And, interestingly enough, it actually has a local connection, too. Janice Longone was an esteemed food historian who most of her life in Ann Arbor. She hosted a radio show, “Adventure in Gastronomy,” on Michigan Radio, founded the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor, and donated her extensive culinary archive to the University of Michigan, which became the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive. And, as she mentioned one day in passing to Ari, her uncle invented coffee milk. As Ari explains:

Jan’s Uncle Meyer was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who loved to tinker with things. And, according to legend, he took the Rhode Island love for strong, sweet coffee—likely based in the heavy concentration of both Italians and Portuguese people living there—and turned it into a cold drink.

Head to the Roadhouse to try Ann Arbor’s take on an East Coast classic. When the weather’s nice, we recommend sipping yours outside in Roadhouse Park.

3. Red Rage Barbecue Sauce

Red Rage also made its debut when Zingerman’s Roadhouse opened, but the recipe had been in development for years—decades, actually! This barbecue sauce was created by Chef Alex Young, a James Beard Award-winning chef, and former Roadhouse managing partner and chef, when he was just 13 years old! As the story goes, like a typical teenager, Alex invited friends over one day when his parents were out of town. In perhaps a not-so-typical teenage move though, it was a hundred people that were invited over… for a barbecue! He made the first version of the Red Rage we know and love today (and presumably ticked off his folks in the process!). Its name is likely due to the fact that it’s a tomato-based sauce with a kick, but we like the idea that it could have originated from a rager that had Young’s parents seeing red!

The recipe has been tweaked slightly over the years, mainly to swap in higher-quality ingredients, as we love to do here at Zingerman’s. Its fantastic full flavor comes from spices (like Turkish Urfa pepper, Tellicherry black pepper, chipotle peppers, and Mexican piquin peppers) that are balanced out with some sweetness (Muscovado brown sugar, molasses, and honey) and acidity (ketchup and apple cider vinegar), plus some pilsner and Roadhouse Joe coffee, of course. Don’t let the name (or those chile peppers) leave you concerned that indulging in a little BBQ will leave your mouth on fire. As Mo Frechette, Zingerman’s Mail Order managing partner says, “There is heat, but it’s a creeping, seeking heat that never gets in the way of the food.”

Head to the Roadhouse to enjoy Red Rage on a rack of ribs. Ship a bottle to a fellow BBQ lover from Mail Order, or order a few for yourself and pick up your order from their Warehouse Shop. Or mix up a batch for yourself at home. Use it on your favorite barbecued meats of course, but also try it slathered on a burger, drizzled into a burrito, swirled into mac and cheese, or as a more flavorful stand-in for ketchup with fries.

4. Spicy Coffee Rub

This intensely flavorful blend is packed with Urfa pepper, Tellicherry black pepper, cloves, sea salt, and yes, Roadhouse Joe coffee. Just like Red Rage, the Spicy Coffee Rub was created by Alex Young a few years after the Roadhouse opened. Young developed it with turkey in mind, so it was initially used on roast turkeys and a turkey sandwich dubbed the Dexter Reuben. Francine Maroukian lauded the blend in Esquire magazine as a way to make your Thanksgiving turkey memorable, saying, “One little jar will leave your turkey succulent and beautifully browned. Believe us, your guests will appreciate the gesture.” (Should you prefer to let someone else handle the bird, coffee spice-rubbed turkey reappears on the Roadhouse’s Thanksgiving To-Go menu—and, fair warning—then quickly sells out). The spice blend’s versatility was quickly uncovered though, so over the years it’s been featured in all sorts of Roadhouse specials including chicken, pork, and wild boar.

If you’re ready to wake up your cooking, grab a jar of Spicy Coffee Rub at the Deli or have Zingerman’s Mail Order ship you one. Follow Ari’s lead and try it on catfish, potatoes, or roast chicken (find his recipe for Roast Chicken with Bacon and Spicy Coffee Spice Rub on page 200 of Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon).

5. Coffee Gelato (aka Roadhouse Joe-lato)

It doesn’t take much to imagine Roadhouse Joe’s smooth flavor churned into a creamy batch of gelato, especially if you typically take your coffee with a splash of cream or milk. Luckily for all of us, there’s no imagination necessary, since that’s what the Creamery is doing! In 2023, they updated their coffee gelato to feature Roadhouse Joe—quickly earning itself the nickname of Roadhouse Joe-lato. Using this best-selling brew along with milk and cream from Calder Dairy—one of the last farmstead dairies in Michigan—and demerara sugar created a gelato with a jolt of big, well-balanced coffee flavor. Gelato & Retail Manager Lexi Stand declares, “It tastes so good!”

Pretty sure we don’t need to tell you how to savor a scoop of gelato, but just in case… try one straight up, paired with another Creamery gelato like Vanilla or Chocolate Hazelnut, or doused in espresso for an affogato with serious pick-me-up power. Pick up a pint at the Cream Top Shop or the Deli, or enjoy a scoop for dessert at the Roadhouse. Flavors in the Creamery’s case vary, but when you spot the Coffee Gelato you can enjoy a scoop or two on the spot. Or, enjoy it in one of the many other ways they finesse their frozen treats, like in a shake, malt, float, or frozen cooler—in which the flavor of your choice is blended with any soda flavor.

6. Mothfire RoHo Joe Stout

Not only has Roadhouse Joe conquered flavor sensations from savory spices to sweet treats, but it’s also proved that it can move from coffee mug to pint glass (or tulip glass as the case may be, but you get what we were going for, right?). Mothfire Brewing Company has been making a rich, roasty stout with Roadhouse Joe since 2021. This flavorful collaboration began at the picnic tables in Roadhouse Park, when Mothfire head brewer Alexis Jorgensen started envisioning what the recipe might look like. As Ari describes:

The beer really is something special. When you sip the stout, the coffee comes through without dominating the whole drink; it hints clearly of coffee, and yet it’s something else altogether. The RoHo Joe Stout has a good hint of vanilla, a touch of sweetness, and all the grain-forward fullness you’d expect in a good stout!

The sweetness is due to the brew, of course, but perhaps also to the bond of Ann Arbor townie businesses who share a passion for great ingredients and community. As Noah Kaplan, one of Mothfire’s founders, elaborates:

We believe that craft breweries are an essential part of a community’s culture. A place to create beers and atmospheres that are truly unique to the region, and a place to bring people together. We focus on collaboration, creativity, and quality craftsmanship. We also focus on using local ingredients and building on local culture.

We definitely don’t need to tell you how to drink a beer. (Other than to enjoy this sensational sipper responsibly, but you already know that.) Try the RoHo Joe Stout on draft or pick up a 4-pack at the Roadhouse. Cans are also available at Mothfire Brewing Company, select Plum Market locations, and (soon) other Zingerman’s locations.

Who knows where Roadhouse Joe might moonlight next!

To keep up with the buzz on all of the latest happenings in the Zingerman’s Community, follow us on social media: @zingermanscommunity on Instagram and Facebook, and @zingermans on X (formerly Twitter).

Freshly milled wheat from the Bakehouse
makes a wonderful meal