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ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 20151
WHERE DID THE BIG LIST OF ZINGERMANS EVENTS GO?!Dont worry. Weve
just got so much going on around the Zingermans Community of
Businesses that we needed two whole pages to list everything. Find
out whats happening on pages 8 and 9!
Strike up the GrilLRed Wattle Porterhouse Pork
ChopsHeritageporkyoucannowcookathome
Now thru July 31st
Ship everything but the grill!
Thick, creamy, elegant, luscious. Eating gelato is an event, a
special occasion that borders on a religious experience for ice
cream connoisseurs.
At Zingerman's Creamery, gelato maker Josh mixes fresh milk from
Calder Dairyone of the last farmstead dairies in Michiganwith
organic Demerara sugar and an array of other great ingredients to
churn out this Italian-style ice cream with direct, intense
flavors.
Made in small batches, shipped directly from our Creamery.
Six tubs total, twelve ounces each:
Italys famous ice cream, made hEre in ANn Arbor!Zingermans
Creamery Gelato Collection
Dark Chocolatemade with Scharffen Berger cocoa
Roadhouse Vanillamade with Madagascar's famous Bourbon vanilla
beans
Dulce de Lechewith plenty of Dulce de Leche caramel from
Argentina swirled in
Peanut Buttermade with Koeze Peanut Butter from Grand Rapids,
MI
Mint Chocolate Chipwith real mint extract and really good
house-made chocolate chips
Raspberry Sorbet chock full of the best Michigan raspberries we
can get our hands on
Longtime customers consider the Summer Sale a holiday and the
perfect opportunity to stock up on all their favorite items at huge
discounts. Many of the most popular items, including tuna and olive
oil, are up to 50% off. Order now, ship when you like, even if you
dont want to ship them until December. Knock out your holiday
shopping in the midst of summer and relax for the rest of the
year!
Frequent Fish ClubWevejustlaunchedabrandnewmonthlyfoodclub!
The Frequent Fish Club features the most glorious seafood you
can find in a tin, jar, or bottle. It's perfect for summer, when
most of us entertain or picnic or laze on the patio with a crisp
glass of ros and a few tasty nibbles.
For those who love tinned fish (and based on how many tins of
Ortiz tuna we sell, I'm guessing that's most of you) this club is
the stuff culinary dreams are made of.
Red Wattles are an old breed of pig that was raised for flavor,
not fashion. A century or two ago youd have found Red Wattle pork
on tables in New Orleans where they were a popular pig, sporting
meat that could pair well with the regions full-flavored cooking.
Today you might find Red Wattle in a few restaurants in New York
and a couple other lucky cities. There has been almost no supply
for us home cooksuntil now.
Were working with Heritage Foods to get a limited supply of big,
fat, Red Wattle porterhouse pork chops. These chops have the strip
and loin attached, joining at the bone like a T Bone steak. Each
measures an inch and a quarter thick and tips the scales at
fourteen ounces.
The pork comes from hogs that are raised impeccably. The pigs
are not confined, have access to the outdoors, and never receive
antibiotics or hormones.
The flavor is rich, herbaceous, even a little sweet. It packs
more flavor than Ive ever had in a pork chop. The crowning glory of
Red Wattle pork, however, is its fat. It marbles the meat and wraps
the chop in a soft, opaque band. When cooked it melts within the
meat and softens its edge to a luscious, lip-smacking bite. This is
melt-in-your mouth fat, the kind of succulent experience you expect
in great steaks and some cured meats. Its never a sensation Id
experienced in a pork chop until I met this one.
Sale prices at www.zingermans.com, by phone at 888.636.8162 or
stop by
Zingerman's Delicatessen on Detroit Street
Special Treats ONLY AVAILABLE
at zingermans.com or by calling
888.636.8162
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ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 20152 3
Ive always loved Ethiopian coffee. Ever since I started paying
attention to, and appreciating, the flavors of regional beans, the
nuances of various roast levels, the variations of crop years and
the other elements that make up a really exceptional cup, Ethiopian
coffees have kept their spot at the top of my personal taste list.
Their remarkable, always interesting, winy, at times
blueberry-like, big flavors arent, I know, for every-one, but
theyre definitely for me. I love em.
Without question, I drink Ethiopian coffees more than any other
single offering!
Happily, having just been to Ethiopia (see the ZingTrain piece
on page 6) I can see why theyre so special to me. Not only do they
taste great. They have a fantastic history to go with them.
Although not that many folks out in the world know it, Ethiopia
is the literal homeland of coffee. Its where the coffee plant
probably originated, and pretty surely where coffee was first
consumed as a beverage. As the story goes, a young goat herd-er
named Kaldi noticed his goats frolicking more than usual after
eating the berries of a certain bush. He picked the ber-ries and
brought them to an Islamic monk who showed his dis-approval by
tossing them into the fire, from whence the first coffee roasting
commenced. Somehow Kaldi decided to grind and brew the toasted
beans and, apocryphally at least, coffee was born. Ethiopia is also
the place from which Yemeni traders took coffee to Europe and the
rest of the world. All of which is why coffee means about 88 times
more in Ethiopia than it does anywhere else in the world.
Whats it like everywhere else? In most every other country in
which its grown, coffee was introduced in relatively recent
history, primarily by European colonists, and primarily for one
purposenot to make good mocha available, but to make money. Coffee
was grown, not for personal consumption, but almost exclusively,
for export. Unlike a garden where you grow your own tomatoes to
enhance the excellence of your dining table, coffee was grown for
cash. If someone wasnt making a living growing coffee, he or she
could be just as likely to grow tobacco, timber or tea. As a
result, coffee is generally well-integrated, and often downright
essential, to the economy of places like Costa Rica, Honduras and
Kenya, but its generally NOT part of the culinary culture. Coffee
is important to cre-ate jobs, earn income, and pay bills. But
brewing and drinking great coffee is just not that big a deal.
While clearly coffee has grown to become an important part of the
culture (probably in Brazil more than anywhere else) the reality is
that instant cof-fee is still a huge product in most producing
countries.
Ethiopia is the exact opposite. Everyone (well, nearly
every-one) drinks coffee. Nearly all of it is really good, if not,
at times, excellent. More importantly, the majority of the
popu-lation (there are exceptions) loveand almost reverethe stuff.
About half of the annual crop is consumed internally. They
appreciate coffee for the income it brings, but they care about
coffee emotionally as much as they do their history, the culture,
traditional dance, and language. Coffee in Ethiopia is like . . .
cheese and wine in France, fish in Boston, rice in Ja-pan, chiles
in New Mexico, really wild, wild, rice for the Ojibwe people here
in the upper Great Lakes.
How does that play out? Well, for openers pretty much every
place serves pretty darned good coffee. To be clear, I dont say
that lightly. Honestly, I would really never drink coffee in a
ho-tel, and only rarely in restaurants unless I know who roasted it
and I like and trust the people who run the place. Commercial-ly
brewed coffee in those sorts of places is so rarely enjoyable (the
general guideline for me is that bad tea is nearly always much,
much better than bad coffee) so I just order black tea.
But in Ethiopia at nearly every single place I ordered it the
cof-fee was good. That alone is an amazing thing, a feat that would
be unthinkable almost anywhere else in the world (including Europe
and the U.S.) And some shops serve some seriously great coffee.
Some shops even brew beans from specific regionscalled out by
namein Ethiopia. While that might seem mundane to folks in
Southeast Michigan who are used to having access to regional and
estate offerings of various coffee beans from Zingermans Coffee
Company or in other quality focused ca-fs, its actually rarely seen
in producing countries (other than maybe in a cafs run by growers
or government sponsored coffee boards).
Most all of what I had on my visit to Ethiopia was brewed in
filter pots and a fair few places used French press pots. A good
many others pull shots of espresso (although often much lon-ger
shots than were used to here). Ethiopia, of course, is the only
country on the continent never to have been colonized by a European
country. As a result, energy and independence of spirit seem
particularly high. Ethiopia was invaded by Italy back in the 1930s.
The only big legacies of the invasion seem to be a high affinity
for pizza, and the frequent use of Italian coffee brewing methods.
Caf Macchiatothe traditional Ital-ian style, with only a small bit
of milk and a shot of espressoseems to be the most commonly
consumed brew.
Ethiopians do have a very important traditional coffee cer-emony
which plays the same sort of role there that the tea ceremony does
in Japan. Green coffee beans are roasted over hot coals in a metal
pan. The coffee is then ground, often with a mortar and pestle. The
new grounds are put into a special ceramic carafe. Water is added
and brought to a boil so that it starts to rise through the long
neck of the carafe. Its then poured into another vessel to cool it
a bit, then boiled again. To serve, the coffee is poured through a
filter into handle-less cups. Generally the pot is moved back and
forth over the se-ries of cups so that the liquid is evenly
distributed. Many Ethio-pians add sugar. Some in the countryside
add the traditional clarified butter and salt (this version of
coffee becomes a bit of a traditional instant breakfast). The
grounds are typically brewed three times. Teddy Araya told me that,
the first round is called Abol, the second is Tonena and the third
is Berk, the blessing. In some places like Tigrai, they serve to
the fourth round. The best part is the first since it is the
thickest. The sub-sequent ones will get lighter on every round. In
Tigrai, they give the fourth round to kids.
The traditional accompaniment for coffee in Ethiopia? Not a
croissant, not a cookie, not vanilla syrup. Its popcorn. Thats
right. If you order coffee in a traditional setting, say after
din-ner, it will come with a bowl of popcorn. And while that may
seem odd, Ill tell you that its actually darned delicious. Try
it!
For me, heres the ultimate testament to the import and care that
accompany coffee culture in Ethiopia. When you goto the markets,
alongside stalls selling vegetables, fruit, spices, etc. there are
many that are selling green coffee beans. A few sell already
roasted beans but the majority are still in their green, unroasted
state. Everyone here roasts their own at home, a friend told us.
Since our visit was short and I couldnt speak Amharic to the men
and woman working the stalls, I bought a half-kilo from one woman
who seemed nice. She had three baskets (others had even more) of
different green beans on display. I had no idea really what I was
buying but just for fun, I bought some to bring back to the Coffee
Companys managing partner Steve Mangigian.
When I got back Steve roasted it up. After what Ive written
here, you shouldnt be surprised to learn it was really good. No,
not the single best coffee Ive ever had in my lifebut for a blind
random choice its actually amazing that it was so tasty. If youd
told me it was a sample from one of our high-end bro-kers Id have
told you I really liked it, certainly very respect-able. Culture,
Ive always believed, is a much better enforcer of ethical standards
than any formal certification. The fact that it happened the way it
did, by random meandering around the market in Addis Ababa, says a
lot. Coffee in Ethiopia is serious business, so much so that market
stalls wouldnt even think of selling something bad. Coffee drinkers
wont tolerate it.
Our current Ethiopian bean from Zingermans Coffee Company is, as
I said in the beginning, at the top of my consumption list. Its a
new cropa 2015 harvest of coffee beans from the Harar district in
Ethiopias northeast. Its grown at very high altitudesnearly 6000
feetwhich contributes to the quality and complexity of the beans.
The city of Harar, which sits at the center of the region, was
founded between the 7th and 11th
centuries and over time became a significant center of Islamic
learning and culture. The Harari language is one of over 80 in
Ethiopia! Aside from the excellence of its coffee, the area is also
known for its basket weaving, bookbinding and poetry. Speaking of
the latter, in the late 18th century it was home to the French poet
Rimbaud. More importantly to matters at hand its said to be the
first region in which indigenous wild coffee was domesticated.
The best Harar coffees, like this one, have wonderful winy,
fruity flavors that remind me of blueberries, or at times maybe
blackberries. It is a natural or dry processed coffee. The pulp of
the coffee cherry is left on the beans in the center and dried
naturally in the sun, which yields a more intense, fruity, full
flavored coffee, which is, of course, the kind that I particularly
love.
My favorite brew: new crop Ethiopian coffee is in!
available at zingermans delicatessen and coffee company
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ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 20152 3
Each of our six brewing methods will, of course, yield a
slightly different set of flavors for each coffee,
including, in this case, our Ethiopian. Here are some of our
crews brewing preferences.
Available at Zingermans Coffee Co., Delicatessen and
Roadhouse
Big Brew Board Picks for: ethiopian
pourover press pot syphon clever chemex aeropress
Steve
Ari
Stephanie
David
As per its name, this is a not a big cheese; physically theyre
only about two inches across and maybe a half an inch high.
Diminutive as they are, Little Napoleons will never make the sort
of huge visual impression that a wheel of Comt or Parmigiano
Reggiano will. Compared to the giants of the cheese world theyre
still barely known outside of Ann Arbor and in a few of the
countrys best cheese shops.
But size and fame arent everything. Like the French em-peror of
the same name, the Little Napoleons are win-ning friends and
followers with greater effectiveness every day. Better still, of
late, the Little Napoleons have been really exceptionally good. And
building something special up to high levels of loyalty isnt an
overnight ac-tivity. But I believe that Little Napoleonsboth as
they are, and aged in the chestnut leavesare, no exaggera-tion,
some of THE best cheese being made anywhere in the U.S. right now.
Since my next bookPart 4 of Zinger-mans Guide to Good Leading
seriesis about the Power of Beliefs in Business, you can bet that
Im going to capi-talize on the strength of my own belief and use it
to help catapult these small but delicious handcrafted delicacies
to the fame they deserve.
Thats no modest vision, I know. But you have to start somewhere,
and Im starting here. In fact, in an informal and unintended
affirmation of the critical nature of word of mouth promotion and
the correlation between it hap-pening and the excellence of the
product, sales have al-ready been on the rise. The chestnut-wrapped
cheeses in particular have won particular attention out in the food
loving San Francisco Bay area.
The technique for making the Napoleons is noteworthy in itself.
The Creamerys founding partner, John Loomis, learned it many years
ago from reading it in Jean Claude le Jaouens excellent little book
on goat cheese making.
In her never-ending effort to tweak and adjust our recipes,
co-managing partner Aubrey
Thomason has come upon a few things that are really working
well, like slow-
er sets and longer resting times. Better flavor is the
result.
To make the Napoleons the milk is set for 18-24 hours (thats a
long set) with kids (goat) rennet,
cultures and Geotrichum mold. Much as it does with the
traditionally leav-ened breads from the Bakehouse, the luxuriously
long set adds to cost but enhances quality significantly.
(Bigger cheesemakers will always go for speed to save money but
give up com-plexity in the process.) The next morn-
ing the curd is drained for eight hours, salted and then hand
ladled into forms. The cheeses are flipped in their molds the next
day and then the following day unmolded and moved on to a maturing
room.
The young cheeses are turned every day until theyre sold in
order to keep the ripening and moisture evenly distributed through
the cheese. At about five days they start to show signs of a little
bit of natural Geotrichum mold that leaves a rind the color of
well-worn ivory, with smallish bits of white mold (and at times a
bit of blue). At that point theyre ready to enjoy! Thats a lot of
work to do for a cheese thats maybe the size of a silver dollar.
The goat milk flavors are gentle but more pronounced and more
attention-getting than in the very lovely, light, fresh City Goat
chvre.
And by the way, there really is a Napoleon, Michigan, for which
this cheese is named. Its about 25 minutes west of Ann Arbor, just
south of I-94 before you get to Jackson. Only about 1300 people
live there. Maybe we should set a sales goal of 1300 Napoleons this
yearone for each resident?
But wait, thats not all. Theres more to this story!!! The
Creamery crew have added a new and perhaps even more delicious
chapter to this already tasty story. Weve started to wrap some of
the Little Napoleons in Michigan chestnut leaves and age them that
way. Leaf-wrapping is an old technique. Traditionally, whatever
leaves were locally available made a good way to naturally protect
ones cheese from drying out. The leaves protect the tex-ture, but
also, in the process, impart a subtle but mean-ingful flavor. The
French Banon and Spanish Valdeon are two of the best known in
Europe; here in the States the amazing Rogue River Blue from Oregon
works the same way. At the Creamery were using chestnut leaves from
Michigan growers (Michigan is leading the way in the re-vival of
the American chestnut). The leaves are soaked in Michigan wine
before we use them to wrap one week old Napoleons which are then
allowed to age for another four weeks. As they age, they gain
flavor and a bit of an earthy, but still accessible, funk. The
older they get, of course, the more leaf and the wine impact the
flavor.
Part of what I like about the Napoleon right now is that its got
a very thin, unobtrusive rind. Like a little light windbreaker of a
coat, not heavy or chewy. It doesnt dominate, but only subtly adds
to the flavor and fun of eating the cheese. Another reason I love
the Napoleons is because theyre so full-flavored, yet not strong at
all. Many folks who claim to hate goat cheese do a double take when
they try these. In fact Ive seen many people change their beliefs
about goat cheese after trying the Creamerys offerings. And that
very gentle goat nuttiness that I like in the really fresh cheeses
is accented more in thesea few more bass notes, a bit of bassoon to
make you take notice.
These Napoleons are the sort of cheese Iand, maybe, you?can just
eat as is. You dont need to do anything other than let it get to
room temperature. Stick em next to a nice green salad, some fresh
fruit and a thick slice of French Mountain Bread or Roadhouse
bread, or a nice bit of baguette from the Bakehouse.
Leaves, Loves, and Little
NapoleonsAvailableatZingermansCreameryandDelicatessen
JulyCOLD BREWED COFFEEWe call it the velvet hammer for its
generous caffeine content and easy-to-drink character. This
chocolatey elixir is produced by steeping coffee grounds in cool
water for almost 24 hours.
AugustZAMBIA MUNALIGrown on the family-owned Mubuyu farm about
50 miles south of the capital Lusaka. An exceptionally balanced,
crisp cup of coffee.
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ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 20154 5
Knishes are ComingAvailableatZingermansDelicatessen
Knishes! I love them. I didnt grow up with them. I never even
heard of them as a kid. My loss. Theyre a part of Jewish culinary
tradition that no oneyoung or old or elegantly in betweenshould
have to live without. Comfort food, grounded, delicious, simple,
Eastern European culinary excellence at its down to earth best.
At the Deli weve been taking our knishes up a couple notches,
starting to make our own special pastry. Butter, cream cheese from
Zingermans Creamery, sour cream, and the secret ingredi-ent, a bit
of Rayes stoneground yellow mustard from Maine. The filling? Weve
got three options: Mashed potatoes and caramelized onions; Kasha,
aka, buckwheat; and chicken with potato. All are excellent. Eat em
out of hand for a super snack! Great for lunch with a salad or for
dinner with a salad a couple of scrambled eggs.
New Deli Crumb
CakeAvailableatZingermansBakehouse,DelicatessenandRoadhouse
Get it? New Deli as in New Delhi for a butter crumble-topped
cof-feecake spiced with an array of Indian spices. New Deli in
honor of the new Deli space. Get it? Its a really excellent new
offering from the Bakehouse! And because puns and geographical and
his-torical connections can only get you so far, let me say quite
simply that this stuff just plain tastes really great.
If you think about it, what could be bad really? Its made with
lots of butter, a bit of coconut oil, plenty of real vanilla, and a
mod-est but very effective dose of old school Muscovado brown sugar
along with fresh eggs. And most importantly the green cardamom
that the folks from Montreals pices de Cru conjure out of the
Car-
damom Hills in southern India. Like all of the dozens of spices
we score from them, the cardamom isnt just goodits re-ally
exceptional. Amazing. World-class. And its par-ticularly good for
baking.
Green cardamom, in case you dont know it, is
known as the vanilla of Indian
baking. This particular offering is about 88 times more
excellent than your more mundane versions on the market. Neither we
at Zingermans, nor the pices de Cru crew, are very into average. If
were going to use something in our cooking or baking we want big,
complex, delicious flavors. Oh yeah, add in some toasted
pis-tachios and ginger and their special selection Indian cloves
and its just over the top. The cloves are particulary amazing, very
carefully hand picked, one ripe bud at a time (unripe buds in this
process are left on the treecommercial clove producers pull them
all off regardless of ripeness).
All in all, its a really wonderful taste of Asian-American
excel-lencethe best of Indian spices and the comfort-inducing,
but-tery goodness that Americans everywhere quickly associate with
crumb cake. Excellent, of course, with a cup of Ethiopian
coffee.
Old School Champagne Vinegars from
FranceAvailableatZingermansDelicatessen
This exceptional champagne vin-egar is well ageda good 12 months
in oak. But thats a mere drop in the bucketor I guess should say,
bar-relcompared to the com-pany. The Pouret family has been making
vinegar since 1797. Thats right, the family business is only
thirteen years younger than the United States. Talk about built to
last!
A huge part of the Pouret clans success is that theyve stayed
with the old school methods of vinegar making throughout their
two-plus centuries of production. To my knowledge theyre one of the
last of the French vinegar makers still sticking to the traditional
Orleans process, and as far as I know the last active producer in
the city of Orleans itself. For that alone Pouret vinegars are
worth checking out. The business, as I said above, was founded in
1797 by a wine merchant by the name of Pouret, whose first name is
unknown. It became Martin-Pouret after Jeanne Pouret married Robert
Martin in 1910.
The firm is run today by Jean-Francois Martin, the fifth
generation to forge traditional vinegars from Loire valley wines.
The wines of the area are traditionally light, and so are the
resulting vinegars. They can bring a clean, uncluttered, well-made
flavor to your sal-ads. The whole point is to let the character of
the base wine show through, Mr. Martin said in the New York Times a
few years back. Orleans vinegar is not a product that dominates. It
throws things into relief in a subtle way.
The city of Orleans has long been the Frenchand more
pro-foundly, probably the worldcapital of vinegar. At the least its
on par with the Balsamic business that goes on in Modena,
Italy.
The production methods havent been altered much over the
centuries. A small amount of vinegar along with some mother culture
are set in barrels to gradually ferment. At three months some is
drawn off, the rest remains and is later blended with new vinegar
again. In this way, the old educate the young. Mr. Martin sums it
up beautifullyNothing has changed for centuries, he says. We do
everything the same way we always have. Its simply a matter of
wine, temperature and time.
Uncle Joe Burroughs Whole Fried Catfish Platter
AvailableatZingermansRoadhouse
Im not sure where to start this story but since I have to start
somewhere Ill just begin it with the opening of the Roadhouse in
the fall of 2003 since thats the first time we served catfish here
at Zingermans. Its a classic American dish so it makes sense that
wed put it on the menu. That said, we knew that (like pretty much
everything we serve or sell) it could be better, so I started
asking all sorts of people I knew for their views on the subject.
Northern-ers generally had little to say, but Southerners often
went on at length. One response came from someone I didnt expect to
hear from on the subject.
I knew Peggy Markel only from her modern life in Boulder and
from our travels together in Europe. But somehow, we got a
con-versation about catfish and out came a whole plethora of
stories, emotions and culinary tips. While she and I had mostly
talked about traveling and tasting in places like Tuscany, Liguria
and Sic-ily it turned out that she was actually born and raised in
northern Alabama. And much to my surprise, it turned out that she
grew up eating down home stuff like hush puppies, grits and
catfish, not the pasta, Gorgonzola and caciocavallo that she and I
had shared in Italy.
Anyways, it happens that Peggys dad, Uncle Joe Burroughs, had
cooked catfish almost every Friday night in the small town of
Albertville where Peggy grew up. He always wanted his own fried
catfish joint, Peggy told me years ago when we got into this
conversation for the first time. He was famous down there. People
came from far and wide to our house for some of Uncle Joes famous
catfish. It was a hot ticket. My dad had a bar-b-q pit in the back
yard that he rigged to a gas line to. He would heat a deep, oblong
cast iron skillet full of Mazola oil. Soon after, those delectable
filets lightly dusted with corn meal from being shaken in a paper
sack would be sprinkled with the secret ingredient, and expertly
slipped into the simmering hot oil. We never had enough money to
realize his dream of his own Catfish Caf, but
Sitting in a caf in the town of Metsovo in northern Greece many
years ago, I innocently ordered tea. I was expecting the usual
uninteresting bag of commercial black tea that Ive come to expect
almost everywhere in Europe. But before the waiter could
leave the table, my late but much-loved friend
Daphne Zepos (see the Epilogue in Part 3 of Zinger-
mans Guide to Good Leading for much more on this amazing woman)
asked me if I wanted regular tea or mountain tea? Never having
heard of the latter, but ever the inquisitive eat-er and drinker, I
shrugged my shoulders and said, Why not? Ill try mountain tea.
A few minutes later it arriveda bouquet of long light green
stalks with tiny flowers and buds attached steeping hot wa-ter. Its
aroma was excellenta little sweet, a touch of moun-tain meadow. It
has light amber color and a compelling, sweet perfume and a lovely,
light, naturally sweet flavor that hints of thyme, lemon and
anise.
In Greek the mountain tea is known as tsai tou vounou. After
literally months of trying to find out the English name Ive gotten
that what they serve is called Diktamus. Others have said its
actually called Sideritis or ironwort. Its a hardy, flowering
perennial thats well suited to survive with only
minimal water and rocky soil. Whatever it is, its worth trying
if youre looking for an herbal brew to experiment with. To brew it,
you simply break up the branches, then boil them for about 5
minutes in water, then strain and serve. Like some green and oolong
teas, you can get more than one brew from each bunch of buds.
Our terrific Greek mountain tea is coming through our new-found
food friend, Vivianna Karamanis, whos got an eye and a palate for
extremely excellent products (try some of the roasted pepper-tomato
sauce were getting from her at the Deli). This wild Greek Mountain
tea is from the Pindos moun-tains in northwest Greece, where its
gathered by hand over 3000 feet up. Only the flowers and the small
bit of the most tender stems are used. More commercial brands will
include much longer pieces of stem which also tend to woodiness and
are less sweet.
It brews up into a light golden liquid that has a naturally
sweet flavor. In Greece its consumed as much for health as for
pleasure. Its an old school remedy for colds, muscle pain, and
more. Wild grown herbs like this are generally acknowl-edged to be
more potent in that regardthe cultivation of plants doesnt quite
replicate what happens when nature is left to her devices. The high
altitude growth tends to concen-trate essential oils even further.
Viviannas mountain tea is also certified organic. Many Greeks like
to add a bit of thyme honey to sweeten it further but I drink it as
it is. Great with a bit of a biscuit from the Bakehouse or some
toast and jam.
GREEK MOUNTAIN TEAavailable at zingermans coffee company and
zingermans delicatessen
And Some Marvelous Whole Leaf Greek Mint Tea, Too
AvailableatZingermansDelicatessenandCoffeeCompany
Were also getting an amazing wild mint tea that also comes from
the Pindos Mountains. Its whole leaf and bud mintwhen you open the
tin (or be-fore we brew it for you at the Coffee Company) youll be
able to see the lovely purple flowers and take in the terrific
aroma while the leaves are in their dry state. Again its certified
organic. Vivian-na says that this particular mint is Mentha
Aquat-ica, which has all the positive elements of men-tha but
without the negative effects of menthol. Again, I drink it straight
but many in Greece would happily add a high quality honey (you can
really taste the differenceif you use varietal hon-eys in your tea
the complex-ity and character will come through loud and
clear.)
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ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 20154 5
we had one anyway, every Friday night at our house with people
going crazy over crispy fried catfish, hushlittlepuppydogs (aka,
hush puppies), slaw and hot pickled jalapeno peppers that my dad
grew and pickled himself from 12 differ-ent varieties. This all
went down easy with a few beers (home-brewed by my uncle Charlie)
from one of the outdoor fridges behind the bar-b-q pit.
You might have noticed the phrase secret ingredient back in that
really nice descrip-tion she gave. The secret, it turned out, is
gar-lic saltcertainly not something that I typically use much of in
my cooking these days. But, if Peggys dad was doing great catfish
with that much success for so long it seemed sort of silly not to
try his tip. Roadhouse Chef Alex Young and I tested it and, sure
enough, it really did liven up the flavor of the fish.
Its really a pretty darned good-looking platter. The fish comes
out to the table looking really great, the kittys crisp,
cornmeal-crusted-tail curled around a side of those amazing Anson
Mills country style organic slow cooking grits. In honor of Joe, my
friendship with Peggy, his long standing if unfulfilled desire to
open his own restaurant, we named the dish on the menu after himits
been called Uncle Joes Fried Catfish Platter ever since we
opened.
As I said, above, Peggys dad passed away a few years ago. While
its sad, and Im saddened for Peggy and her family, Joe lived a good
life. Born in Alabama in 1917, he started college at Auburn. He
stayed just two semesters, but, Peggy said, he liked to tell people
that, he was smarter than most folks, because he finished in a
year. From there he went into the army and served in the signal
core in Italy and North Africa during WWII. He came back to Alabama
and lived the rest of his life in the town of Albertville, where
his family had been for four generations (if I have the genealogy
right), working most of his life for South Central Bell
Telephone.
Since I never met him in person, Ill share with you some of what
Peggy wrote me about him. His story strikes me as so much of the
essence of what we do herethe connection between good people, good
food, community and caring about those around you. In this case, it
was a lot about catfish.
Anyways, to quote from what Peggy told me:
My father was creative and artistic. He expressed himself best
as a gardener and cook. He took over for my mother on the weekends
and it was always a party. Fried catfish on Friday night, steaks on
Saturday, and omelets on Sunday night. My mother only made Sunday
lunch which was always fried chicken.
My father was a master pepper pickler. He grew 12 different
varieties and pickled them in jars with a decorative design. A
slice of carrot fit in the center of an onion slice to look like a
sliced boiled egg. Carrots would be carved to say a name or phrase.
They were spicy, from jalapeo and habanero, and sweet from carrot,
onion and the piece dresistance, small cauliflower flowerets.
Pickled peppers eaten with fried catfish and hushpuppies, pickled
peppers and sauce over black-eyed peas and cornbread, sauce over
collard greensthose taste memories linger in my mind and on my
palate. My sis-ter Joanna has taken over the pepper-pickling
legacy, as she was the one who helped him the most. Shes got it, I
dare say, but my Dads touch was in growing them too. He was playful
with his garden, calling the neighbor ladies or friends who came by
to come and check it out. They would find drawers on the cucumbers
and bras on the tomatoes. Beanpoles were reversed, tall with wagon
wheels on top, with string running to the ground. This way the
bean, planted always on Good Friday, which would grow outside of
the inverted pyramid, making them easier to pick.
I mentioned he had a passion for frying catfish. The Tennessee
River was a stones throw away and he was often down to visit his
good friend we called Uncle Charlie. Uncle Charlie had a boathouse
on Pole Cat Hollow, an offshoot of Guntersville Lake, where the TVA
created 800 miles of shoreline around the foothills of the
Appalachian. We grew up swimming in the river, boating, waterskiing
and chowing down on catfish, hushpuppies and home brew. After all,
we lived in a dry county. My Dad liked his beer and we had to drive
to the next town to get it. We had two refrigerators out back by
the bar-b-q pit. One was for beer and the other was a smoker. If
you got it mixed up, youd open the fridge door and find catfish
hanging upside down by their tails. Other than looking Sci Fi, it
was a delicacy to be appreciated with his pickled peppers.
I really appreciate Peggy for sharing these stories, and for
sharing her dads secret a dozen years or so ago. I made a donation
to the Southern Foodways Alliance in Joes memory when he passed
away, and I hope that everyone here will think good thoughts for
and about him every time someone orders the catfish. He is what
really good American food is about.
To quote from Peggys nice eulogy:
Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay, gone are the
years of the cotton fields away, gone from this earth to a better
place I know, I hear the gentle voices call-ingold...blackJoeIm a
comin, Im a comin for my heart is young and gay. I hear the gentle
voices calling...old...blackJoe
This was a song our daddy used to sing to us at bedtime. When I
got old enough to understand the words, I registered then and there
how sad I would be when that time came around. Life without daddy
Joe would be real sad. That time came Saturday, July the 12, 2008,
when at 90 he took his last breath. It is as sad as I always
imagined it to be. But I feel better about it than I ever thought I
would. To reach 90 having had a good life, no sickness and die in
ones sleep from old age and no regrets is cause for
celebration.
Shifting back from sadness to sunny memories of fish fries, she
went on:
I can still remember how proud I was as a kid to learn how to
take my fork and go up the spine of a freshly fried fish, still
steaming, filet it and dab it into some homemade goush; an equal
mix of catsup and mayonnaise. It was so good, my sisters and I
would turn on Elvis Presley and do the mash potato. It became a
regular theme.
Im sad that I never got down to Albertville to meet Uncle Joe in
person. Peggys tales will have to suffice. That and the taste of
this not-particularly-fancy but darned-good fried whole catfish. If
youre into fish, give it a shot next time youre in, and make a
toast to Uncle Joe. I make one in my mind every time one of great
looking catfish platters goes out to a table.
Francois Vecchio is one of the most knowledgeable (and nicest)
folks in the world when it comes to the subject of cured meats of
any sort. He happened to share this list with me a while back, and
Ive found it very help-ful in assisting everyone I know to gain
more enjoyment out of eating cured hams and salumi of all sorts.
Although #1 and #2 were long familiar to me, #3, although
incredibly obvious once he said it, was something Id never thought
of. Well call these Francois 3 Rules Not To Break When It Comes to
Serving Cured Ham. Being more proper and of Swiss-Italian origin,
he calls them, reprehensible activities. He brought them up in the
context of Prosciutto di Parma but theyre totally true for good
cured hams (with bad cured hams, its not really worth worrying
about.) So . . . if you want to get the most out of your
invest-ment in any cured ham (and who doesnt want to get a good
return on investment these days!)Prosciutto di Parma, Jamon
Serrano, acorn fed (bellota) Iberico ham from Spain, Herb
Eckhouses, Newsoms or Edwards Country Hams, etc.dont do this stuff,
ok?!
1. Dont trim the fat off the Prosciutto Francois and every other
European ham aficionado will tell you the same thing. The fat isnt
a bad thingits THE most prized part of the product. I always come
back to the story of one ham maker in Spain who was showing me how
to trim a ham. You do remove the fat on the very exterior of the
ham, which has yellowed and turned slightly rancid. But thats itthe
rest of the fat is to be left alone because that is, of course,
where the best of the flavor is at! If you take away the fat, the
Spaniard said, smiling (sort of) I will have to kill you! I know
this is a bit like pushing dark crustsit runs so counter to most
peoples mindset that not everyone is going to be receptive. And of
course we dont ever want to lecture a guest or come across as
preachy about this stuff so we need to say it gently, or better
still, in the right setting with humor. But really, the fat is
where its at. I guess, now that Im thinking about it, its akin to
cutting the crusts off the Farm Bread; not inherently evil but sort
of misses the mark in terms of getting the full eating
experience.
2. Dont hold sliced Prosciutto for any time in your fridge. I
guess the model for ham buying would more akin to buying fresh fish
than to aged cheese. While cured ham wont go bad in a day (it
really wont likely literally go bad for weeks or even months), good
cured ham is definitely more something youd want to eat the day you
buy it, maybe at most the day after. Once the ham has been cut its
exposed to the air, it starts to lose aromatics and flavor. Nothing
inherently evil about it, its just if youre going to spend good
money to get really good ham, why not eat it at its best? With that
in mind, I encourage you to just buy a little bit at a timeeven an
ounce or two at time is fineand then come back and buy a bit
more.
3. Never wrap Prosciutto around melonThis is the one of Francois
rules that got my attention. It makes perfect scientific sense but
since I dont really have a science mind, I just never thought about
it. But once Francois put it in my mind a few months ago Ive
started to spread the good word. And this column will, I hope, help
to do that. So heres the dealif you wrap cured ham around slices of
melon (the way they do in all those fancy food magazine photos) the
water in the fruit will naturally pull the salt out of the ham.
Which com-pletely degrades the careful curing done by the ham maker
and throws the flavor to-tally out of balance. That doesnt mean
that ham and melon (or figs or whatever) dont go well togetherthey
certainly do. Just, as Francois says, Just use both handsone for
the Prosciutto, and use the other hand to pick melon, pear, grape
or fig bites. And he adds, Drop all for a wash of sweet Orvieto!To
Francois list Im adding a fourth point:
4. Always eat cured ham at room temperatureWhen it comes to
serving cured ham follow the same guidelines as you would with
cheeseget the ham to room temperature before you take a bite. If
you doubt the value of this small step, taste a piece of the same
ham right out of the refrigerator and another thats at about 65F. I
think youll find that the former is missing about 65% of the
flavor. Since the cost to the consumer is the same in each
instance, its strongly in everyones inter-est to serve at the
warmer temperature. It wont fix the economy overnight but it is a
way to increase value significantly without adding cost in the
least.
Francois Vecchios
3 Rules About Eating Cured Hams
(Plus One Of My Own)
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ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 20156 7
In May, ZingTrain had the privilege of being invited to teach in
Ethiopia. And were not using the word privilege lightly here. Dr.
Senait Fisseha is an inspiring and inspired doctor. Among the many
roles Dr. Fisseha plays at the University of Michigan is the
Executive Director of the Center for International Reproductive
Health Training (CIRHT). And it was in that capac-ity that she
asked ZingTrain to be part of the life-changing work she is doing
in her native Ethiopia. To quote from a University of Michigan
press releases:
Dr. Fisseha has learned that well-trained OB-GYNs work as
leaders in the health system and generate positive public health
impacts including increased fam-ily planning provision, better
pregnancy management, more facility-based deliveries, and better
surgical outcomes.
Our center will help empower women to make their own decisions
about their own reproductive health, thereby choosing whether and
when to start a family. Our ultimate goal is to help train future
generations of capable and competent health care providers in many
parts of Africa and South Asia who can deliver com-
prehensive reproductive health services, and also be advocates
for the safest and best healthcare possible at every stage of a
womans life.
Today, our center begins its new role in the devel-oping world
as we work with our partners in Ethiopia to ensure that incoming
doctors, midwives and other health professionals are equipped to
provide compre-hensive reproductive health care that will save
wom-ens lives, says Dr. Fisseha.
Our contribution to Senaits amazing work was to share our
thoughts on Leadership, Change, and Organizational Culture with the
visionary and determined healthcare professionals she works with in
Africa. It is our hope that we contributed in some small way to
their massive and much needed undertaking.
I interviewed Ari and ZingTrains Ann Lofgren who traveled to
Ethiopia to teach. It was clear to me as we spoke that our
conversation could have gone on for days. They were teeming with
recognitions and realizations that came from this amaz-ing
opportunity. They saw how cultural differences play a role when you
are training in a different nation, and came to under-stand the
challenge in translating our values and techniques across that
difference. They recognized the role that access to
resources play in our success and were humbled by the honor of
being able to contribute to such great work. What follows is a
distillation of that conversation that could have gone on for
days._____________________________________________________
Gauri: What were you doing in Ethiopia?
Ari: We were teaching ZingTrain content in collaboration with
the Center for International Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT)
and the Center of African Leadership Studies (CALS).
We did 3 sessions at St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical
College-SPHMMC and one session for the directors of all the
Ethiopian government ministriesfrom Agriculture to Transport to
Health.
On Day 1 we taught Zingermans 12 Natural Laws of Business [for
more on the Natural Laws check out our pamphlet series on the next
page] to about 35 members of the St. Pauls Leadership team. On Day
2 we did 2 sessions on Servant Leadershipone for all the head
nurses and the second for members of the hospital administration.
What we presented to the directors of the ministries was a mix of
the 12 Natural Laws and Servant Leadership.
Gauri: How were those training topics chosen?
Ari: Well, the answer begins a while ago. Teddy Araya, who
founded and runs the Center for African Leadership Studies, came to
the U.S. as a part of his work with the University of Michigan.
This was about a year and a half ago. He attended my ZingTrain
Speaker Series session on Creating Creativity and after the session
we got to talking and Teddy said to me, One day I will get you to
Ethiopia. And he did.
Teddy teaches Leadership and has been working with the cohort at
the hospital on Leadership. He is an incredible teacher and
trainerhe practically co-taught the session with me. And hes doing
great work with the team at St. Pauls Hospital. Recognizing that
the team he has been working with has not had the opportunity for
extensive Leadership training, Teddy wanted to widen the range of
Leadership ideas and con-cepts that they were being exposed to, he
wanted to bring in a new perspective. And thats the role we were
playing.
Teddy is very committed to serviceboth internal service that
co-workers give each other and external service to customers. The
Ethiopian economy is booming and Teddy believes that for it to keep
growing in a meaningful way, the next focus has to be on Service.
Being a visionary, he is also very bought into the idea of
Visioning and how we apply it to projects of all scales. Thats how
Zingermans 12 Natural Laws of Business became part of the training
we delivered. Because they touch on every-thing from Visioning to
Service to Organizational Change.
Ann: I would reinforce that an important aspect for Teddy was to
bring in someone from the outside because people listen and accept
differently when they hear a fresh perspective from what theyve
been hearing over the years.
Gauri: What resonated the most with your audience?
Ann: Going in we were just not sure how our ideas would
translate across culture and language. We know that the way we use
Visioning here at Zingermans is a pretty radical thing, Even when
we teach it here in the US, with no cultural or lan-guage
differences, we present the idea, we talk about how we do it, we
set it all up and then we kind of hold our breath and wait.
We did the same at St. Pauls. Ari explained it to them. Teddy
translated it into Amharic and helped with some of the cultural
differences. And then we held our breath and waited, unsure that it
was going to work at all.
But it did! Visioning was definitely what resonated with the
group the most.
Yemisratch Abeje is a lovely woman who was in our training
session on Day 1. On Day 2 she stood up and said to the team,
Yesterday changed everything. And then she explained what she
meant. She explained Visioning to her team. It was all in Amharic
and we couldnt understand a word she was saying but we all had
goosebumps. She was almost crying. We were almost crying.
Ari: That moment really reinforced the statistic that over 90%
of what we hear and learn is not the words. It really was pretty
great when we presented Visioning, they said the same things people
say here. It changed my life. Nothing will ever be the same again.
I cant believe I got this far without it. I can use it for
anythingeven my personal life.
Gauri: What resonated the least? What was hard to trans-late?
Where did you have to change how we typically teach something?
Ari: The hardest thingand it wasnt that different from teach-ing
in Slovakiais that the audience all speak English but they
understand it better than they speak it. Learning new ideas in a
group is awkward anywhere. Learning in a language that is not the
language you speak in is more so. And on our end, teaching in a
culture that is not our culture is challenging. Metaphors dont
translate well. Youre concerned about being respectful in a culture
you dont understand, even if you studied it. And the humor, the
humor doesnt translate well!
Ann: The way we introduce the Zingermans 12 Natural Laws of
Business is by talking about the Energy Crisis in the American
workplace. The Energy Crisis was a challenging idea to convey. The
great thing was that when they got it they totally got it but we
had to go about it a different way.
Ari: Theres also this. In any place that has a lot of poverty,
the notion of Energy Crises and choosing to do good work is hard to
translate because the opportunity for people to create good work
for themselves is much smaller. Sheer necessity plays a much bigger
role in your choice of work. Our support systems, our
opportunities, our advantages here are just so much more
significant. And consequently you find a lot of good energy being
directed at the infrastructure rather than creating good work.
Ann: I think that despite the lack of resources, despite the
language barrier, despite the cultural challenge, what came through
to us was their determination.
They truly appreciated the opportunity to be at the training.
Because their resources are limited, I sensed that they
appreci-ated the opportunity far more than their American
counter-parts might have. And that was big. That made what they
were hearing even more important and it is clear to me that they
are going to do something about it!
Ari: The truth is that they are trying to change the face of
healthcare in Ethiopia. Senait is an awe-inspiring person, a
testimony to the what one single person can achieve with vision and
determination and drive. As I was prepping to teach the Natural
Laws, the obvious dawned on me. Senait is a liv-ing example of all
the Natural Laws. She is living in harmony with all of them. She
provides Vision. She does the hard work no one else wants to do.
She envisions and values and brings together the contributions of
really diverse resources. Under her leadership, they are clearly
building a cathedral, not just laying stone. They are changing the
quality and focus of health-care in terms of both content and
attitude. They are trying to treat patients with respect and
competence.
And that is what we were contributing to.
FROM ANN ARBOR TO ADDIS ABABA
SHARING ZINGERMANSUNIQUE APPROACH TO BUSINESS
When we presented Visioning, they said the same things people
say here. It changed my life. Nothing will ever be the same again.
I cant believe I got this far without it. I can use it for
anythingeven my personal life.
Yemisratch Abeje explained Visioning to her team. It was all in
Amharic and we couldnt understand a word she was saying but we all
had goosebumps. She was almost crying. We were almost crying.
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ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 20156 7
SECRET #1 The Twelve Natural Laws of Business The keys to
running your organization in har-mony with human nature.
SECRET #6 Revisiting the Power of Visioning An in-depth look at
just how amazingly powerful the Zingermans visioning process can
be.
SECRET #7 Writing a Vision of Greatness The basics of our
approach to vision writing, including the four elements of an
effective vision at Zingermans.
SECRET #9 An 8-Step Recipe for Writing a Vision of Greatness The
recipe that weve used here at Zingermans for over twenty years and
taught to thousands around the country and the world.
SECRET #19 Fixing the Energy Crisis in the American Workplace
How working in violation of the Natural Laws of Business has
created an energy crisis in the workplace and what we can do to
help restore the natural human energy, creativity and intel-ligence
of everyone in our organizations.
SECRET #29 Twelve Tenets of Anarcho-CapitalismA look at my views
on how the tenets of anarchist thought can be put to work in the
world of progressive business.
SECRET #35 The Power of Personal Visioning An in-depth essay on
how to take Zingermans approach to visioning and put it to work to
help you create the life you want to lead.
THE POWER OF PAMPHLETS
or small booklets, big ideasWe all have a special place or two.
You know, those semi-secret spots that we return to now and again
to recon-nect with meaningful experiences in our past. For me, the
Labadie Collection, up on the 7th floor of the University of
Michigans Graduate Library, is one of those spotsmy secret garden
of anarchist intellectual activity. Back in my student days, I used
to spend a fair bit of time sitting quietly at the long wooden
tables there, pencil in hand (no pens are allowed), looking
lovingly through the countrys leading collection of anarchist and
other radical writings.
I was particularly drawn to the old pamphlets: small book-lets
put out a century or so ago to convey the views of anar-chist
writers like Emma Goldman, Peter Kropotkin, and Jo Labadie, the man
who donated the original contents of this special collection. There
are over 30,000 pamphlets in the archive (along with many thousands
of books, posters, and other printed materials). Back at the turn
of the 20th cen-tury, pamphlets served much the same role in
society that the Internet does today. They gave writers a way to
share strongly held views, quickly and at low cost, with a large
number of people, many of whom had neither the time nor the means
to buy an entire book.
In the spirit of those anarchist publications that I love so
much, weve decided to print the individual Secrets from the
Zingermans Guide to Good Leading series as pamphlet-sized
publications. While of course I love it when you buy a whole book,
Im honored to make the essays available in this form. Though these
booklets are small, I hope the ideas inside provoke big thoughts
for you as you read in the same way that Emma Goldman and her
compatriots did a century or so ago.
HERE ARE THE FIRST PAMPHLETS COMING OUT FROM ZINGERMANS
PRESS:
I dont read that many business tomes, but I have to say that
reading the Zingermans Guides has proven to be an invaluable aid in
running Serious Eats. Ed Levine
I bought multiple sets of pamphlets for my staff. They are a
great way to learn about some of the most important topics that Ari
teaches. Patrick Hoban, Probility Physical Therapy
Pamphlets in the series are available at Zingermans Roadhouse,
Coffee Co., and ZingTrain or order online from zingermanspress.com
or zingtrain.com
August 17-18 The Art of Giving Great Service24-25 Creating a
Vision of Greatness31-1 Leading With Zing!
September 17-18 Managing Ourselves28-29 Bottom-Line Training
October 5-6 Creating a Vision of Greatness19-20 Open Book
Management
November9-10 Working With Zing!16-17 The Zingermans
Experience
December 3-4 Leading With Zing!10-11 The Art of Giving Great
Service
January18-19 Open Book Management25-26 Creating a Vision of
Greatness
February1-2 The Art of Giving Great Service15-16 Bottom-Line
Training29-1 Leading With Zing!
March7-8 The Zingermans Experience21-22 Open Book Management31-1
Managing Ourselves
April11-12 Creating a Vision of Greatness18-19 Bottom-Line
Training
May 2-3 The Art of Giving Great Service16-17 Working With
Zing!23-24 Leading With Zing!
June6-7 The Zingermans Experience13-14 Open Book Management
SHARING ZINGERMANSUNIQUE APPROACH TO BUSINESS
VISIT WWW.ZINGTRAIN.COM or call 734.930.1919 for more
information
2015-2016TRAINING SCHEDULE
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ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 20158 9
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Saturday, July 11, 8am-12pm $125Well make tender Bakehouse sweet
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GERMAN BREADSFriday, July 24, 1:30-5:30pm $100Come and learn
three breads our friends from Dredner Backhaus taught us:
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SOFT PRETZELSFriday, July 31, 1-4pmOR Wednesday, August 19,
6-9pm $75Learn the secrets to traditional German-style soft
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end class tasting some warm pretzels with a little mustard and
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CHOCOLATE FIXWednesday, August 12th, 5:30-9:30pm $125Calling all
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DINNER SERIES: BRITISH ISLESSunday, August 16th, 1-5pm $125Our
Guinness Beef Stew is so rich and flavorful that Amy says, Ive
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Hands-onBakingClassesBAKE!isourhands-onteachingbakeryinAnnArbor,tuckedbetweenZingermansBakehouseandCreamery.AtBAKE!weshareourknowledgeandloveofbakingwiththehomebakercommunity,seekingtopreservebakingtraditionsandinspirenewones.Weofferdozensofdifferentbread,pastryandcakeclassesinourveryownteachingkitchens.AllofusattheBakehouseknowthejoyandexcitementofbakingsomethingreallygoodandsharingitwithfriendswhenitshotoutoftheoven.YoullleaveBAKE!withthefoodyoumadeinclassandtheinspirationandskillstobakeathome!
BOOK A SPOT AT ANY ZINGERMANS EVENT AT
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Find more classes & register at bakewithzing.com or
events.zingermanscommunity.com.
Sign up for our e-news to get the early word about our
classes.
11TH ANNUAL PIAZZA ZINGERMANZA Sat. Aug 15 and Sun. Aug. 16 11am
to 3pm on the Deli PatioFREE to attend Our annual August tradition
of transforming the Delis patio into an Italian Street Food Fest is
one of the highlights of the year. There will be good food, good
music, good demos, good deals and good company. New this year is a
kids pasta tasting. Its an event not to be missed!
Come watch us:12:00pm-Crack 80# wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano
cheese into 1# sellable chunks.1:00pm-Turn curd into delectable
fresh mozzarella balls sold by the 0.5#
CheeseClasses,Tastings&Tours!Oureventsareintimateaffairswhereourcheesemakersandcheesemongerssharetheirpassionforgreatcheeseandgreatcheesemaking.Weholdtheseclassesrightnexttowherewemakeourcheeseandgelato,andsometimesbringinourfavoritefoodmakersfromaroundtheareatosharetheirstorieswithyou.Togettheinsidescooponallofourevents,signupforoure-newsatzingermanscommunity.com/e-news.
3723PlazaDrive7349290500zingermanscreamery.com
FIRST SUNDAY TOURSunday, July 5 AND August 2 2pm $10Join our
cheese and gelato makers on an hour long adven-ture of how we
transform local milk into delicious cheese and gelato. Observe
Mozzarella stretching and experience truly fresh gelato, as well as
taste some of our cows milk and goats milk cheeses while learning
directly from the makers. After the tour, make time for tasting our
selection of American cheeses and provisions, as well as house made
gelatos and sorbets in our cheese shop.
CELEBRATING THE FARMERS MARKETS!Friday, July 10 6-8pm $30This
tasting highlights the best of the Farmers Markets pro-duce, simply
prepared and combined with cheeses we love! Fresh herb goat cheese,
green salads with all the fixins, and with any luck, the first
luscious heirloom tomatoes of the season! Through the evening well
feature items from producers that weve met through the markets and
discover delicious ways to combine fresh flavors with your favorite
cheeses, and well end with a sweet treat of seasonal gelato made
just for the tasting!
WHITE WINE & CHEESE PAIRINGSFriday, July 24 6-8pm $35Join us
as we explore the beautiful variety of white wines produced in our
great state of Michigan! From light, dry, crisp Pinots to sweet,
full-bodied Gewrtztraminers, we will taste through some of our top
white wine picks and pair them up with cheeses from the shop.
TEA TIME WITH A TWIST!Friday, August 7 6-8pm $30You might not
think of tea as being a typical pairing for a slice of cheese, but
the two can be quite good together. Much like wine, certain teas
contain tannins that are
released once the tea leaves are exposed to hot water, giving it
a full-bodied taste and making it a perfect accompaniment to
cheese.
Our cheesemongers have teamed up with the experts next door at
the Zingermans Coffee Co. to choose some of our favorite teas
sourced from Rishi Tea and picked some
perfect cheeses to pair up that will make you look at tea time
in a whole new way!
LAGER LOVEFriday, August 21 6-8pm $35
Americas beer sweetheartlagers! From crisp, clean and pale to
malty, roasty and dark, this family of beers repre-sents the most
ubiquitous style of beer consumed in the U.S. Cool fermentation is
the hallmark of lagers which hail originally from Germany &
Eastern Europe. We will gather up some tasty ambassadors of this
style and choose cheeses and treats from the shop that highlight
the great
diversity of lagers!
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2501JacksonRoad734.663.3663www.zingermansroadhouse.com
ZingermansRoadhousehostsregularspecialdinnersthathighlightoldfavorites,newfinds,celebratedchefsandtraditionalAmericanfoodways.Ourdinnersarefamily-styleaffairsthatdeliverreallygoodfoodwithalittle
historyontheside.
Map of Zingermans Community of Businesses
www.zingermans.com
Nes
wAnn Arbor, MI
N. M
ain St.
M-14
Fourth Ave.
Fuller St.
Depot St.
Beakes St
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Fuller St.
Kingsley St.
Catherine St.
Ann St.
E. Huron St.
Liberty St.
W. Huron St.
Scio Church Rd.
E. Stadium Blvd.
Eisenhower Pkwy.
Ellsworth Ellsworth
Plaza Dr.
Airp
ort B
lvd.
E. Stadium Blvd.
Packard St.
Washtenaw
Ave.
Jackson Ave.
N. M
aple Rd
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Seventh St.
Ob
servatory Dr.
Dexter Ave.
Miller Ave.
W. Stadium Blvd.
I-94
I-94
E. Huron St.
Geddes Ave.
Washington St.
W. Li
berty
St.
Ann A
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William St.
Maiden Lane
Plymouth
Rd.Pontiac Trail
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sley
Fifth Ave.
N. State St.
Glen
Ave.
Broa
dway
Bridge
citY HalL
U of M Student
Union
U of M stadIum
briarwood malL
PioneerHigh School
uNiverSity of MichiganCentraL CamPus
FulLerPark
AmtrAkStation
Univerity ofMicHigaN HospItal
Exit 175
Exit 177
Exit 172
2501 Jackson Ave. 734.663.FOOD
Map not To scalE
3711 Plaza Dr.734.277.1922
3728 Plaza Dr.734.277.1922
3723 Plaza Dr.734.929.6060
3723 Plaza Dr.734.761.7255
422 Detroit St. 734.663.DELI
3711 Plaza Dr.734.277.1922
Zingermans Southside
3723 Plaza Dr.734.929.0500
&
8540 Island Lake Road Dexter, MI
734-619-8100
Varsity Dr.
Phoenix Dr.610 Phoenix Dr.888.636.8162
WhetherwerepullingashotforyouinourcafonPlazaDriveorsendingyouoffwithabagoffreshroastedbeans,ourpassionistosource,roastandbrewgreatcoffee.Ourclassesaredesignedforthecoffeenoviceandnerdalikeandaimtohelpeveryonelearnabouteverythingittakes
toturnagreatbeanintoagreatcupofcoffee.
8540IslandLakeRoad,Dexter734.619.8100cornmanfarms.com
FarmTours,SpecialDinnersandClassesYoudonthavetobepartofabigcorporateeventorlavishweddingtoenjoy
CornmanFarms(althoughwecertainlyhostthose,too!)Throughouttheyearwehostnumeroustours,dinners,classesandmorethatallowpeopletoexperienceouruniqueeventspaceinDexter,MI.
BOOK A SPOT AT ANY ZINGERMANS EVENT AT
EVENTS.ZINGERMANSCOMMUNITY.COM
3723PlazaDrive734.929.6060zingermanscoffee.com
ROADHOUSE BBQ DINNERTuesday, July 7th, 2015 7:00 pm $70 a
person, Price includes food,tax and gratuity. Beverage
additional.One of our favorite dinners of the summer, this year's
BBQ din-ner will celebrate Chef Alex's favorite dishes from across
the country, focusing on his West Coast upbringing. Highlights from
the menu include Grilled Figs and Country Ham, Spicy Smoked
Almonds, Cedar Planked Salmon and a Beef Brisket Carving
Station.
COMPARATIVE CUPPINGSunday, July 26 or Sunday, September 6 1-3pm
$30.00Sample coffees from Africa, Central and South America, and
the Asia-Pacific. We will taste and evaluate these coffees with the
techniques and tools used by professional tasters. This class is an
eye-opening introduction to the world of coffee.
BREWING METHODSSunday, August 16 or Sunday, August 23 1-3pm
$30Learn the keys to successful coffee brewing using a wide variety
of brewing methods from filter drip to syphon pot. We will take a
single coffee and brew it 6 to 8 different ways, each produc-ing a
unique taste. Well learn the proper proportions and technique for
each and discuss the merits and differences of each style.
COCKTAIL CLASS: AN EVENING WITH ABSINTHEThursday, July 16
7-9:30pm $75youll make and enjoy three cocktails and munch on
snacks from our farmhouse kitchenAbsinthe is an anise-flavored
herbal spirit with a long and tortured history. Strongly
herb-flavored and often very high in alcohol, this spirit known as
the green fairy was the drink of choice among the Bohemian set in
Paris around the turn of the 20th century. Wrongly labeled as both
hallucinogenic and the cause of many social ills, absinthe was
subsequently banned in much of Europe and the United States for
roughly a century. Recent changes in legislation on both sides of
the pond have resurrected this intense yet delectable liquor. This
evening we will discuss the history of absinthe (and the wormwood
it contains) while crafting three classic cocktails created around
the previously-maligned spirit: the Asylum, the Death in the
Afternoon, and the Corpse Reviver #2. The class includes
instruction and discussion, three cocktails, tasty snacks prepared
in the farmhouse kitchen, and recipes.
EDUCATIONAL TOUR:WELCOME TO CORNMAN FARMS Wednesday, June 29 OR
Tuesday, August 25 6-7:30pm $20Our Welcome to Cornman Farms Tour is
an idyllic and dynamic 90 minute introduction to the rich history,
agricul-tural projects and humane raising of animals. Join us for a
look at our vegetable and herb gardens, goat milking opera-tion and
historic restored Farmhouse and Barnand enjoy a meet-and-greet with
our visionary Managing Partner, Kieron Hales. Well even throw in a
taste of one of our seasonal vegetables!
COCKTAIL CLASS: FARM TO GLASSWednesday, August 19 7-9:30pm
$65youll make and enjoy three cocktails and munch on snacks from
our farmhouse kitchenCome join us as we celebrate the peak of the
growing season, with cocktails! Zingermans Cornman Farms is a true
work-ing farm on Island Lake Road in Dexter. When not tending to
the goats, sheep, pigs, and cows, the farmers and staff use
traditional, sustainable farming methods to grow an incred-ible
variety of organic heirloom produce, just yards away from the
gorgeously restored centuries-old Barn where this event will be
held. At this cocktail class we will highlight the fresh taste of
summer on the farm, taking advantage of the delicious abundance of
freshly-harvested produce grown just across the field. We will use
heirloom tomatoes, freshly-plucked herbs, and other farm offerings
in three special craft cocktails, all while enjoying
fresh-from-the-farm fare prepared by Cornman Farms talented
culinary team. We will discuss why these ingredients are so
special, as well as the history and stories behind the cocktails
well be exploring this evening. Guests will leave with recipes and
the know-how to confidently recreate all the featured drinks at
home.
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ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 201510 11
July Silas Stand Up RoutineChock full of chunks of local,
organic eggs from Grazing Fields Co-op, our egg salad seeks to
redefine the potential bad rep that plain ol picnic foods hold into
something spectacular. We mix hard boiled eggs together with mayo,
the best yellow mustard in the country, and the zippy pickleiades
relish from our pals at the Brinery.
Egg salad is stacked up on toasted bakehouse white bread, with
freshly sliced tomatoes and lettuce. Silas dad (Sandwich Line Cook
Mike V.) highly recommends you add bacon, for a breakfasty
sandwich, any time of the day!
$9.99
AugustThe First Impression! *Design A Sandwich Auction Winner to
Benefit the Ronald McDonald House!*
Sylvia Zannis and her family set to work to craft a sandwich
that was based off their favorite Deli ingredients, but combined in
a way they thought would be a different, delicious spin on our
current sandwiches! Also designed to celebrate the University of
Michigan Dental School graduating class of 2015, and the
tre-mendous accomplishments of the Ronald McDonald house in the
community.
Roasted turkey is enlivened when paired with peppery pastrami.
We add provolone, garlic mayo and sliced tomato, and serve on
toasted sourdough bread. Its a magnanimous summertime sandwich!
$14.99
A friend and I went to the grocery one evening in search of ice
cream and hot fudge. The ice cream part was easy; we picked a good
one right away. The chocolate sauce was another story. We spent a
lot of time reading all of the ingredient lists looking for the one
with the fewest (and most pronounceable) ingredients. The one we
finally set-tled on was okay, but nothing to write home about.
When I asked Marc Cooperwho goes by Coopwhat he was looking for
when he created his hot fudge , he told me he wanted something all
natural. Theres no legal defini-tion of all natural but Coops
personal definition is that there are no chemicals used in any part
of production, and all of the ingredients are processed as gently
as possible.
Let's start with the chocolate.
Cocoa powder is simply ground up, roasted cacao beans with most
of the fat (in the form of cocoa butter) removed. To get natural
cocoa powder, thats all there is to it. The flavor ends up being
very bitter and pretty acidic, much like cocoa beans themselves.
However, around 90% of all cocoa used today is alkalized (also
sometimes called Dutch processed, because it was invented by a
Dutch guy). Alkalized cocoa has been treated with chemicals to make
the cocoa less acidic. It has a milder flavor and darker color.
Alkalization also makes cocoa more soluble, so its easier to mix it
into liquids, making it especially popular for use in ice cream and
with dairy products.
Coop uses a natural, unalkalized cocoa powder to avoid that
chemical processing. Each new harvest of cacao beans is a little
different from the one before due to weather and processing
conditions, so periodically hell test out new cocoas to make sure
hes got one that gives the rich, com-plex, chocolatey flavor he
wants. Hes opted for a cacao from Ivory Coast which is processed
into cocoa powder in Holland. When he tried making his hot fudge
with cocoas from Central and South America a few months back, he
found it created a more fruity flavor that didnt have the richness
he wanted.
Besides the chocolate, there are only four other
ingredients.
The first two are cream and butter. It took Coop a while to find
the dairy products he wanted. Most commercial dair-ies these days
pack the cows in tightly and then either feed them antibiotics to
prevent disease or ultra pasteurize the milk to kill off any
pathogens. (Take a look the next time you're picking up milk at the
grocery; nearly all organic milk, which comes from cows that havent
received pre-ventative antibiotics, is ultra pasteurized.) Ultra
pasteuri-zation is different from regular pasteurization in that it
heats up the milk much hotter for a shorter period of time. The
process can make the milk shelf stable for months, but it changes
the flavor and texture of milk. In particular, it can alter the
whey proteins that give milk its creaminess, requiring the addition
of congealing agents like guar gum or carrageenan to achieve the
original texture. Coop uses cream and butter from a local
Massachusetts dairy that pasteurizes more gently. There are no
congealing agents, nothing added, nothing removed.
The last two ingredients are white cane sugar and brown cane
sugar (which is actually just white sugar with some molasses mixed
back in). Coop prefers to use cane sugar rather than beet sugar
since all beet sugar in the US is GMO. Hes also careful to only use
sugar that is processed in the
US because a lot of the cane sugar processed in other countries
is treated with charred cow bones (which help to take out the
natural tan color of sugar to make it snowy white;
American-processed cane sugar uses charcoal instead). Most
chocolate sauces contain corn syrup (either instead of or in
addition to sugar) which helps to keep them from recrystallizing
and becoming grainy; Coop uses the molasses in the brown sugar to
achieve this effect.
Coop is a poster child for small batch production.
A while back, one of those TV shows about how things are made
gave Coop a call. They were interested in featuring his hot fudge
production in an episode. They like to see a lot of production
lines and machinery, Coop told me. When I told them all I have is
two vats that each pro-duce about four gallons of hot fudge at a
time, they decided not to come and film us. Coop and his three
employees pro-duce three or four double batches of fudge per day,
four days a weekthat adds up to about 1,200 jars weekly. On the
side of each jar youll find the hand-written initials of the person
who made that par-ticular batch.
Coops hot fudge business was actually an off-shoot of the ice
cream shop he opened a few decades ago. I wanted to be able to keep
my staff busy in the off-season, Coop told me, so he started
playing around with a hot fudge recipe. His plan worked, and the
hot fudge became so popular that about five years ago the fudge
production split off from the ice cream shop to become its own
business.
And how does it taste?
Coops hot fudge is thick, luscious, intensely chocolatey. Its
insanely good heated upmicrowave the whole jar or a smaller bowlful
for a minute or less and youre good to go. And then what to drizzle
it on? Our hot fudge will make any ice cream better, Coop told me
proudly. Then he added, perhaps a bit apologetically, even
Zingermans gelato.
There are a lot of products we sell that Id say you could eat on
a spoon out of the jar. This one tops that list; I never put the
spoon in the sink without licking it first. Ive driz-zled it over
coffeecake and strawberries. Its killer slath-ered on toast. Or
chocolate covered pancakes?!
COOPS HOT FUDGE
& Zingermans Food Tour Guides
For over 30 years, Zingermans has brought the best and most
flavorful foods of the world home to America. Now, Zingermans can
take you to the source! To have an artisan food maker invite you
into their life, share their passion and traditions, then feed you
the food you only read about in culinary journals this is something
few people get to experience in their lifetime.
We go behind the scenes in beautiful regions of the world that
have really great traditional food. We visit producers of artisanal
foods in their homes and workshops. They
share their stories and teach us about the amazing foods that
they make, and then feed us!
We keep our group sizes small only up to 15 guests depending on
the tour. Your travel experience will deposit you home with an
understanding of the historical, cultural, and food uniqueness of
the locale, your head full of the images of the people and places
you have visited, where youve learned about the food and eaten your
fill.www.zingermansfoodtours.com 888-316-2736
[email protected]
JulyCases of Ortiz Bonito Del NorteEveryone's favorite tuna is
back, and it's bigger than ever! Fresh, meaty and delicious, this
line-caught classic from The Ortiz Family in Spain is on sale in
12-tin cases. Stop by for a taste and see why everyone will be
stocking up on what's sure to become an all-time favorite!
$48.00 (reg. $72.00)
AugustRizzoli AnchoviesWhether you get them packed in extra
virgin olive oil or in a 'salsa piccante', the recipe for which is
known only by the first born of the family, these anchovies will
enhance your culinary life in ways you've never imagined. Cook them
down with butter and herbs to drizzle over pasta, or lay them
across slices of freshly baked bread rubbed with raw garlic.
$8.00 (req $11.99)
THE FEEDThe Secret Life of Amazing Food at Zingermans
SpainApril16-26,2016
TuscanyOctober1-10,2016
ValNeff-RasmussenwritesTheFeedblogatzingermans.com
Coops Hot Fudge is on sale through July 31 at Zingerman's
Delicatessen and
zingermans.com. For more on our annual
Summer Sale see page 1
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ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 201510 11
This year Zingermans co-founders Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig
were honored to deliver the commencement address at the University
of Michigan graduation. Here are their words of wisdom for the
graduating class of 2015
Paul: When most people think of Zingermans success, they
pic-ture a line of people stretching from Detroit St. to Division,
a sand-wich so big it takes two hands to pick it up. And when you
finally bite into it the Russian dressing rolls down your arms.
Reporters write about our vision, our values, and our marketing
skills.
Ari: Theres huge value, of course, to each of those things. But
what very few folks ever ask, what reporters rarely write about,
and what hardly anyone seems to really be all that interested in is
what we believe. While vision, values, quality, customer service,
marketing, and making money are all important, we believe . . .
that what we believe . . . makes a big difference! The beliefs that
we chooseor those we hold, but dont acknowledgewill form the
footprint for everything else that happens in our lives. As writer
Claude Bristol said 75 years ago As individuals think and believe,
so they are.
Paul: To be clear, its not for us to tell you what to do with
your lives once you leave here.
Ari: But we can share with you some of the key beliefs that
under-lie all that weve done in our organization, beliefs that have
laid the base for us to build a healthy business that provides
meaning-ful employment to over 700 people. Beliefs that contribute
posi-tively to our community in many, many ways. Beliefs about
people and processes that are being adapted in places as far afield
as Australia, Slovakia, and Ethiopia. Beliefs that have helped
build a business that33 years laterwe both still love working in,
liter-ally, every single day. Paul?
Paul: I believe its RARELY a good idea to read the comments
oth-ers make about you on social media, but who can resist? Right
af-ter we were named as commencement speakers, I read this post:
WOW, WHOEVER WAS THE FIRST CHOICE MUST HAVE BACKED OUT. [Laughter.]
I laughed, too, but it hit me what an IMMENSE HONOR and OPPORTUNITY
this was. In the interest of reciprocity, I committed to give to
you the BEST of what I have to offer . . . other than a $16.00
Rueben.
To do that, Class of 2015, mentally pull up your Must Have list
for success and scan it. Really, take it out and give it a good
look. Raise your hand if JOY is at the top of that list? It wasnt
on MY list when I graduated from this fine institution. Joy is not
the TYPICAL yard-stick of success. Will the bank ask for your JOY
QUOTIENT when you renegotiate your student loans? Not likely. So
why would you want JOY on your list, and what IS it, anyway?
Joy is a feeling so profound that it sits at the top of the
human ex-perience chart. Just above love and just below peace and
ENLIGHT-ENMENT. To feel JOY, you dont have to wait until youre old,
like us. I believe you can have it NOW, starting TODAY. HOW?
GENEROSITY. GENEROSITY leads to joy. Its simple and its
guaranteed.
Generosity follows the natural law of the harvestyou REAP more
than you SOW. When you GIVE, you get MORE back. Minimally, you get
a joy buzz. Research tells us that generosity kicks off a feel good
hormone in your brain called the helpers high that can last up to
two hours. And its legal, even outside of Ann Arbor.
I am NOT telling you to take a vow of poverty. EARN MONEY, as
much as you like. See the world. Buy a nice car. GET REWARDED for
hard work. Just know that these things dont bring JOY like being
generous does.
Another natural law of generosity is that its
SELF-PERPETUATINGjust like the yeasty starter the Bakehouse uses to
bake zillions of loaves of Zingermans rye and sourdough breads.
What applies to bread applies to people. The MOTHER STARTER of
GENEROSITY is also passed down through generations. This was proven
in a study by the National Academy of Science where one persons act
of gen-erosity inspired others to be generous, spreading to dozens,
even hundreds, of people, known and unknown.
Ive got my OWN proof for you: three true stories from my life
il-lustrating the natural laws of generosity.
Ill begin with MY startermy grandfather, Ben Sherman. We called
him Zadie. Thats Yiddish for grandfather. I think about his big
smile and hearty laugh, how he warmed me with his presence. I
realize now that he was JOYFUL because he EMBODIED GENEROS-ITY. In
my early teens, I worked at his machine shop in a rough part of
Detroit. Frequently, homeless men wandered into the shop looking
for a hand out, and Zadie invited each one to go next door to Joes
Bar and Grille, saying, Get yourself a hot meal and put it on my
tab. Zadie told me two things Ill never forget: Half of what you
have belongs to those who need it, and If youre suc-cessful, make
the people around you successful. With this wisdom in mind, Ari and
I added the crucial ingredient of generosity into Zingermans
business plan from day one.
My second story has Mrs. Johnnie Mae Seeley as the starter. She
is a tiny, elderly angel in our neighborhood who got the Deli to
bag up our unsold bread and rolls every night for her church to
parcel out. Her generous act inspired Zingermans to found and
launch the nonprofit FOOD GATHERERS in 1988 with a mission to
eradicate hunger in our county. Twenty-seven years later, FOOD
GATHERERS distributes over 6 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD every year to
our neighbors in need. Everyday I feel profound joy for the work
Food Gatherers does in our community.
My final story demonstrates how Zingermans Community of
Busi-nesses, our partnership model based on Zadies advice of making
those around you successful, was put to the test in 2001. Ari and I
had pledged a quarter of a million dollars to build a shiny
commer-cial kitchen inside the countys new homeless shelter. Our
funding was to come from a business venture slated to open at
Detroits new McNamara airport terminal. Several days after 9/11,
the air-port project folded, and our kitchen funding VANISHED. When
I heard this, I actually had to lie down on the floor of my office
for over an hour. Ari and I had to break the news to all of our
Zing-ermans partners in the wake of the national tragedy. It was
ago-nizing. How were we going to honor our commitment? What
hap-pened next would have made Zadie and Mrs. Seeley weep with joy.
Our partners shocked us with their decision to take on the ENTIRE
QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS. I was stunned and overcome with joy. Our
partners had now become the NEXT generation of STARTERS. Seeded by
their generosity, today that kitchen prepares ONE HUN-DRED THOUSAND
hot meals each year.
So . . . when you leave here today with your Must Have list, I
invite to measure YOUR success NOT so much by what you gain or
ac-complish for yourself, but rather by what you contribute to
others. I believe practicing GENEROSITY is the way to JOY. Its FREE
for the taking. Or should I say . . . for the GIVING.
Ari? I told them what I believe, what do you believe.
Ari: I believe that active, engaging, interesting learning is
very clearly at the core of a great life. Probably the one thing
that this amazing institutionof which everyone, in this very big
emotional and intellectual house, is a parthas been trained in,
more than any other single thing, is how to learn. The challenge
though is that, when you leave here today, there are no more grades
to be gotten, no more professors to pass judgment. And when theres
no one pressuring us do to it, there are a hundred reasons not to
open a book, not to go to an interesting lecture, not to read a
poem. Working hard at learning doesnt win headlines, but its clear
to me that the people who keep doing it regularly almost al-ways
live powerfully positive lives.
I believe that our lives are radically more rewarding when we
ac-tively own our choices. I wish Id understood this the day I
gradu-ated. Unfortunately it took me another fifteen years to
figure it out. Owning my own choices changed my life. The reality
of the world is thateverything I do, everything you do, is a
choice. No one made us go to school, no one makes us to go work, or
read a