Zingermans Deli in Ann Arbor 5041

It started with a small deli but it has obviously grown way beyond that. For nearly 30 years now our emphasis on education, flavor, tradition, and... more

by Jack Schultz

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Zingermans Deli in Ann Arbor 5041

Artist

Jack Schultz

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It started with a small deli but it has obviously grown way beyond that. For nearly 30 years now our emphasis on education, flavor, tradition, and the integrity of ingredients has helped create a living culinary laboratory where customers can experience everything from corned beef and noodle kugel to estate-bottled Tuscan olive oil to terrific grits from South Carolina. We sell tons of brisket, thousands of hand-shaped traditionally made, Bakehouse bagels, and many thousands of Magic Brownies every year. At the Deli and Roadhouse we serve complete meals to customers from all walks of life every week. We�re also local artisan producers � Zingerman�s Bakehouse makes traditional bread and pastries; the Creamery crafts fresh cheeses; the Coffee Company sells carefully roasted beans; and the Candy Manufactory makes some pretty amazing old-fashioned candy bars! Zingerman�s Mail Order ships it all to food lovers across the country.

ann arbor observer september 1982-lowresFinding food is hardly all we do here. From the start, it�s been our sincere hope that Zingerman�s will always be a place where people will leave having had a rewarding and really positive experience. The kind of spot where folks who�ve never heard of hundred-year-old balsamic vinegar, Nashville hot (as in super-spicy) fried chicken, chess pie, rye, or handmade harissa can come and taste these things for themselves. An organization in which new staff members can relatively quickly become veritable experts. Whether it�s hot corned beef, home-cooked chicken broth, well-aged wheels of mountain Gruyere, or really good loaves of hearth-baked French mountain bread, we want to bring as much traditional food to as many people as we possibly can.

Given all the good press we�ve had and the number of visitors for whom we�ve become a destination, I guess it�s safe to say that Zingerman�s has become an Ann Arbor institution. Our local customers come in regularly�many every day. People who�ve moved away make return trips just for the Zingerman�s experience. Many who�ve left Michigan will still make meals out of our food by using our catalog-based mail order business or website. Others come back to take classes at BAKE!, or to learn about business approaches in our ZingTrain seminars. Our guests tell us that most anywhere they go, once they tell people they�re from Ann Arbor the odds are that the person will respond by talking about one of two landmarks: either the University of Michigan or Zingerman�s.

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November 5th, 2014