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

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

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.

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.)

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)

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.

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

ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 20158 9

3723PlazaDrive734.761.7255bakewithzing.com

422DetroitStreet734.663.3400www.zingermansdeli.com

ZingermansDelitastingsaredesignedtogiveyouaninsidersviewofthefoodsthatwevesearchedtheworldfor.Youlloftenmeetthefolkswhomakeitandleavewithamouthfulofflavorandanewunderstandingofeverythingfromoliveoiltosardines,cheesetochocolate.PICNIC DESSERTS

Saturday, July 11, 8am-12pm $125Well make tender Bakehouse sweet cream biscuits, golden vanilla pound cake and pavlova, a crisp sweet meringue. What do they have in common? Theyre all delicious vehicles for your pick of ripe summer fruit and whipped cream. These simple and scrumptious treats are real crowd pleasers. Once word gets out about the desserts youre making, summer picnics and barbe-cues might turn in to block parties. Youll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, all the food you made in class and great coupons.

GERMAN BREADSFriday, July 24, 1:30-5:30pm $100Come and learn three breads our friends from Dredner Backhaus taught us: Dinkelbrot, a spelt bread and sunflower loaf; Wurzelbrot, a rye and wheat baguette; and Vinschgauer, a savory seasoned mountain roll delicious with ham and cheese. Youll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, 2 baguettes, 2 loaves, 6 large rolls, and great coupons.

SOFT PRETZELSFriday, July 31, 1-4pmOR Wednesday, August 19, 6-9pm $75Learn the secrets to traditional German-style soft pretzels made with lard and dipped in lye. We will teach you how to form the crossed pretzel shape and tell you the story of why a monk decided to have this food be in prayer. Youll also shape the stick or baguette we make at the Bakehouse. These simple but tasty rolls are sure to become a family favorite. Well also answer the burning question: Are these dipped in the same lye used to make soap? Well end class tasting some warm pretzels with a little mustard and Zingermans Creamery pimento cheese. Youll leave BAKE! with our recipe, the knowledge to recreate it at home, a dozen pretzels you made in class and great coupons.

CHOCOLATE FIXWednesday, August 12th, 5:30-9:30pm $125Calling all chocoholics! Lets bake some of our favorite treat recipes for your daily chocolate fix: cream-filled chocolate whoopie pies, rugelach filled with chocolate ganache, and heav-enly cheesecake brownies. Its gonna be chocolate-covered fun. Youll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, all the food you made in class, and great coupons.

DINNER SERIES: BRITISH ISLESSunday, August 16th, 1-5pm $125Our Guinness Beef Stew is so rich and flavorful that Amy says, Ive since stopped making my familys stew recipe. Beware this might happen to you too! To sop up the stewy sauce well make soft and tasty Bapsa dreamy little dinner roll. Need a little something for dessert? Lets make classic shortbread cookies. Youll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, dinner for four and great coupons.

Hands-onBakingClassesBAKE!isourhands-onteachingbakeryinAnnArbor,tuckedbetweenZingermansBakehouseandCreamery.AtBAKE!weshareourknowledgeandloveofbakingwiththehomebakercommunity,seekingtopreservebakingtraditionsandinspirenewones.Weofferdozensofdifferentbread,pastryandcakeclassesinourveryownteachingkitchens.AllofusattheBakehouseknowthejoyandexcitementofbakingsomethingreallygoodandsharingitwithfriendswhenitshotoutoftheoven.YoullleaveBAKE!withthefoodyoumadeinclassandtheinspirationandskillstobakeathome!

BOOK A SPOT AT ANY ZINGERMANS EVENT AT EVENTS.ZINGERMANSCOMMUNITY.COM

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!

ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 2015 ISSUE # 251 JUL-AUG 20158 9

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

.

Detr

oit S

t.

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

.S. M

aple Rd

.

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

rbor

-Sali

ne Ro

ad

William St.

Maiden Lane

Plymouth

Rd.Pontiac Trail

King

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.

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

foodtours@zingermans.com

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

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