joy (andat Workingwork at Joy) why butterflies matter in the business ecosystem

What follows is a stepping stone; the start of my understanding of something that, on the one hand, I’ve lived with my whole life, and at the same time, I haven’t given nearly as much thought to as I could have. Fortunately, I get a lot of joy from learning, and maybe even more of it from putting that learn- ing to work in the world. In the spirit of synergy, helping others helps me at the same time.

As progressive educator Maria Montessori once said, “Joy business value of joy.” All of which is why, when my mind got Science writer Hayley Ames explains, “An abundance of is the evidence of inner growth.” The understanding of which, going on the subject while I was out running the other day, I butterflies is often an indication that an ecosystem is thriv- right now, gives me a lovely little moment of the joy this piece immediately thought of reaching out to Rich. Later that eve- ing.” Same goes in business; the healthier the ecosystem is, is about. It’s only a matter of minutes before something else ning I sent him this email: the more easily joy can be experienced. I tested it out in- intrudes into this joyful space, but while it’s here, it’s most formally the other day—I went around and asked about ten I was thinking about the organizational ecosys- certainly making me smile. As we move through the months people on shift at the end of a busy evening what had given tem model and imagining that joy could be but- of this long period of pandemic, I’ve come to see that finding them joy during the shift. I had no idea what they would say. terflies—it’s well known in healthy, natural farms joy is even more important than ever. We haven’t—until now—spent a lot of time talking about joy and ecosystems that butterflies show up in abun- Unlike long-term visions or well-built buildings, joy is the way Rich and the folks at Menlo do. And, yet, I’ve realized, dance, and they’re also a sign of health returning fleeting. Like a butterfly alighting on a newly-opened blossom, it’s present anyways. What blew my mind in the best possible to an ecosystem. When an ecosystem is being re- it’s there to be appreciated for a few seconds, maybe a couple way is that they all, quickly, offered up good answers. And stored to its natural state, butterflies come back! of minutes. If we miss it, life goes on apace; the world won’t they smiled when they shared them. end, but our energy erodes a bit. If we notice it, we smile, our Rich’s response? “I LOVE that idea!” My reaction? Joy! His Conversely, when things aren’t going well—at work or in eyes light up, endorphins are released, we enjoy the joy. As email made me smile. Which, in the wonderfully sustainable the natural world—it gets harder and harder to find those poet Lisel Mueller (who passed away just before the start of cycle that joy can generate, still gives me joy right now. As butterflies, both in the literal and the metaphorical sense of the pandemic last year at the age of 96) wrote, “What exists, Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Sometimes your joy is the source of the word. I don’t know that any boss arrives at work saying exists so that it can be lost and become precious.” your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of that he or she is going to take away everyone’s joy. Most of Most moments of joy pass pretty quickly, but the best of your joy.” the world has become so accustomed to a joyless existence them, if we’re paying attention, become precious memories My partner Paul didn’t write a book about joy, but he did at work that its absence is generally unremarkable, in the we can carry forward into our personal and/or collective give a speech about it when he and I did the commencement same way the average city dweller fails to notice how hard futures. What follows is about mindfully making joy into an address at Michigan Stadium (you’ll find the whole speech it is to find a butterfly. active—and actively sought after—element in the story of in the back of Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading, Part 4: A The disappearance of the butterfly in nature is causing our daily work. Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to the Power of Beliefs in Busi- a lot of well-documented problems; the absence of joy in Rich Sheridan rewrote his story to make joy an important ness). Here’s a bit of what Paul said: the American workplace causes comparable issues in our part of his work, and its addition altered his life. I’ve known ecosystems. I’ve certainly seen it happen here when we Class of 2015, mentally pull up your “Must Have” Rich for at least twenty years now—he and his partner James don’t do our work as well as we should. In both cases, the list for success and scan it. Really, take it out Goebel and their colleagues at Menlo Innovations here in impact is not immediate, nor will it be obvious to the casual and give it a good look. Raise your hand if joy is Ann Arbor just celebrated their 20th anniversary. We’ve had observer. But for those paying close attention over time, at the top of that list. It wasn’t on my list when I countless conversations over the years, many in the Deli’s the loss of butterflies, and of joy, will slowly but surely lead graduated from this fine institution. Joy is not the Next Door Café over morning coffee. Menlo’s mission is about to disastrous results. With this understanding in mind, we typical yardstick of success. … So why would you “Being intentional about restoring JOY … to technology” and would be right to remember Lucinda Williams’ great song want joy on your list, and what is it, anyway? Joy “to end human suffering in the world as it relates to tech- “Joy,” in which she sings rather forcefully, “You took my joy, is a feeling so profound that it sits at the top of the nology.” Joy, Inc. came out in 2013, and it’s all about creating I want it back.” human experience chart. Just above love and just a joyful work culture. Interestingly, I realized that finding joy might actually go below peace and enlightenment. To feel joy, you The Menlo folks are longtime ZingTrain fans, and Menlo better if I approached it with “obliquity”; if we try too hard don’t have to wait until you’re old, like us, I be- and ZingTrain have many things in common, including com- to make joy happen, we probably won’t find it. The work is lieve you can have it now, starting today. mitments to visioning, Servant Leadership, getting away from more about surrounding ourselves with people and things hierarchy, and Open Book Management. Having reread Joy, The “feeling of joy” is, indeed, what I get when I see—or like music, art, poetry, great food, and philosophy—around Inc. and its sequel, Chief Joy Officer, two or three times now, even just think about—butterflies. I mean that both literally, which joy is more likely to appear. Like butterflies landing, the biggest thing I get from the books is the belief that we and also metaphorically when I imagine butterflies as joy in we need to be mindful, to pay close attention. Otherwise, the can take joy out of the abstract—a pleasant thing that’s mostly the ecosystem of Zingerman’s. I have come to understand opportunity to appreciate it passes unnoticed. about eight-year-olds playing in the park—and intentionally that the healthier we are as an organization, the more joy put joy to work at work. As Rich writes, we can focus, “on the will show up. coNTinUEd on next PAgE >

isSue 286 . sep–oct 2021 1 jOy aT worK, coNTinUEd fROm prevIous PAgE

All of which brings me to a Bulgarian American poet by the clearly, are almost inevitably intertwined. Even in the pan- I first started working to write this piece—begin to see but- name of Katerina Stoykova-Klemer. Stoykova-Klemer grew demic positive things have happened, and there have been terflies everywhere. Point out (or send a photo of) the but- up in the town of Bourgas, the Bulgarian “city of poets.” Like beautiful moments of collaborative, creative inspiration, terfly to your friends or family; their joy will be increased, Rich Sheridan, she’s both a software engineer and a writer. support from caring customers, and countless acts of gen- and yours will go up in the process as well. As Adam Grant Interestingly, when Stoykova-Klemer came to the U.S., the erosity to lighten my days and bring a smile to my face. Each writes, “Joy shared is joy sustained.” change in ecosystem impacted her self-expression and she is actually a creative call to inspiration, an appeal to slow With that in mind, we might consider measuring our con- struggled with her writing: “As soon as I stepped on Amer- down enough to appreciate the elegance of the air around tribution to the community by how much joy we bring oth- der! ican soil, I stopped. Didn’t write for 11 years.” Fortunately, the butterfly’s wings. ers. A kind customer stopped me the other evening at the il Or her software work went well. She and her husband moved When life is hard, it may seem like joy will never happen Roadhouse to chat for a minute. I recognized her but didn’t Ma around the country, eventually settling in Louisville, which again. If things get bad enough, we might even forget that we know her name. It had been a while since I’d seen her, but ingerman’s she loves. Back in a healthy ecosystem, her writing returned. ever experienced it. The past eighteen months have been, in the pandemic, that’s kind of been par for the course. She y Seasonal Staff at Z In an article in Kentucky Living, she shares that, “It just came for pretty much everyone, particularly challenging. Being shared that she had moved to Pittsburgh a year ago and was Holida over me.” On her way to work one day, she pulled off into mindful to keep our mental eye open for joyful moments is back in town to visit. She smiled and said, “I realized when I the parking lot of the local Kroger where, she says, “I wrote essential to our emotional health and also to our organiza- got back to town that I had never thanked you for all you that a poem. And I felt such joy.” Here is to a tiny piece of poetry tional health. It’s not about what others do—to the contrary, Zingerman’s has done for me over the last twenty years! You she wrote that sums up the delicate and nuanced sense of joy is about what we create, what we train our minds to pay all have brought me so much joy, I can’t even tell you! Thank awareness that I believe best makes joy into a reality: attention to. Even in the hardest of times, there are small bits you!” Needless to say, what she shared brought me joy. A few of joy and butterfly sightings in unexpected places. Rebecca days later I shared the story with the rest of the staff in the Catch the air Solnit wrote a book called Hope in the Dark; sometimes, I’ve ZCoB through the weekly notes I started writing during the around the butterfly. come to see, you will spot a butterfly in a burned out building. pandemic (see the pamphlet titled, “Working Through Hard It’s by working hard every day to notice “the air around Staying focused on joy when we’re surrounded by nega- Times” for more on the weekly notes). I hope it brought oth- the butterflies” that joy most meaningfully brings delight tive social beliefs, bias, or dysfunction can clearly be harder, ers in the ZCoB as much joy as it brought me! to my days. Both the image, and the imperfect but attentive but maybe then even more meaningful. Tarana Burke and How do happiness and joy relate to each other? They’re reality, add loveliness to my life. In the ecosystem metaphor Brené Brown’s new book, You Are Your Best Thing is filled with not, Rich Sheridan makes clear, the same thing: “Joy is deeper, I’ve been working on, air is purpose; transliterating, the poem essays by Black writers working to come to terms with the more meaningful, and purposeful.” In my food-focused mind, might then be pushing us to consider honoring joy as a pos- role joy (along with shame and vulnerability) plays in their happiness is more like supermarket strawberries—they look itive purpose in our daily work. lives. I’m learning a lot from reading it, gaining insight and nice, I think of them fondly more often than not (even though I’ve written a lot about the application of art and beauty understanding into their struggles. we know that there are many issues with industrially-farmed in our daily activities. Writing this piece got me pondering Austin Channing Brown writes that, “Our community has berries). Joy is more like Michigan strawberries that are out at the connection between joy and beauty. Beauty, in my view, learned that even the darkest depths of human evil can- the market right now. We only have them for brief moments, could be anything from a well-bussed table to a lovely loaf not snuff out our experience of joy.” Even though there are the shelf life is short, but they’re so much better, and they of dark-crusted Country Miche from the Bakehouse, to a a thousand reasons for joy to have been lost, writer after make my eyes light up. Joy in edible action! great service experience, to a six-year-old about to eat her writer shares how they grew determined to bring the butter- Amelia and Emily Nagoski, in their fine book,Burnout , talk first Donut Sundae on her birthday. Beauty becomes a pre- flies back to their ecosystems. Their commitment to making about joy as an antidote to apathy and depression. One of requisite, but joy happens only when we take notice. Beauty joy a meaningful part of their lives, even in the face of enor- their big learnings is that, “... joy comes from connection. We ignored isn’t enough. We need to, as John O’Donohue sug- mous adversity, is an inspiration. And as Tanya Denise Fields can’t really do it alone.” Which is why the workplace is such gested, train our eyes (and ears and palates) to take it in. shares, “I embraced joy as my birthright.” a wonderful environment in which to encourage it. We are When we do, we get better at spotting the butterflies. As All of which tells me that paying attention to joy as we all, always, in this work together. And the more we help each Walt Whitman wrote, “Do anything, but let it produce joy.” come out of the pandemic is probably more important than other to grow and develop into our true selves, the better As I think further on how all this plays out at work, my ever. The problems, if we wait a bit and do good work, will things will go and the more joy we’re likely to generate. belief is that when we deliver what would be a 9 or a 10 on turn into positives. And often, the greater the pain, the more John O’Donohue said, “We have a sacred responsibility our Zingerman’s Experience Indicator (our adaptation of joy we can create going forward. As poet and writer Djuna to encourage and illuminate all that is inherently the Net Promoter Score that Fred Reichheld writes about Barnes says, “The unendurable is the beginning of the curve good and special in each other.” The oppor- in his book The Ultimate Question) to a guest, we probably of joy.” If you’re reading this, you are hopefully, as I am, tunity to do that is, for me, one of the brought them joy. Similarly, when we have a product that’s imperfectly moving onto the more positive part most joyful things I ever engage in. a 9 or 10, that’s a spot for joy as well! The potential for joy of the current curve of our lives. Everyone has Focusing more on joy will not, is embedded in our Mission Statement and in our commit- experienced loss, all of us have grief work to I know, eliminate all our prob- ment to giving great service. It’s in our food lems; pain and poverty will still and drink. As Paul said in the commencement exist in the world; we will con- address, it’s in the spirit of generosity that we tinue to make many mistakes. try so hard to live every day: There is no perfect way to be in the world, and no way to Generosity leads to joy. It’s simple and be perfect. But both joy and it’s guaranteed. Generosity follows the butterflies can bring a bit of natural law of the harvest—you reap joy, ratheR THAn hapPiNEsS, loveliness and liveliness to our days. Working more than you sow. When you give, you on this piece has reminded me regularly over get more back. Minimally, you get a Is tHe gOAl of Our LiFE, the last few months to look for joy—to work to joy buzz. weave it in our daily work, and to encourage Joy is easily accessed, too, in the apprecia- foR JOY iS The EmotiOn wHIch the kind of ecosystem health in which it’s much tions we end our meetings with, in the delight more likely to appear. It’s up to me, I see now we take in going the extra mile for each other; more than ever, to embrace that joy as Rich, it’s in the artwork that you can see on our web- aCcoMpANies OUr FuLfiLlinG oUR Paul, Emma Goldman, and so many others have sites, walls, newsletters, catalogs, and business suggested. Like so much of life, it’s an inside cards. It’s in the humor that we try to use and NaTurES As HUman beINgS. out activity. Times may be hard, but we have the love that we work hard to bring to every the power to keep connecting in creative and interaction we have. We still have to do the caring ways. When we do, it is likely we will work to take notice of it for the joy to become — ROLLO MAY — generate joy. “When all the ordinary divides real. But the good news is that we—and other and patterns are shattered, people step up to healthy organizations of all sorts—have a lot become their brothers’ keepers,” Rebecca Sol- of opportunity to make that happen. I’ve been nit writes. “And that purposefulness and con- thinking of having folks end their shift by shar- nectedness bring joy even amidst death, chaos, ing a moment of joy that took place while they fear, and loss.” were working that day. For a minute or two, or even for just do, and more hard times are, inevitably, around the corner. Butterflies, by weight and immediate economic impact a few seconds, a metaphorical butterfly lands in the room. But still, learning to seek joy, to work towards healthier or- might seem irrelevant, but without them our agriculture will Joy, to be clear, is not just flowers and fun. Working hard ganizational ecosystems (or family systems), brings the but- collapse. I’m not sure what word I’ll settle on as a simple way to help make a healthy ecosystem, and then pausing to pay terflies back. to describe the complex power of joy, but I do know that joy attention to the joy that is created, is a real-life way to work In the past twenty-four hours I’ve watched a mother bird has the power—always in the gentlest of ways—to change towards a better world. Hanif Abdurraqib writes, “Joy, in this feed her babies in a nest that’s about five feet from one of our lives for the better. Like butterflies in a field full of flow- way, can be a weapon—that which carries us forward when our windows, my partner Tammie sent me a film of a family ers, potential moments of joy are easy to miss, but when we we have been beaten back for days, or months, or years.” of wild turkeys making their way slowly across our driveway catch them they enhance our energy and improve our lives Finding joy does not preclude us from finding fault. In fact, and back into the woods, I listened to singer-songwriter in the process. As Rich Sheridan assures us, “Those closest the two can, and do every day, coexist. As Gareth Higgins Katherine Priddy’s amazing new album, I stumbled on some to you start to notice a difference in who you’ve become.” writes, conveniently for my metaphor-loving mind, “Appre- good insights reading a book about writing by George Saun- Over time, he adds, “You’ll start to see joy, feel joy, and al- ciating the butterflies does not make us naïve.” ders, drank a really delicious cup of the Costa Rica coffee most touch joy within your entire team.” As he ends Joy, Inc., Joy comes when we also allow ourselves to experience we get from Hacienda Miramonte, and I ate a terrific piece “More than anything, I wish you that joy.” grief and loss. The highs come only when we also allow the of toast True North bread that I’d brought home from the lows. As Khalil Gibran writes, “Some of you say, ‘Joy is greater Bakehouse. Even telling you about all of those is bringing me than sorrow,’ and others say, ‘Nay, sorrow is the greater.’ a gentle bit of joy. One bit of joy leads to more; before you But I say unto you, they are inseparable.” The two, I can see know it, you might—as I’ve experienced in the months since

2 isSue 286 . sep–oct 2021 r! Orde Mail ff at Zingerman’s Holida y Seasonal Sta

iring has begun for a fun, fast-paced holiday season! Positions are full or part time, day or night shift in the warehouse and service center, and all Zingerman’s Mail Order jobs include great benefits and perks! Ninety-nine percent of all the employees at Zinger- man’s Mail Order started their story by working during the • Paid on-the-job training holidays. Some folks return year after year to make some • Paid breaks extra cash and spend time with a crew they consider their • Free lunch prepared and friends. Start your next chapter at Zingerman’s Mail Order and see where your story takes you. served on-site • $15/hour minimum • Discounted shopping with the Zingerman’s Community of Working at ZMO provides me an anchor while I Businesses raise my kids and learn how to learn from my • A chance to be part of a mistakes. I am living my dream. fun, service-oriented, and —Jenni, service center inclusive team

started in 2009, holiday, the pins and needles time of the y first job at Zingerman’s was when I was 19. I was a col- oliday 2018. I had left working at Apple and just finished IGreat Recession. In my interview Kristie asked me, “What Mlege student and I heard about the employee meals so I Ha coding bootcamp. I wanted a part time job while I is the one food you always have in your refrigerator?” Par- applied. I worked at the Next Door Café. My parents found out applied for my masters. I came to Zingerman’s Coffee Co. migiano Reggiano. It was true then and still is. I learned you and I got in trouble. My family made me quit. I had to focus with my laptop and got one of the three drinks I always get. have to get the wedge with the stamp on it. Any form of on my studies! So I studied for the next 16 years. I saw the Zingerman’s Mail Order holiday hiring sign. I went pasta at my house—parm goes on it. I keep the “parm bone” I found myself burned out at academia with two young online and saw the coding position was posted—I applied rinds for soup. kids, and I wanted to help at Zingerman’s Roadhouse with for that. I’ve been coding here ever since. I mostly work in LiveChat and email. If you chat on zing- their brief farm-to-table endeavor at Cornman Farms for a I primarily do front end web development. I’m the guy ermans.com chances are we’ve written to each other. Then couple of months. It ended up being a year. I applied to work who makes things look pretty. And functional! The first cod- one day Mo said, “Let’s grow vegetables.” I said, “Yeah, let’s at Zingerman’s Mail Order for the 2019 Holiday season while I ing I did for Zingerman’s was to make a dropdown menu for do that.” It was 8 or 9 years ago. We started with 4-by-16-foot figured out what to do next. Turns out I really likeZMO . This the website login. I code with chill house music and turn my beds, four of them. Now we’re farming a half acre and com- is my second holiday. screen into light mode during the day, dark mode at night. posting everything from our kitchen and most of our paper. ZMO is like a really big weird family that I fell in love with. I always use tabs, not spaces. Now I’ve got the job we call Groundskeeper. We grow a I wanted to work in the call center because it challenges me I used to be a coffee and baked goods guy but now I’m ton of food. Literally. Almost all of it goes into our kitchen to learn. I really enjoy the culture of normalizing mistakes. way more adventurous. Last year was my first time trying for our employee meals. Our tomato plants come from our It’s so refreshing. I learned having a PhD doesn’t mean you beigli. It was amazing. I try lots of cheeses. I’m a home baker seeds. I’m like Gregor Mendel, I plant ones that have done can enter a bacon club accurately. Working at ZMO provides too. I’ve made many things from the Bakehouse cookbook. well that year. I pick Cherokee Purple for a certain size that me an anchor while I raise my kids and learn how to learn Coffeecake and cinnamon rolls are two favorites. minimizes kitchen waste. Pink Berkeley Tie Dye too. We also from my mistakes. I am living my dream. —Akram, Web Development grow loads of herbs and flowers that the crew can take home. — Jenni, Service Center — Steve, Groundskeeping

seE wherE youR StOrY Takes yoU At zingERmaNSjObs.coM isSue 286 . sep–oct 2021 3 Over the last 18 months I can safely say that it has been chal- be down the road. Since they’re in the future, I can’t know if they’re going lenging to look much beyond the next few days. We’ve rid- to reach new heights of popularity. Still, even Einstein endorsed the den the Coronacoaster up and down, and I’ve tried hard value of intuition: “I believe in intuitions and inspirations … I sometimes to stay focused as we make our way through what I early FEEL that I am right. I do not KNOW that I am,” he said. Having been at on came to consider “a marathon through a minefield,” this food thing for nearly four decades now, I can usually feel it. At this in which the appropriate course of action can change stage, my writing this, I know, is about feeling, not facts. But then again, quickly.” Still, I know, it’s important to focus on the feelings, I’ve come to realize, are also facts—it’s a fact that I’ve felt this future. The world is going to continue on apace after this way about products we make, bake, sell or serve many times before and is all over, and we’re intending to be a meaningful and more often than not, things play out positively. positive part of that world for a long time to come. As George Saunders writes, “All art begins in [an] instant of intuitive Our 2032 Vision is one important piece of that–it preference.” Which is what the following features are about. I feel good describes, in about ten pages of prose, what the Zin- about them; they taste terrific; and I believe that when we hit 2025 or german’s Community of Businesses will look like thereabouts, when the pandemic is more something that folks are writ- when we hit the 50 year mark in business! (Email ing reflective news features about rather than breaking news, these are me if you’d like a copy—[email protected]). the items that will come to mind for more and more folks in southeast- Last month in Zingerman’s News I shared my ern Michigan and around the country when they think of Zingerman’s. sense of some of the Zingerman’s Classics that are Before I dive in, I want to offer a grounded and very large amount of so prominent in our world every day: the Reu- gratitude. I can’t say that we are all done with the pandemic yet but it ben and the Georgia Reuben at the Deli; Cream does look like we are moving in the right direction. I’m deeply apprecia- Cheese and Pimento Cheese from the Creamery; tive of everyone who works in the ZCoB—you all have pushed past ups Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Jewish Rye, and Magic and downs, challenges and difficult choices with great grace, staying kind Brownies from the Bakehouse. There was also and collaborative throughout! It’s an honor to work with you all. Thank fried chicken and ribs at the Roadhouse, Nueske’s you to our great community of customers and suppliers—your loyalty, Applewood smoked bacon, Espresso Blend #1 at care, patience and support has made it possible to get through the last the Coffee Company, and Zzang! Bars at the Candy 18 months as we have. Thank you to all the artisan suppliers—both those Manufactory. All of these have dominated our world in the ZCoB and out—who have continued to farm, make cheese, bake, in the best possible ways, for the last 20, 30, or in the and roast; to send us olive oil, vinegar, honey and so many other amazing case of the Deli sandwiches, nearly 40 years now! foods and drinks. I take none of that for granted! As the Dalai Lama said, This month, I wanted to look ahead a bit to share my “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness!” sense of what the hot sellers on the Zingerman’s scene will

at the Deli since the mid-80s. Great grain, cold water mix- COUNTRY MICHE ing, extrusion through old-fashioned bronze dies, and dried ROADHOUSE JOE FROM FROM THE BAKEHOUSE slowly over 48 hours. Packed in the now classic brown kraft THE COFFEE COMPANY paper bags, their entire line of pastas is excellent. Across the A taste of the French Countryside board, they look beautiful and taste even better! My favorites Bringing excellence to your from Ann Arbor Southside are the linguine, fettuccine, and their Primo Grano line, made everyday coffee drinking with heirloom wheat to replicate the pasta that Gianluigi Pe- I can’t get enough of this relatively new addition to the Bake- This month marks the 18th anniversary of the debut of duzzi’s grandfather would have made back in 1924. house’s repertoire. It’s made with a blend of whole grains— this delicious blend that nearly everyone who’s tasted it hard red spring wheat grown and milled by Bill Koucky in loves. Gentle but firm, noticeably nutty, and easy to enjoy. the Leelanau peninsula, organic spelt, organic buckwheat, ROADHOUSE BREAD A blend of Papua New Guinea, Costa Rican, Indian, and Bra- and organic rye—the latter three of which are all freshly zilian Peaberry that comes together with a medium roast milled right here at the Bakehouse. This bread is one of the FROM THE BAKEHOUSE to offer the kind of centered, accessible bit of comfort that many items that has been part of the Bakehouse’s Grain Proj- has helped make the Roadhouse Jor what it ect. Milling our own grains is, I have no hesitation in saying, A mix of rye, corn, and wheat is for so many years now. I’m partial one of the most important quality improvements we’ve ever makes for a marvelous loaf! to getting it at the Coffee Company made! Really dark crust, amazing flavor. I love it especially One of my favorite Bakehouse breads for over 15 years now, brewed in a Clever which brings out in the really big 2-kilo loaves. This is a bread that would be the Bakehouse developed it, as per the name, to be the the depth and chocolatey goodness. a hit with even the most finicky of French bread fanatics— house bread at the Roadhouse. The history of the bread And of course you can come by the Road- it’s that good! goes back a lot longer than that though. In the spirit of house any time to grab a cup inside, or grab the traditional regional American dishes on the menu, one at the Roadshow to sip in the car or at a we reached back into American history for this one. It picnic table out in Roadhouse Park! PIT-SMOKED CHICKENS was known in the 18th and 19th centuries as “thirded FROM THE ROADHOUSE bread,” a reference to the blend of wheat, rye, and cornmeal from which it’s made. Naturally raised with- WORKING THE So good I can’t stop eating them! out any commercial yeast, it takes a good 18 hours of HOLIDAY SEASON rise time to develop its full flavor. A smidge of molasses These are still a bit of a secre, but every time I taste one— sweetens the loaf up beautifully. I love it toasted and topped AT MAIL ORDER which is pretty regularly—I come back to thinking that 20 with the Creamery Cream Cheese. It’s great for grilled cheese years from now this is an item that we will be famous for. An inside taste of the Zingerman’s (the grilling brings out the sweetness of the molasses) and it They’re that good! Amish raised chicken, rubbed with a bunch Experience, some extra holiday cash, makes some killer croutons! of that super special Tellicherry black pepper we get from a lot of learning, and fun all Épices de Cru, smoked over whole oak logs. Buy one and packed into two terrific months bring it home for dinner. I pull pieces of it and add it to pasta, BIG O COOKIES of peak season sales! salad, or soup. Seriously superb! FROM THE BAKEHOUSE I know this may seem like a strange inclusion but the truth is that the tradition of working for a month or two at Mail Order RUSTICHELLA PASTA Some of the tastiest oatmeal raisin “for the season” is indeed a classic in the making. More and cookies anywhere! more folks come each year to “spend the holiday” with us! FROM THE ABRUZZO Thanks to them—and of course the year-round core staff— I’ve tried a lot of oatmeal raisin cookies around the country we can ship food all over the U.S. in ever greater quantities. over the years and while many are good, none have made me The pasta in the “brown bag” that We even have one staffer who flies back from her home in stop believing these are the best I’ve had. Red flame raisins, so many locals have come to love! Ireland to work the holiday season every year! If you, or organic oats, wheat flour milled on site at the Bakehouse, and Way back in the mid-80s we were the first shop on this side someone you know, might be interested, it’s not too soon Michigan maple syrup come together to make one amazing of the Mississippi to offer this amazing artisan pasta! The Pe- to be thinking about it! Get a taste of the Zingerman’s Expe- cookie! If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time for a bowl of oat- duzzi family has crafted terrific traditional artisan pasta in the rience—unapply to join our holiday crew. meal in the morning, take one of these great cookies in the car! Abruzzo region of Italy since 1924. We’ve sold it continuously

4 isSue 286 . sep–oct 2021 RIGÓ JANCSI FROM PISTACHIO GELATO THE BAKEHOUSE FROM THE CREAMERY One seriously terrific traditional Bronte pistachios from Sicily take Hungarian torte this special gelato to new heights With each passing year this Hungarian torte wins more fans. And If you love pistachios, do NOT miss this magical dessert. for good reason. Named after the famous late 19th/early 20th cen- We use a paste of pure Bronte pistachios from Sicily, which tury Roma violinist Rigó Jancsi, it’s got a couple layers of choco- are universally acknowledged as one of the most amaz- late cake, sandwiched around an amazing chocolate rum whipped ing pistachios in the world. The gelato is remarkably not cream, brushed with just a small bit of apricot preserves, and then all that sweet; just lusciously, subtly, nutty; nuanced and finished with dark chocolate ganache. Try this soon! complex. Stick a few squares of a great dark chocolate in as a garnish—it’s a great pairing! CHEESECAKE FROM THE BAKEHOUSE NYC deli classic from A2 We have been quietly making the amaZing cheesecake for nearly twenty years now. For whatever reasons I can’t really explain, it’s never been a product that we’ve done a lot to TARB’S TENACIOUS TENURE promote. But having just retasted it again last month when we had it on special at the Bake- house, I was reminded anew of just how amazing it is! Creamy from the Creamery cream One of the Deli’s top sandwich cheese, the poetic perfume of the vanilla, the fantastic Bakehouse graham cracker crust. taste treats So luscious! There are, I know, a number of very famous cheesecake makers in this country, This one just keeps gaining in popularity but I believe the Bakehouse’s is one of the best! with each passing year—the terrific new It’s remarkably tasty cold right out of the fridge, but I like it better still if I allow it (like all roasted turkey breast we bring in from Min- good cheese) to come to room temperature first. The Bakehouse cheesecake is a great match nesota, ripe avocado, and Wisconsin muen- for most any fresh fruit (plums or Concord grapes would be great this time of year), or you ster cheese, grilled on rye! So good! can serve it topped with some of your favorite jam (American Spoon’s Early Glow Strawberry would be superb) or one of the many artisan honeys we have on hand. It’s also impressively good with freshly ground pepper or even a little olive oil. In the spirit of finding joy (see page 1), I will say that even a single bite of this choice cheesecake does that for me! Marvelous, maybe even magical. Pick up a couple of pieces, or even a couple of cakes and make a “toast” to good—and tasty—things to come! You can get this incredible cheesecake at the Bakehouse, Roadhouse, Deli, and zingermans.com. FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH AT THE ROADHOUSE! PEANUT BUTTER CRUSH FROM A new offering that’s outta sight! THE CANDY One of our “pandemic babies.” The Roadhouse crew introduced them in the spring of 2020, and they’ve been a huge hit! The same awesome MANUFACTORY Amish-raised chicken, this time in the form of a boneless breast, deep Shaved peanut brittle and fried, and then served on a Bakehouse brioche bun with Vermont ched- dark chocolate make for a dar, Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon, and the Roadhouse’s spicy mayo. world class candy bar The original Zzang! Bars are still the big name in the world of Zingerman’s Candy, but the Peanut Butter Crush, I think, has the potential to join the popular- SOMODI KALÁCS (IN THE ity party in the coming years. These bars start with shards of the Candy Manufactory’s marvelous peanut STYLE OF TRANSYLVANIA) brittle, a touch of milk chocolate, and a sprinkling of MAC & CHEESE crisped crushed rice, blended into a coarse-textured AT THE ROADHOUSE Hungarian Cinnamon Swirl Bread paste that reminds me a bit of eating good halvah, or from the Bakehouse maybe a peanut-based marzipan. It’s modern confec- Made with maccheroni from In the 10 or 12 years we’ve been making it, Somodi Kalács has be- tionery art made by deconstructing chocolate cov- the Martelli family in Tuscany come a nearly universal favorite. A tasty cinnamon swirl bread ered peanut brittle and lighting your tongue up with that’s made in the tradition of the Transylvanian town of Torockó, just the teeniest touch of sea salt and dipping it all In the same way that the Zzang! Bar takes candy we make it here with organic wheat flour, Michigan honey, fresh into really dark Colombian chocolate. bars to new—or maybe it’d be better to say “old”— eggs, and a sweet, buttery, cinnamon sugar swirl. The smell is amaz- heights, the macaroni and cheese at the Roadhouse ing. The flavor is even better. Many customers tell me they buy is one seriously special offering. Cooked to order to two—one to eat a large part of in the car on the way home, the get a bit of caramelization of the Vermont cheddar other for the family. Others will buy up eight or ten on the week- from Cabot co-op. The key is the quality of the mac- ends we have them and then freeze a bunch to work on in the com- aroni. While nearly every restaurant relies on main- ing weeks. Great ripped right off the loaf with coffee. The Kalács stream, industrial pasta, we have used the artisan makes a killer French toast. Or I guess we could call it Transylva- maccheroni made by the Martelli family in the tiny nian Toast. Whatever you do with it is super tasty; a terrific treat Tuscan town of Lari since the day the Roadhouse to bring to friends or family, or a bit of something sweet to snack opened. It is, to my taste, simply THE best macche- on while you take in some fall football! roni I’ve ever had. I could—and have—gone on for pages about why good pasta is one of the best cu- linary investments in quality you’ll ever make, but suffice it to say that if you like pasta and you’ve never tried this one, buy a bag. Or come by the CORNMAN FARMS PIE & MASH Roadhouse and order up some mac and cheese— the original “Roadie Mac,” or try the m acaroni with A bit of English tradition out in Dexter every March pimento cheese and bits of Nueske’s applewood It’s about five years now that we’ve been making this English classic out at Cornman Farms. Co-managing smoked bacon! partner Kieron Hales hails from England, and this is one of his many returns to his culinary roots; food memories made manifest here in his new home in southeastern Michigan. you’ll have to wait until the winter to get these, but I thought I’d plant a seed now—comforting, tasty, and terrific!

isSue 286 . sep–oct 2021 5 celEbrAtInG FivE years of gReat koreaN cOoking in the ZingerMan’s comMunity

One of the most difficult questions I get asked is, “What kind of food do you do?” I guess the simplest answer would be, “Korean food.” But it is not that simple. Food is so often tied closely with one’s identity, so when I am faced with that question, it is as though someone is asking me about the core of my identity. Miss Kim food is deeply rooted in Korean culture, drawing major inspirations from its culinary history. I love learning about my ancestors (many historic docu- ments mention “Koreans love to eat a lot and drink”—makes me so proud), and I read a lot about it. I do my best to first understand the stories behind the food and the people who made and consumed that food. It is as though the tie that was broken when I was plucked from Korea and moved to the States is being mended, and I can sense the flow of time and people much, much bigger than me. But I am not just a Korean person, I get inspired from elsewhere too. One major source of inspiration comes from exactly where we are. The land and the farmers who tend to that land, and the fruits of their labor that I can so easily pick up from the farmer’s markets is the other anchor for Miss Kim besides my ancestors. I am a transplant. I like both where I came from and where I landed, and both are true to my own identity as well as that of the restaurant’s.

Going to the farmer’s market every Saturday, and often on Tamchop Farm: This is my special farm, where I get the most Xiong’s Fresh Asian Produce: Farmer Tu has been coming Wednesday, is absolutely one of my favorite parts of my job. beautiful, rare, heirloom vegetables that Farmer Tammie grows mostly just for the Wednesday market. Whenever he comes, I My sous chef likes to joke that when I go to the market, I lose for me. She has exactly the stuff that is not available elsewhere, stop by and say hi, and check out what he brought. A prolific my mind a little bit and tend to bring in more than we need. like Korean Lady Choi peppers or Joseon Shorty cucumbers. It farmer of Hmong descent, he brings numerous Asian vegeta- It’s sort of true. I love chatting with farmers, talking about jives well with what we do at the restaurant, as she takes the bles even I am not familiar with, and it always gives me a lot the seasons, taking in all the colors and the hustle and bus- heirloom seeds from the most high quality seed companies of ideas. Used in special feasts and small batches. tle of the market. It is one thing I really, really missed during like Katazawa Seeds, Row 7, and Ann Arbor Seed Co, plants the past year and a half as we all strived to survive and keep them firmly in Michigan soil, and grows something beautiful Green Things Collectives: I’d recommend this collec- each other safe. These days I relish in the joys of the farmers and delicious. Used in Lady Choi cocktail, peach and Lady Choi tive of small farmers that combined Green Things Farms, and the farmer’s markets again, and I wanted to share a few salad, Korean melon and cucumber salad. Ann Arbor Seed Company, and Land Loom to anyone who is of my favorite farms here. looking for heirloom vegetables grown with lots of care and Do Nothing Farm: This is where I get a lot of foraged knowledge that are not necessarily Asian vegetables! Used Goetz Farm: This is my “bread and butter” farm, where I get wild greens often used in Korean and Native American cook- in special feasts and small batches. the most amount of vegetables, like cucumbers for banchan ing, like nettles or lamb’s quarter. The Korean woman who and bibimbob. Carlin’s family farm has been around as long owns this farm stand is so proud of how she does nothing as the Kerrytown Farmers Market, well over 100 years. I just to the vegetables, letting it grow wild and organic, that she love the people and their vegetables. Featured in our beet even named her farm that way. Used in special feasts and and avocado salad, all the cucumbers we use in bibimbob, small batches. and green bean salad with fish sauce sauce.

6 isSue 286 . sep–oct 2021 When I started looking into ancient Korean cookbooks, what stood out to me was the spirit of preservation. Especially earlier cookbooks were filled with recipes for fermented sauce like doenjang (soy paste) and ganjang (soy sauce), vinegars, pickles and kimchi, dehydrated vegetables, fruits, meat and fish … and numerous alcoholic beverages. One of my favorite tidbits I find while looking into culinary history is about how much my Korean ancestors en- joyed good food and drink. Like a comment from this sort of travel book Koryo Dogyung 고려도경 (“Pictures and Maps of Korea”) written by a Song Chinese dignitary visiting the Koryo Kingdom in 1123 A.D. that noted, “Korean people generally like to drink!” There even is a sharp comment in a Joseon period personal essay book Yongjaechonghwa 용재총화 that criticized, “poor people will still eat to their fullest even if they have to borrow money to do it, a half of the military supplies are in food, and government officials socialize and drink too often.” I mean … who would I be if I did not respect my ancestors’ wise ways, right? So, to celebrate them, I want to take a deep dive into major Korean drinks. To kick that off, we have to start with Makgeolli. Makgeolli Baekseju Let’s talk the name first—“mak” means “roughly” and “geolli” means “filtered.” So the Cheongju 청주 is Makgeolli’s more refined cousin, only in a sense that it goes through name already tells us that it is a roughly filtered, cloudy brew. It has a series of other one more step of being filtered. The name cheongju literally means clear wine, as op- names it can go by, like takjoo 탁주 for being cloudy (instead of clear), baekjoo 백주 posed to Takju 탁주 meaning “unclear wine” like makgeolli. One of its first mentions for being white in color, nongjoo 농주 for being enjoyed by the workers during farm- again goes back to the travel book Koryo Dogyung 고려도경 (“Pictures and Maps of ing, hyangjoo 향주 for being enjoyed by the regular folks in the countryside. So we Korea”) written by a Song Chinese dignitary visiting the Koryo Kingdom in 1123 A.D., know that this is a roughly filtered, white and cloudy brew that have been enjoyed where he observed that while unfiltered rice wine like makgeolli was popular among by everyday people, especially in the farming countryside. the common folks, clear rice wine was made and reserved for the palace. Traditionally, makgeolli is made with just three ingredients: rice, water and nuruk, As I mentioned before, the ancient Korean cookbooks are filled with instructions the fermentation starter. Nuruk is a sort of a cooked grain cake that is left to ferment to make fermented wine like cheongju and makgeolli, as it was a way of preserving and grow microorganisms and yeast. It breaks down the sugars in rice and turns them grains. One of the oldest cookbooks Sangayorok 산가요록, written in 1459, documents into alcohol. Generally, it is easy enough to make at home and the whole process over 56 recipes for making wine that includes cheongju and takju along with ways to takes as short as 10 days. Hence it was and still is widely consumed by everyday folks. incorporate other grains, herbs and flowers to make it more flavorful and aromatic. The origin of makgeolli probably coincides with the farming of rice. One of the By the time this book was written, clear rice wine like cheongju was not just for earliest mentions of alcohol shows up in the Chinese historical text the Record of the palace but was made and enjoyed by commoners as well. As I mentioned earlier, the Three Kingdoms that covers Chinese history from 184 to 280 C.E. It commented imperial Japan banned the production of traditional Korean alcohol at homes during that Dongyi people (modern day Eastern China and Korea) enjoyed food, alcohol, the Japanese colonization era. It got worse after Korean War as the newly formed song and dance, for day and night during festivals and celebrations. This is around Korean government bans the use of rice for the production of alcohol due to rice when praises of Korea’s fermentation skills are mentioned as well. The aforemen- and food shortage. That ban wasn’t lifted until 1970. tioned book Koryo Doguyng observed that the alcohol Koreans drank was made with One of the best known examples of cheongju these days is Bekseju. It is one of regular rice (as opposed to sweet rice or glutenous rice) and nuruk, had color, was the first traditionally made cheongju to make a comeback after the decline and sweet in flavor and not too strong so you can drink a lot without being too drunk. the ban of rice wine production. It specifically only uses the heirloom Korean rice During Joseon Era, even during the famine times when consumption of alcohol called Sulgangmi 설갱미 and nuruk 누룩 fer- was banned, makgeolli was allowed for the common folks. mentation starter, and includes 12 different During the 20th century, the tradition of making makgeolli was almost medicinal ingredients like goji berries, lost, as the Japanese occupation government banned people from producing schisandra berries, Korean red ginseng, makgeolli at home and taxed alcohol production heavily. During the 1960s cornelian cherry, sun dried mandarine following the Korean War, the use of rice was banned for alcohol produc- orange peels, border grass berries, co- tion as Korea was recovering from the war. It is only after the late 1990s and riander and licorice. The name Bekseju 2000s that the traditional recipe and methods of making makgeolli revived, and by 백세주 literally translates to “100-year the 2010s, makgeolli started gaining popularity once again. wine,” meaning that it has so many ben- The challenges of running a Korean restaurant in Michigan is that it is very often eficial ingredients essential in Eastern difficult to find very traditional and artisanal products from Korea. It is not that there medicine that when consumed in moder- are no artisanal products coming into the States, it is that the supply chain is not es- ation, it will help you live over 100 years. tablished all the way to Michigan. But our favorite makgeolli that we found is actually It is a bold claim for sure, but it sort by a Korean American company Makku. It is unfiltered and all-natural, just about 6% of falls in line with how this particular alcohol, as makgeolli should be. Makku has a wonderfully light effervescence, creamy type of Korean alcohol distinguishes itself from commoner’s drinks like makgeolli. body and just a hint of sweetness. The company is marketing it as “Korean rice beer.” Traditional cheongju should have a good balance of sweet and bitter with not a I don’t know if I agree with calling it “beer” officially, but it does go very well with lot of sour. Bekseju hits all those notes with pleasant herbal/spice notes. I like to sip most food that pairs well with beer. Think Korean fried chicken, or even pizza. Even this one, as opposed to makgeolli, which I like to heartily gulp down like a beer. Both though they have a few flavored ones, we like the original the best because it is the have their places, and I am happy to carry them at Miss Kim. most traditional and because you can really taste the rice without added sweetness of fruit. I do hope you’d come in and try some with your next dinner. Next up! Baekseju.

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