Great Photo by Joshua Lott for the New York Times

So proud of the history we share with Zingerman’s and very excited about the latest article in The New York Times.  Jennifer Conlin, another good friend, did a great job capturing the feat Paul and Ari have accomplished. Starting a business is one thing, but growing a business is another thing entirely. Paul and Ari have succeeded in creating and communicating a vision that not only engages their partners but also their employees, the local community and even the global community! Truly extraordinary!

Even without the NYT article, I always reflect on our long-standing relationship with Zingerman’s around Ann Arbor Art Fair time. That’s because it was during Ann Arbor Art fair  33 years ago that we began making Al Dente Pasta at Complete Cuisine on Main Street, where Gratzi is now. This was one year before Zingerman’s started. Yes, we have shared many, many experiences centered around food, friendship and fun.  And, the adventure continues!

In fact, just this 4th of July……. Paul and Lori invited 14 of their best friends to our lake house for a reunion of sorts.

As is typical at the lakehouse, everyone brought something and everything was ridiculously good. Even though I’ve made it so many times this summer, I just had to make the 3in3 recipe with asparagus and goat cheese because it’s so simple and so good.  So what if Lori forgot to bring the goat cheese!  We improvised with feta, instead. It wasn’t creamy like the original recipe, but still delicious.

Just ask Howard, Paul’s childhood friend. He’ll tell you!

I love having a free Saturday to hit Ann Arbor’s Farmers Market along with many of my other favorite stores in the area. Zingerman’s for bread.