What are your favorite things about Ann Arbor?
I’m from Chicago, so I kind of like big cities. Here you get most of the things you get in a big city without the hassles of a big city. We have an amazingly international and diverse population. We have people here from all over the world who are great at what they do, whether it’s surgeons or musicians or writers or chefs. We have a lot of books, music and film. And I’m 25 minutes from Detroit airport, which is a Delta hub, so I can fly anywhere in the world direct.
What makes Ann Arbor a great food town?
We have a lot of smart people trying to cook good food with a lot of local ingredients. Zingerman’s has been here for 30 years, so everything we do contributes a lot, with our bakehouse, creamery, coffee company, deli and Zingerman’s Roadhouse restaurant.
What are some great culinary experiences you would recommend for groups?
The first is Zingerman’s Tour de Food, where we take you to all the Zingerman’s stops in 24 hours. The Ann Arbor Farmers Market in Kerrytown is another, and Mark’s Carts street food park is also a good stop. Also, at Zingerman’s Creamery we do cheese-making classes, and Bake! is our baking school, and we can do group classes.