The storyline of how we at Zingerman’s connected with The Christmas Cookie Club isn’t quite as romantic as that of the book, but it’s certainly a nice one and one that seems fully in synch with everything Ann Pearlman’s written about. It starts back in the summer of 2003, when we were getting ready to open the Roadhouse. Melina Hinton was one of the first servers we hired. Over the years Melina became an ever more important part of our team, and the breadth of our connection grew wider; her sister Elizabeth came to work with us for a while, we got to know Melina’s daughters and watched them grow up. And then at some point a year or two in, we got to meet her mother, Ann. Which is why, although most people know Ann Pearlman as the famous author of The Christmas Cookie Club, I know her first and foremost as “Melina’s Mother.”

Regardless of entrée, the main thing is that the connection with Ann turned out to be a great one. We share values around creativity and caring for the community, as well as a passion for good writing, and in this case, good cookies. Given the national stage on which The Christmas Cookie Club is “showing” this fall—network talk shows, big time films, blogs and magazines galore—I’m sure Ann and her literary manager could have handed the opportunity to make these cookies to some big time industrial bakery that would have paid a lot of money for the opportunity. But in the spirit of the Cookie Club, our long-standing relationship and Ann’s commitment to quality and local production, we’ve worked together to do a set of cookies that match the spirit of all that I’ve talked about above. I’m sure there are less costly cookies that could have been stuck into a “Christmas Cookie Club” box, but I doubt that they’d actually have had the spirit, soul and flavor of the ones that Amy, Frank and everyone from the Bakehouse has put into these. I hope you enjoy eating them as much as we’ve enjoyed working with Ann, reading, baking, testing, tasting, and talking about them.

Before I move on I should state really clearly that not only is this a good story but the actual cookies are really, really good! They’ve been winning raves from all the staff, many of whom have been diligently eating all the test bakes! Thin little ginger crisps and pecan butter balls are made from recipes out of the book, plus one of my long time favorites, the mint chocolate shortbread from the Bakehouse. That trio of taste treats is packed into a book-like box designed by our graphics crew. It’s really a great package—especially if you pair it up with a copy of Ann’s book—and would clearly make a great gift for anyone who likes to read and eat cookies which is probably a pretty high percentage of people out in the Zingerman’s universe. Stay tuned for the Wendy Finerman-produced (Forrest Gump and The Devil Wears Prada among other famous films) movie, which is likely to start filming next fall! Ann’s been pushing hard to have the filming done here in Ann Arbor so hopefully that will work out. In the mean time come on by and taste a cookie and celebrate some nice local success and the start of a sweet holiday season!

How does gelato does differ from ice cream?
Gelato has a bolder flavor than ice cream. When you put a spoonful of coffee gelato in your mouth, the first thing that strikes you is an intense coffee flavor. If you think of coffee ice cream as a cappuccino with its coffee-flavored milkiness, then think of coffee gelato as espresso; a concentrated and intense flavor experience.

Why are the flavors more intense?
For starters, gelato has less air than ice cream. Conventional ice creams…

The Maple Syrup of the Upper South

This October, I’m going to speak at the annual Southern Foodways Alliance symposium in Oxford, Mississippi, about the state of Southern food and why it seems to be so special. I’m not sure yet what I’m going to say, but one of the things that’s starting to dawn on me is that it’s not just that Southern food is really good; it’s that Southerners are way more poetic and emotional about their eating than…

Sorry, I couldn’t resist the puns—Shawn Askinosie is a now retired (because he tired of it) trial lawyer who left his very well paying work at the bar to pursue his passion for chocolate making. Working to buy amazingly good beans at the source and then to bring them back to his hometown of Springfield, Missouri (you read that right) and make them into incredibly good chocolate bars. I say “better bars’ both because the chocolate itself is exceptionally good,…

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that we spent literally spent over a year looking for a mint that would be what we wanted to offer guests after dinner at the Roadhouse. I think I must have tasted five-dozen different mints or after-dinner sweets before we finally found Fralinger’s Creamy Mint Sticks. In fact, I was sharing that same sentiment with a regular Roadhouse dinner customer the other day and I said, “It’s hard to believe, but it took…