A Cookin’ Conversation with Ari about his Cool New Chapbook

Tuesday, January 14th
Doors open at 6pm, presentation starts at 6:30pm

Forty-six years ago, in the autumn of 1978, Zingerman’s  co-founder Ari Weinzweig worked his first tentative shifts training as a line cook at a local Ann Arbor restaurant. With a newly-earned Russian history degree from the University of Michigan, Ari’s intention was mostly just to make enough money to pay rent so he wouldn’t have to move back home to Chicago. Restaurant work, he figured, would help tide him over while he sorted out what he wanted to do with his life. Little did Ari know that what seemed like a short-term sideline would, over the course of many years, lead him to a hard-earned life philosophy, which is now the subject of his new release: “Life Lessons I Learned from Being a Line Cook.”

For Ari, cooking on the line became about much more than feeding people; it taught him about building connections and discovering purpose, and led to a philosophy that has guided him in work and life over the past four decades co-leading the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. “Life Lessons I Learned from Being a Line Cook” is a small 52-page, hand-sewn chapbook that distills 18 key lessons from Ari’s early days as a line cook. In its pages, readers will discover conceptual gems including a deep understanding of how simple tasks transform into meaningful, paradigm-shifting work. They will also gain practical insights on how anyone can cultivate their own life lessons, embrace more day-to-day purpose, and spark a deep understanding in their own areas of expertise.

Of the new chapbook, Ari offers,

What began with learning how to flip burgers turned, slowly but surely, into a life philosophy. Line cooking opened the door for me to settle into a set of beliefs, values, and worldviews that underlie everything I’ve written and done in leadership work over the years.

World renowned pizza maker and chef-owner of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Chris Bianco, offers this about the new publication:

Our life experiences are a well of wisdom, and in this new chapbook, Ari brings buckets of both. He’s been there, done it, and luckily for all of us, is still doin’ it and sharing it for the next generation!

On Tuesday, January 14th, we invite you to join us at the Roadhouse to hear Ari talk about his new chapbook, a concentrated in-an-espresso-shot-sort-of-way effort to share over four decades of experience and learning. Ari hopes that this quick read will be an insightful inspiration for people working in pretty much any walk of life, from those in search of a positive path, to those who are already well along on their own. You don’t have to work in a kitchen to enjoy this scintillating conversation with Ari, and if you love food, Chef Bob will be cooking up some of your favorite appetizers to nosh on! See you there!

MENU:

-Mancini pasta tossed with Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter and Basil (V)

-Barrel-Aged Greek feta cheese dressed with Seka Hills extra virgin olive oil (V)

-Winter Citrus Salad (V)