Ari Weinzweig is an American entrepreneur, author, speaker, and co-founding partner of

Zingerman's Zingerman's, or Zingerman's Community of Businesses, is a gourmet food business group headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The original business and current flagship operation is Zingerman's Delicatessen. Starting from the original deli, Zinge ...

Community of Businesses, a group of food-related enterprises based in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

Early life and education

Weinzweig was raised in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He pursued a degree in Russian History from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. His early career included various roles in the restaurant industry, where he initially washed dishes, eventually progressing to roles in cooking and managing kitchens.

Career

Weinzweig founded Zingerman's Delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1982 with his business partner, Paul Saginaw. Originally a singular deli, Zingerman's has since expanded into what he terms a "community of businesses", including a bakehouse, coffee company, creamery, and candy manufactory, among others. As of July 2024, Zingerman’s Community of Businesses encompasses 11 separate entities, employs over 750 people, and generates over $80 million in annual revenue. Weinzweig is a writer and literature collector, having authored several books, business pamphlets, and contributions to Zingerman’s newsletters and blogs. His "Zingerman's Guide to Good Leading" series explores his personal approach to business management and leadership. Several of his published works explore business principles from the lens of Anarchist philosophy.

Awards and recognition

* 1995: Recipient of the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County’s first Humanitarian Award. * 2006: Winner of the "Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America" award by the

James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation is an American non-profit culinary arts organization based in New York City. It was named after James Beard, a food writer, teacher, and cookbook author. Its programs include guest-chef dinners to scholarships for asp ...

. * 2007: Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from

Bon Appetit Bon or Bön (), also known as Yungdrung Bon (, ), is the indigenous Tibetan religion which shares many similarities and influences with Tibetan Buddhism.Samuel 2012, pp. 220–221. It initially developed in the tenth and eleventh centuries but ...

magazine. * 2014: Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Cheese Society. * 2017: Named in Inc. Magazine’s article "The World's 10 Top CEOs (They Lead in a Totally Unique Way)".

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American restaurateurs {{improve categories, date=August 2024