Cool Jobs: Reina Leber, Zingerman's Buyer

If you walk the streets of downtown Ann Arbor long enough, it is inevitable that you will be stopped by a driver who is lost. Chances are, he or she will ask you, "Where is Zingerman's?" 

 

And like any "townie," you know exactly how to get to Zingerman's. You probably also know that the house that Paul and Ari built draws visitors from all over the world, has repeatedly refused to franchise itself, and has won award after award for its products. But like that lost driver, these foods and drinks must find their way to the deli on the corner of Detroit & Kingsley. And that is where Reina Leber comes in.

 

Reina is the Zingerman's Next Door Manager but more importantly (for the purposes of our story) a buyer. 

 

Originally from Howell, she went to school with the goal of becoming a police officer while working at Zingerman's to pay the bills. Over time she was promoted, from cashier to shift supervisor to deli supervisor. As graduation neared Reina realized that not only was she already on a career path at Zingerman's, but the salary would be significantly higher than that of an entry-level cop.

 

So, now, instead of walking a beat, Reina keeps Zingerman's stocked with goods from both near and far. Every year, she attends culinary events like the Fancy Food Show, an industry trade show for specialty food and beverage products. Businesses scout out exciting new items while meeting with distributors and producers. 

 

Reina also keeps tabs on the food blogs, in search of the best of what is local. She prides herself on the symbiotic relationship she's developed with Michigan vendors - sometimes they come to her, sometimes she goes to them. Many can be found at any one of the Ann Arbor area’s many local farmers’ markets. 

 

When it comes to faves, Reina says that Dexter-based Mindo chocolate makers have won over  both staff and customers as fans. The small batch hot chocolate from Mindo is one of Zingerman’s top sellers (Mindo processes cocoa beans at a location in Ecuador and then roasts them in a local facility). 

 

Concentrate chatted with Reina about her delicious  job and the process of how the best food on earth gets to Zingerman's deli. And, eventually, into our bellies. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

 

Most of the time (the fact that our guests are big time foodies) works to our advantage. It allows us to use better ingredients items produced locally by artisans. At the same time, we directly import some foods from parts of the world known for producing the best products--like pistachio items from Sicily. All of these types of products cost more and our guests understand that.  

 

Really the biggest challenge I encounter is requests for "trends" that involve health claims (such as raw cacao, anti-oxidants, certified GMO free). I think the biggest reason this is a challenge is because we strive to offer traditionally made food and we are driven by flavor and not trends. So if a particular "trendy" product doesn’t knock the socks off in the flavor department, then we don’t buy it.

 

When choosing products taste is always first! Then we look at a mix of factors such as packaging, the stories behind the products, local availability, and – lastly - cost. 

 

We actually look to pay what we call a "thrivable wage"—that is, something above just living and that gives our employees an opportunity to save for the future and buy a house, invest, and so on. We want employees to build for their future and believe that this is the first step to building a path towards having a career at Zingerman's.

 

I’ve been reading people say that if the cost of labor increases, so will prices. But the fact is that if your costs are out of control, labor is likely not the thing that has gone wrong. We choose to be efficient with our labor and that is how we control labor costs. We train the staff well, help them decide if this is the right place for them. We don’t ever want to pass our inefficiencies on to our guests so if there is anything we can do to control costs (changing how we purchase things, making purchases more effective) then we are going to do that before we even think about raising prices. 

 

Ha! More than I care to admit. Luckily we focus on conveying to the guest what makes the product special and the story behind it. Another advantage is that we encourage our guests to taste before they buy. Right now one of my favorite products is a little jar of olive shaped marzipan with pistachio in a really nice olive oil from Sicily. It is not an easy sell right off the bat but it tastes really great!

 

For sure the Zzang hand made products from Zingerman's Candy Manufactory. Charley Frank was a seasoned pastry chef when he began working at the Bakehouse. Inspired by the hand-made candy bars from the 1920s, he started the making candy bars several years ago. If you have ever wondered what it would be like if someone made a Snickers bar with all the best ingredients--even down to the best Virginia peanuts--you should try our Original Zzang bar. (Author’s note: I have attended a candy comparison class and you will never eat a mass produced candy bar again after trying the Zzang bars).

 

There are a lot of start-up chocolatiers around and we get to sample some amazing chocolate. One of my personal favorites is from Springfield, Missouri called Askinosie Chocolate. Shawn Askinoie was a criminal defense attorney before becoming a chocolatier. His passion for his chocolate is obvious - he goes to the farmers, to the countries where the beans are grown. Who he is as a person is a huge bonus - he helps out local shelters, local nonprofits. And his chocolate is amazing! We brought him in as a guest and got to sample his chocolates and introduce him to our guests in a small group setting.

 

This relationship led to a collaboration bar called El Rustico. We decided to chop up whole vanilla beans and sprinkle them on top as a nod to the first people who consumed cacoa. Back then, they would add whatever they had on hand, including vanilla beans. This bar gives you amazing chocolate plus the floral and fruity flavors from the vanilla beans. 

 

We are super excited to be hosting a Chocolate and Bourbon Cocktail hour on Valentine’s Day. This will be our first tasting with this particular format and I think the one hour length and combo of some sweets and a drink before or after dinner will be a nice activity. 

 

Some people grew up here and appreciate our products. Others come from other places but have memories of certain types of food. For instance, someone at the university might have spent a summer in Italy and then they come in and see that we have the same pasta and meat that they had while abroad. People bring their food memories with them. We’ve stuck with the original philosophy of having hidden gems from around the world and from around the corner. 

 

I think that my ability to have a career in this town doing what I do says that the people in Ann Arbor care about food and people. They value my passion for learning and working hard; they value me as a person and not just my credentials. Most of all our community seems to value great food. We gather all the little gems out there: big producers and small, both local and overseas. I think that is what our guests appreciate. What we give Ann Arbor and the surrounding areas goes beyond food: we give back to the community.