You sit down for dinner, surrounded by family as the dog laps your toes beneath the table, hopeful for left-overs. You dig into tonight’s masterpiece — arroz con pollo or maybe spicy potato parmesan soup — only to realize, as you nip at another spoonful, that an ingredient is missing. It needs a little something. Then, it will be perfect.
At 826michigan, that something is community.
The camaraderie of community is an essential ingredient in what we do here at 826michigan. Without the consistent support of our community members across Southeast Michigan, 826michigan is without the talent, passion, and dedication that makes our students’ and volunteers’ experiences meaningful — or tasty, as showcased by Enjoy! Recipes for Building Community. To be released June 5, Enjoy! is a collection of recipes and narratives shared by multi-lingual Ypsilanti high-school students and the contributions of notable chefs with Michigan roots. Our Enjoy! chefs not only share 826michigan’s hope to unite our local, diverse communities and cultures through food; they are our community. For inviting us into their kitchens through their Enjoy! recipes and contributions, we are excited to thank and celebrate the following chefs of Enjoy! Recipes for Building Community as 826michigan’s June Supporters of the Month:
Ari Weinzweig, founding partner & co-owner of Zingerman’s, and author of the Enjoy! Recipes for Building Community foreword
Eve Aronoff, chef and owner of Frita Batidos
Brad Greenhill, chef and owner of Righteous Rojo
Bee Roll, owner of beezy’s
Sava Lelcaj, owner of Sava’s, Babo, and Aventura
Joel Panozzo & Phills Engelbert, co-owners and founders of The Lunch Room
Sylvia Nolasco-Rivers, owner and founder of Pilar’s Tamales
Ben Newman, co-founder of the Detroit Institute of Bagels
Ali Ramwali, owner of Jerusalem Garden
Mario Batali, award-winning chef and restaurateur
Miyoko Honma, owner of Café Japon
Noah Goldsmith, founder and owner of The Wafel Shop
Frank Fejeran, Executive Chef at The Ravens Club
Anne Elder, head farmer at Community Farm of Ann Arbor
826michigan will release Enjoy! Recipes for Building Community on June 5 with a party at Ypsilanti Community High School for the newly-published authors and their families.
We hope you will bring home a copy of Enjoy! to your own family. The publication retails for $15 and will be available at the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair as well as at Downtown Home and Garden, Literati Bookstore, beezy’s cafe, and The Eyrie. Proceeds benefit 826michigan and our free creative writing and tutoring programs for 2,700 youth aged 6-18 in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and Detroit. We are grateful to Thomson-Shore and Zingerman’s for their generous support of this project.