We’re thrilled to share the news that we’ll be sending Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading, Part 2: A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Being a Better Leader to our local printer this week!

Part 2 in the Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading series continues on sharing the “secrets” that have helped take Zingerman’s from a 25 seat, 4 person start up to a nationally known, $40,000,000  organization employing over 500 people.

While Part 1 looked at the “secrets” behind Building a Great Business, Part 2 will look at the leadership style that has helped make Zingerman’s such a special place to work and to eat. The book includes “Secrets #19-29″ of the Zingerman’s Experience, including essays on the energy crisis in the American workplace, servant leadership, stewardship, why everyone’s a leader, Zingerman’s entrepreneurial approach to management, and Ari’s approach to Anarcho-Capitalism. While everything in the book draws on what Ari and others have learned and live at Zingerman’s, it’s all totally applicable to organizations of all sizes and scopes—it is, as Ari says in the introduction, leading towards a new way to work.

In honor of Ari’s visit, the dinner will be centered around bacon, but as always, they welcome vegetarians to share the evening as well. Each guest will also receive a copy of Ari’s book.

Chef Tory has designed a multi-course menu for the evening. Follow this link to the Special Dinner to read more about the fun! Hope to see you there!

Ari will speak about the 12 Natural Laws of Business, and his thoughts on why operating in violation of them has created an energy crisis in the American workplace. His approaches are applicable whether you’re running a law office, a library, a restaurant, a record label, a software firm, or an organic farm – they are the behind-the-scenes “secret” stuff that goes into making a very special, sustainable business of any kind.  On a less serious note, Ari’s previous book, Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon, gets into the story of America’s favorite meat; its history, what makes better bacon better, tales of bacon makers around the country, chocolate gravy, and other enticing tales of pork bellies. Come on over and say hello!

Bookshop Santa Cruz has been voted “Best Bookstore” in Santa Cruz County for more than 15 consecutive years. If you’re in the area, stop in and say hello! Among their exceptional collection, they have made room on their shelves for Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon and A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Building a Great Business. Read more about them here! Have some fun and look around. They’ve got a great new book blog as well. Happy reading!

This Tuesday, April 12th, the folks at The Glass Onion are cancelling their regularly-scheduled Fried Chicken night for one night only. What are they up to instead? A Bacon Tasting Dinner with Ari! The dinner includes 3 courses and a signed copy of Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon. Here’s a peak at the menu: Crispy Braised Benton Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Salad, Local Clams and Shrimp with Virginia Pancetta, and Crispy Braised Pork Belly with Spring Vegetables. C’mon by and say Hi!

THE DATES

Thursday, June 30th, 2011 – Special dinner at Zingerman’s Roadhouse with James Beard nominated Chef Andrea Reusing from Lantern Restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC

Friday, July 1st, 2011 – A musical event, most likely at the Ark. We’re figuring out the details. We’ll post regular updates on Facebook and here.

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 – Camp day! Day Camp! Yaay

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011 – Bacon Street Fair

Want to stay up to date with plans as they develop? Jump on over to the Camp Bacon site and join the mailing list!

A hatful of thank yous for a great event to 18 Reasons and Bi-Rite.  Thanks in particular to Rosie for being willing to share her thoughts that night and for letting us share them here!

Intro: January 17^th, 2011

18 Reasons class with Ari Weinzweig

Crash Course:  The Energy Crisis in the American Workplace – Why Sustainable Business is the Way to Go

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr Day! I say that earnestly and with intention, not superficially – just another series of words that should roll of the tongue, so it does.  I bring up today’s holiday because tonight’s event with Ari Weinzweig, for me, evokes one of the fundamental tenets of Dr. King’s life work: how we treat our fellow man.

Tonight’s class, and Ari’s new book “Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading Part #1 – A Lapsed Anarchists Approach to Building a Great Business”, are about, when it gets down to it, corporate and food sustainability.  Sustainability is a bit of a trendy word right now. Like organic five years ago, sustainability pops up in almost every food conversation.  And, not surprisingly, the court is still out on what exactly it means to live a sustainable life and have a sustainable food system.  “Must I eat food only grown within a certain distance?” “Should I use wind power, solar energy, or bio char?” “If I live east of the Mississippi, should I only drink wine from Europe, but if I live west of the Mississippi, am I limited to California, Orgeon and Washington?” (if so, I live on the wrong freakin’ side of the Mississippi). And, getting closer to tonight’s topic: “How should I treat my employees?” I want to elaborate on that point – the treatment of workers is fundamental to the sustainable food movement.  Fair pay, health insurance, vacation days, paternity and maternity leave – all of these can pretty easily be argued as necessities in any workplace labeled as “sustainable.”

However, do you notice – health insurance, fair wages, maternity leave: these are still all “things,” quantitative just like the number of miles your food travels before it gets in your mouth.  And, all of these quantifiable things are still somewhat malleable. Like any business decision, there is room for negotiation.

There is one aspect of sustainability, however, that I think is immutable, so fundamental to the term and the lifestyle the term engenders that if we get it wrong, then we might as well have built castles out of sand. It is not a thing, or measurable only by numbers.  It the same aspect of Mr. King’s work that I find inspiring – how we treat one another.

We must make treating each other well a priority. Yes, that includes health insurance, but it also includes genuine concern for more ephemeral aspects of life – how someone’s day is going; how a work environment affects a person; that they are fed well, well-trained, empowered, and nourished.

Generosity, grace, gratitude – these are qualities that any sustainable business must engender – in its employees, in its mission statement, in its guests, in its vendors.  What is great about this, is that we have control over those things. Weather, policy, and lobbyists – we cannot control them so easily. But we can control how we act towards one another. And in reading Ari’s book I learned about a man and a business that infuses, intentionally, their culture with kindness towards and concern for people.

I also appreciate how pragmatic Ari is and how honest. He, too, rolled his eyes when first asked to do “touch-feely” business exercises, but he was strong enough and open minded enough to see that when something is genuine, then it simply cannot be touchy feely. It is just good.

Look, I am from Boston.  We’re a little tougher on the east coast. We don’t say “hellah rad, dude”, for christ’s sake, we say “wicked pissah”.  I cringe at the touchy-feely, mostly because I don’t often find it sincere.  However, in Ari’s book, at Bi-Rite, and I am sure at Zingerman’s, the wisdom of putting people first is evident. The proof is in the pudding, and in the numbers – two metaphors that are applicable with this audience.

Ari – it is a pleasure to welcome someone so thoroughly invested in creating a better world and proving that the health of a business and the people it touches can not only co-exist but are the same thing.

We have a lot of work in front of us to enact the change necessary in order for us all to work in environments that inspire us to be our best selves.  Here is a quotation from Dr. King that notes the tenor and size of that change. There is a lot of work yet to be done, but  I think that if we  listen to Dr. King, and keep his words in our hearts while we follow Ari’s great business advice,  we may at least be on the right track when we go to work everyday:

Dr. King said:

“Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”

Well, I had the fixings. There was Zingerman’s Bakehouse White on the counter, 2-year Grafton Cheddar in the fridge, some great Harnois Farms local eggs I’d just picked up, and… bacon. Bacon? Well, it’s not in the recipe for the Cheddar Dream Sandwich, but why not add some bacon to the fun and fry the sandwich in bacon fat instead of butter?! Why not indeed.

Cheddar (Bacon!) Dream Sandwich

4 strips bacon (I used Nueske’s applewood-smoked bacon)

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons whole milk or cream

Pinch fine sea salt

4 slices Challah bread (I used Zingerman’s Rustic Italian)

4 ounces Grafton Cheddar, grated

1/4 cup maple syrup

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.

Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, milk and salt.

When the bacon is done to your liking, remove it from the pan, leaving the bacon fat. If you like your bacon a little on the crispy side, leave it in the pan while you’re frying the bread.

Dip a side of 2 of the bread slices into the batter and place batter-side-down in the skillet. Top each with half of the cheese. Dip one side of the remaining 2 slices in the batter and place atop each sandwich, batter-side-up. When the bottom slices are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, carefully flip the sandwiches over, using a spatula. Cook until the second side of each sandwich is golden brown, another 2 to 3 minutes, and remove from the skillet to a warm plate. You can put 2 strips of the bacon right inside each sandwich or service it on the side. Top with a generous drizzle of maple syrup.

Serves 2