The idea for Zingerman’s Delicatessen originated in the minds of Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw, two friends who bonded over the idea of opening their own deli serving the Jewish food of their childhoods. In 1982, their dream became a reality when they opened Zingerman’s in the university town of Ann Arbor. According to co-founder Ari Weinzweig, they made up the name Zingerman’s by searching through the Yellow Pages to find a Jewish name. With the diversity of Ann Arbor’s community, Zingerman’s found a ready clientele for its high quality traditional Jewish and Mediterranean foods, cheeses, breads, salamis, and sandwiches.
