FHC: Ann Arbor

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About
Food Heritage Communities

Everyone eats, and, in the old days, most everyone farmed. So all villages, towns and cities have their own food histories and along with that, sites associated with food or agriculture. While France, unique among nations, has over 100 actual museums dedicated to food, many places on the planet have none--and yet their food history, as well as their current commitment to awareness of good, fresh food, is rich and varied. Food Heritage Communities are those places with historic sites and traditions, as well as newer institutions making food history now by promoting and celebrating the best of food. ( Incidentally, many food sites lie quietly awaiting discovery--most locales have not delved much into their food past--that's changing, of course, and we at The FOOD Museum are supporting and encouraging such endeavors wherever we find them. We think that the preservation of food history is a vital part of any community's story. )

We welcome your suggestions in identifying communities with food historic sites, and in locating the people dedicated to preserving their area's food stories.

Food Heritage Communities Series

Ann Arbor
Michigan, USA

Images clockwise from top left: Ann Arbor Farmers' Market book of recipes and stories; Ann Arbor landmarks poster; Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating; Domino's Pizza logo; Jan and Dan Longone, culinary historians and collectors; historic Cobblestone Farm.

Ann Arbor, an historic milling and agricultural implements manufacturing center and hub for a rich farm and orchard region, is high on our list of food heritage communities. Ann Arbor has America's largest football stadium, but also ranks as the nation's biggest bookseller per capita. It's where corporate giants Border's Books and Domino's Pizza got started and still make their headquarters. Ann Arbor is also the home of "the coolest small company in America, the community of food companies called Zingerman's. The Ann Arbor Farmers' Market is the place to sell and buy quality, local products. Its vendor loyalty is unprecedented. Some have been showing up every week for 27 years. University of Michigan's Clements Library is the home of one of the globe's greatest culinary archives, the lifetime achievement of Ann Arborites Jan and Dan Longone. And the beginnings of this town's food heritage story is told at Cobblestone Farm and Museum.

Ann Arbor was founded in January 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey, both of whom were land speculators with wives named "Ann." The regional Native Americans named the settlement Kaw-goosh-kaw-nick, after the sound of Allen's grist mill.

The increasing number of new settlers began to produce log cabins for their living quarters. The building of a log cabin for a newly arrived family was a community event. Until the home was finished, the family was forced to sleep in their wagon or on the ground. All the surrounding pioneers were summoned to bring their axes and oxen to assist in the rigorous process.

Along with the physical challenge of starting a new village also came other influencing factors such as poor diet and mosquitoes. A meal of potatoes and bread was common. Meat was a scarce commodity (Van Der Werker 5-15) Not only did the pioneers have to deal with cold, wet weather, times were harsh and food was scarce. (source)

Ann Arbor is located on the Huron River, a region known for its farms and orchards. The city and neighboring Ypsilanti were once important flour milling and farm implement manufacturing centers.

From personal papers donated by the Thompson family to the Ypsilanti Historical Society,
this small photograph was an advertisement for one of the many varieties of agricultural implements
manufactured in Depot Town’s “Thompson Block” from the late 19th to the early 20th century.
(source: Maproom Systems)

Here is Ann Arbor's history website. While it contains detailed accounts of all things Ann Arbor arranged by decades, unfortunately the website contains little or no mention of the city or region's agricultural or food past. The history of Ann Arbor's Native American foodways, as well as its farms, farm products, agricultural implements manufacturers, restaurants, markets, food processors, local specialties, recipes, food traditions and foodways is yet to be adequately explored.

Ann Arbor Farmers' Market

The nicknames of the vendors at the Ann Arbor Farmers' Market -- Honey Man, Egg Lady, Apple Man, Berry Lady -- sound like a corps of nutritional superheroes, and in many ways they are.

This battalion of family farmers brings locally grown, mostly organic, seasonal fruits and vegetables to 315 Detroit Street at least once a week all year long -- produce perfect for the health conscious Ann Arborite. "You are buying it from the person who grew it -- it can't get any fresher than that," says Market Manager Louise Mikesell-Wireman. "In fact, we had one gentleman come down with a pick-up truck full of sweet corn. He told me that he had went into the field that morning to pick them, and I knew he was telling the truth because he still had bits of cornstalk stuck in his grill."

Beyond the freshness of produce, the market has other advantages over large retail grocery stores. "You can get new recipes and you are allowed to try things here," Mikesell-Wireman says. "Sometimes you go to a grocery store and see something like a rutabaga, which you want to try, but don't want to spend the 79 cents to see if you like it. Here you can sample. One farmer brings edible soybeans you can try. Another cuts up rutabaga so you can sample it before buying."

But don't think that the market only sells do-it-yourself recipe ingredients, non-Betty Crockers can buy pre-made jams and jellies and baked goods, while those more interested in growing greens than eating them can purchase bulbs, seedlings and more mature plants. The market also features artisans selling everything from homemade hats and mittens to jewelry and bookshelves. "Come back week after week and you'll always find something different," says vendor and resident Plant Lady Kathy Melmoth. Not a bad idea. (Source)

The Ann Arbor Farmers' Market, 315 Detroit Street, is open Wednesday & Saturday 7am-3pm (May-December); Saturday 8am-3pm (January-April). For more information call 994-3276.

Colleen and John Savanna of Mill Pond Bread have been selling their fresh baked goods
at Ann Arbor's Farmers' Market for 27 years.

A selection of Mill Pond Bread's artisanal baked offerings, each loaf blending whole ingredients into art.
Baker John Savanna's marathon efforts culminate in weekly all-nighters on the
eve of market day. The exhausted baker can be spotted asleep in the van while his wife and others
serve their grateful customers.

Cobblestone Farm & Museum

Cobblestone Farm & Museum website describes the mission and history of the property:

"Discover early Ann Arbor settler life and a 100 year-old log cabin of this living history museum within a pioneer Michigan farm house. Restored to reflect its mid-19th century appearance, the museum provides a view of past rural life in Washtenaw County. Pioneer Living Program. Guided drop-in tours are available Fridays and Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day."

"The Ticknor-Campbell House was originally the home of Dr. Benajah Ticknor, a surgeon with the United States Navy and an avid diarist. A native from Connecticut, he spent early adulthood in Ohio’s Western Reserve practicing medicine. There he also met and married his wife, Getia Bostwick, a school teacher. The quickly developing Michigan Territory offered affordable property which prompted Ticknor to settle here. His brother, Heman, a farmer in Pittstown, New York, also interested in this area, brought his family to Washtenaw county in 1835.

Acting on his brother’s behalf, Heman purchased 183 acres in Pittsfield Township that included a small frame house, barn and orchard for $1,500. Heman, his wife Eliza, father-in-law, and their six children crowded into primitive quarters until the cobblestone house was completed in 1844.

In addition to becoming a political leader in Washtenaw County, Heman oversaw a successful farmstead which produced cereal grains, corn, hay, livestock, wool, butter, cheese and honey, valued at $10,000 by 1850.

Horace Booth purchased the farm in 1860 from Ticknor’s widow. In keeping with nineteenth century custom, Horace passed the farm to his son, Nelson, wife Sophia, and their son Walter.

Throughout their tenure, the Booths greatly enhanced the property. By 1880, the farm consisted of some 400 acres extending as far east as Platt Road. Nelson’s interests in horticulture were evidenced by his nursery and addition of 15 acres to the Ticknor apple orchard. He was also a fancier of thoroughbred racing horses and constructed a basement barn to house them.

While remaining the focal point, the 30-year-old cobblestone farmhouse underwent renovations that exhibited Booth’s grand vision. A circular carriage drive flanked by sugar maples trees was created in the front yard. Complementing the new Italianate style porch, they installed a two-tiered iron fountain which drew water from a nearby spring. The Booths left the farmstead in 1880, leading to another chapter of its story.

William Campbell, a Scottish immigrant who had taught school and ran a farmer’s cooperative story in Ypsilanti, purchased the farm in 1881. Gaining renown for his purebred Durham cattle and sheep, he implemented a system of crop rotation and greatly extended the apple orchard west of the house. Three generations of Campbells worked the 225 acre farm and kept the house essentially unchanged for 91 years.

Never fully recovering from a disastrous fire which gutted the farm outbuildings in 1924, son Clair Campbell’s heirs sold much f the farmland for postwar housing developments. The Joseph Buhr family bought 39 acres north and east of the house and gave it to the City of Ann Arbor for a park in 1955. Siblings George and Mary Campbell sold the farmhouse and last 4 1/2 acre parcel to the City of Ann Arbor in 1972. Throughout the years they have been instrumental in providing both artifacts and oral histories that enrich the site."

Here is a walking tour of the property.

Domino's Pizza

Domino's logo and a photo of founder Tom Monaghan, possibly in the original Ypsilanti location, circa 1960's.

Domino's Pizza, Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) (LSE: DOM) is an international pizza delivery corporation headquartered just outside Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Tom Monaghan in 1960. As of 2006, it had 8,000 corporate and franchised stores in more than 54 countries. It was the second-largest pizza chain in the United States when it went public in 2004, with total sales exceeding US$4.6 billion.

Domino’s Pizza began in 1960 when Tom Monaghan and his brother James bought "Dominick's Pizza", a small pizzeria in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The deal was secured by a $75 down payment and the brothers borrowed $500 to pay for the store. Eight months later, James quit the partnership and traded his half of the business to Tom for a used Volkswagen Beetle. With Tom as the sole owner of the company, Dominick's Pizza became Domino’s Pizza. In 1968, a fire destroyed the company headquarters and commissary. Although Domino’s faced numerous other obstacles in the following years, including a 1975 trademark-infringement lawsuit by Amstar, maker of Domino sugar,[1] the company expanded, and in 1978, the 200th Domino’s franchise opened. In the 1980s, Domino’s decentralized its operations by opening the first international Domino’s in Winnipeg, Canada. In the following years the company expanded even more, and as of September 2006, it has 8,238 stores which totaled US$1.4 billion in net income.[2] Monaghan retired in 1998, but retained a 27 percent non-controlling stake in the company.

The three dots on a Domino’s Pizza box represent the first three Domino’s stores. Monaghan had planned to add another dot for each new restaurant that opened, but given the rapid rate at which Domino’s opened new stores, that quickly became impractical. (source: Wikipedia)

Drake's Sandwich Shop

Photo source: Pictorial History of Ann Arbor

Drake's Sandwich Shop is a bygone Ann Arbor landmark eatery. Here's the recollection of a former customer:

Drake's had been in existence since the 1920's. On the walls of the shop there were pictures of people, some of them quite notable, who had visited or eaten there. JFK had his picture taken with the owner, Mr.Tibbles, in 1960 after his speech initiating the Peace Corps at the University of Michigan.

During the late 60's to early 70's, some of the customers would be John Sinclair, Iggy Pop and the Prime Movers (pre-Stooges), the MC5, and Bob Seger. It was rumored that Nico was spotted at Drake's while she was in Ann Arbor living at Iggy's Fun House but I don't know.

I started hanging out at Drake's during the 1980's as a teenager. At that time it was a popular spot for college students, townies, and punk rock kids. Drake's was part of the young and hip "Ann Arbor Scene"- yes there really was a scene at one time. That was the time of my "Grace Jones Look."

Drake's was really special part of Ann Arbor life. Unfortunately, Mr. Tibbles retired and his children wanted nothing to do with the shop so they put it on the market and sold it. The shareholders of the City of Ann Arbor did absolutely nothing to stop it and in fact encouraged it. They were and still are an exclusive group of White wealthy new-age ex-hippies and expatriated suburbanites with no taste, culture or respect for Ann Arbor's urban history. For them, Drake's was only a haven for a subculture they couldn't understand and who had no spending power. So the arrogant Philistines spat in our faces with a Bruegger's Bagel franchise." (source)

"Alums who graduated before the early '90s will remember pecan rolls and sandwiches at Drake's, the legendary sandwich shop that faced the Diag. Drake's closed in 1993. Other eating institutions, such as the Pretzel Bell, arealso gone. In their place, a number of chain restaurants have moved in, but so have food joints that cater to today's palates: sushi bars, falafel stands, and organic pizza." (source)

Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive

The website of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive at the William L. Clements Library on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor describes its mission and history:

"The Longone Center for American Culinary Research is an outstanding resource with distinctive and important features. It is increasingly recognized as a premier collection for the study of culinary Americana. The Center consists of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive augmented by the rich Americana holdings of the Clements Library, catalogued for their culinary content."

Shaped by the donation of a library organized over a forty-year period by Janice and Daniel Longone, the Center possesses a coherent collection intended to define the American culinary experience.

Samples from the Longone Culinary Archives collections.

The Cooking Club magazine
March, 1902

De Voe, Thomas F. The Market Assistant...
Every Article of Human Food
Sold in the Public Markets of...
New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Brooklyn.
New York: Hurd & Houghton, 1867.

A Short History of the Banana.
United Fruit Co., Boston, 1904

Southern California Citrus Fair, 1886.
Detail of chromolithograph.
Kurz & Allison, Chicago, 1886

The Archive is notable for containing not only most of the essential “high spots” in the field, but strong holdings for related areas of interdisciplinary study including:

• Homemaking, decorum, and etiquette
• Immigrant and ethnic voices
• Children’s cookery
• Regional foodways
• The cooking school movement
• The “great ladies” of 19th century
American cookery
• Health, diet, and vegetarianism
• Bakers and baking
• Food and the media • Charitable cookbooks
• Appliances and equipment
• Chefs, restaurants, hotels, and menus
• Industrialization of food production
• The history of food advertising
• War cookery—at home and at the front
• Beverages including wine, beer, spirits,
coffee, tea, and chocolate
• Markets and grocers
• Food and the arts

About Jan & Dan Longone, culinary historians and collectors

Jan and Dan Longone at one of their favorite Ann Arbor food establishments, Zingerman's Deli.

Jan Longone writes: "We have spent the greater part of our adult lives collecting books and other printed material we judged significant to defining an American culinary history. Because of the unusual depth and breadth of the collection, it would be virtually impossible to duplicate today. We felt it would be a disservice to scatter it through auction or catalog, especially when universities are beginning to appreciate culinary history as a valued intellectual discipline. Fortunately, the Clements Library and the University of Michigan, with their commitment to raising an endowment for a permanent, full-time curator of American culinary history, are in the forefront in this view.

"The symbiotic relationship of the donated culinary material and the Clements' other holdings was an additional spur, as was the support of the staff at Clements and a dedicated core of volunteers willing to help organize and catalog so that future researchers might help us understand America's culinary legacy. Thus, the decision to donate to the Clements was an easy one."

Jan (Janice Bluestein) Longone is Curator of American Culinary History at the William Clements Library at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She is the proprietor of the Wine and Food Library, the oldest culinary antiquarian bookshop in America and founder and honorary chair of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor.

In addition to her curatorial duties and her book business, she is a writer, lecturer, teacher, consultant and radio commentator in the general field of gastronomy. She has worked extensively on culinary history exhibitions and collection development.

Dan Longone is Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan; Founder of the Ann Arbor Wine and Food Society; co-founder of the Wine and Food Library and the Longone Center and Archive; and a nationally sought-after lecturer on the cultural history of wine.

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