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Posted on Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 2:56 p.m.

Zingerman's Roadhouse chef expands farm with purchase of land adjacent to Jenny's Market

By Cindy Heflin

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Chef Alex Young plans to renovate the house and barn on the land he recently purchased adjacent to his Cornman Farms property west of Dexter.

Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com

Zingerman’s Roadhouse chef Alex Young is expanding his Cornman Farms operation near Dexter with the purchase of adjacent land just west of Jenny’s Farm Market.

Young plans to expand his current farming operations to the site, and he is renovating a barn on the property that he hopes to rent it out for events. He also plans to renovate a farmhouse on the property, west of the Island Lake and Dexter Pinckney roads intersection, but is not yet sure how he’ll use it. It might host events or even serve as a teaching kitchen.

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Construction equipment sits near a barn on the property recently purchased by Zingerman's Roadhouse chef Alex Young.

Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com

Young frequently hosts school tours at Cornman Farms, and he plans to install gardens at the front of the new site that will make it easier to show groups his growing operations. The farm produces many different kinds of vegetables as well as pork and beef for use at the Roadhouse.

Cornman Farms, which Young owns along with Zingerman’s Delicatessen founders Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig, purchased the property from the estate of Frances Hoey, whose son, Burton Hoey, is the proprietor of Jenny’s Farm Market to the east.

Young said he’s had his eye on the property for about three years and is glad to add it to his holdings. “It’s just a beautiful old farm,” he said.

The addition of the 27 acres brings his total holdings there to about 47 acres. He said his wife’s great-great-great grandfather Joseph Arnold purchased the original Cornman Farms, where he lives, in 1825.

Information from Webster Township indicates Cornman Farms bought the property for $475,000. Its most recent assessed value was $159,300.

Most of the food produced at Cornman Farms will continue to go to the Roadhouse even with the expansion, although Young does plan to begin providing goats’ milk for the creamery to make cheese. Zingerman’s Bakehouse already is using roasted peppers from his farm for one of its breads.

Young enjoys educating people, especially children about food, and is excited about using the new property to further those efforts.

“As a chef and more recently a farmer, I think it’s a nice way to give back to the community,” he said. “A lot of people don’t have an opportunity to talk about where food comes from. … Food doesn’t come in a box. It’s growing.”

Comments

Peggy Lampman

Mon, Jul 23, 2012 : 1:04 p.m.

What a fabulous home! So delighted it will be returned to its former glory by such a talented man and his family. Local ingredients do come at a steeper price many of us are willing to pay; a price that includes healthier eating and keeping our areas green space green.

lindor

Sun, Jul 22, 2012 : 12:34 p.m.

@sigdiamond - Re: why do people think the Roadhouse is overpriced, because it is not West End Grill, Logan, Chop House, etc... There is no way there are a dozen other restaurants in AA where you'd spend more on a dinner for two. @Epengar - The prices actually reflect nothing more than the high markup. $14 for mac and cheese... Really? You can buy the same imported pasta from Babo market downtown for about $5-$7 and that will feed at least 4 people. I can only imagine how low the food cost is on the cheese since the Creamery makes it.

Goofus

Sat, Jul 21, 2012 : 6:02 a.m.

I find it hilariously ironic that one of the local maestros of asking patrons to pay too much for food....paid too much for property.

KateT

Sun, Mar 17, 2013 : 2:25 p.m.

I was thinking that they paid too, much, too, but we could look at it that they were generous with their money because they can afford to pay. If they paid far less for the property, people would be complaining that it was the "big guy" stealing from the "little guy".

Arboriginal

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 1:24 p.m.

This is a beautiful thang!

bunnyabbot

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 12:39 p.m.

I am so sick of hearing everything Zingermans. totally overrated. deli-sandwich quality has gone down, a whole sandwich now looks like an old half sandwich, the last two times we ordered there were mistakes, like we got the wrong sandwiches prices have gone up bakehouse-the bread is too expensive the roadhouse-went once, did not impress. too loud hostesses were not good waitress sucked food did not impress, infact I didn't even finish my food b/c it was subpar, I didn't hold back my critique of it and the server quickly brought over a gift certificate for my "next" visit. there is a lot of places in town to eat, I won't be going back to the Roadhouse again, for sure

Madeleine Borthwick

Sat, Jul 21, 2012 : 8:37 p.m.

hey, don't let the door hit you on the B***

eone

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 10:43 a.m.

so why is this a lead story? Is this the only farm in Washtenaw county that grows food? What's so important about being a chef/farmer? how about a farmer/farmer?

dougfair

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 12:18 p.m.

It's probably the lead story because this farm has been for sale for YEARS! Maybe the price finally got low enough. You know -- buy low, sell high.

Laura Jones

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 3:47 a.m.

This sounds very good for Dexter!

Barbara Clarke

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 2:40 a.m.

I agree that the Roadhouse is overpriced. However, the more annoying aspect is that it is very noisy . . . when busy (which is most of the time), it is hard to have a "normal" conversation at the restaurant. The other odd practice I noticed many months ago: they serve Eggs Benedict on bread . . . they don't have English Muffins available. One would have to bring their own English Muffins!

Benjamin Doc

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 2:05 a.m.

The Roadhouse is the ONLY restaurant in Ann Arbor that CONSISTENTLY has as a 30 minute (sometimes 1 hr) wait for a table at 7pm on any random weekday. Pacific Rim, Earle, West End Grill ... all great places, but honestly they are all relatively empty during the week (any decent place can fill its tables on Saturday night). Prices too high at the Roadhouse? It appears that more than a few patrons strongly disagree. It turns out that people will, in fact, pay good money for solid, delicious, decidedly un-fancy food in a refreshingly casual and unpretentious, louder, kid-friendly atmosphere. This undeniable fact has driven the success of the Roadhouse and has allowed Zingerman's to expand the Dexter Farm. It appears that hundreds if not thousands of Ann Arbor residents will pay $17 for mac 'n cheese and will buy it again and again and again and again. Maybe free markets really do function well sometimes.

lindor

Sun, Jul 22, 2012 : 12:40 p.m.

There's a place downtown/campus, twice maybe three times the size of Roadhouse that consistently has an hour wait, better food, and cheaper prices. Agree with you on the rest though... Although I'm not a fan of their food, if it works for Roadhouse (although I do think they are overpriced too), who cares.

A2Westsider

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 3:16 p.m.

Nobody should have to pay for food at Applebee's.

OLDTIMER3

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 12:23 p.m.

Recently when we had to wait about 30 minutes to get served at APPLEBYS on Carpenter Rd they wouldn't let me pay for my dinner.And I have never had a bad meal there and a whole lot lower prices than Zingermans.

Vivienne Armentrout

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 1:28 a.m.

I visited Alex's farm when he was just getting started with it. It was inspiring then and it is awe-inspiring now. So much experimentation and expansion. This doesn't happen easily. We are fortunate in having many young farmers and entrepreneurs in our immediate area. It increases our food security (i.e., access to good food). Have you been reading about the drought in the corn belt?

Carole

Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 10:46 p.m.

Great that the Roadhouse is doing so well. Don't eat there much for I find the prices a little steep. But, best wishes on your new endeavors. Love it when businesses can grow especially in this economy.

fredric

Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 10:18 p.m.

I have a fruit farm that has been in the family since 1903, Riker Fruit ranch, not too far from Corman Farms. Have been watch what they have been doing all year and if anyone wants to see an outstanding farming operation, drive out take a good look at what they are doing. Is great and I look forward to the future. Ann Arbor.Com should do a story on this farm and show some photos! I seriously doubt if even those Students graduing from the school not to far from here, ( Colors are Green And White) have anything to show like this. !! Outstanding job!!

fredric

Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 10:19 p.m.

Sorry about the misspelling!!!

justcurious

Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 9:09 p.m.

We welcome Alex's purchase and we were really happy that the sale went through. It is a beautiful property that deserves to be restored to it's full potential. Alex and his family have been great neighbors and we have enjoyed watching his farming operation expansion. Unfortunately the government doesn't subsidize farmers who grow good healthy food, only corn and soybeans which end up being fed to cattle that should be grazing and to produce sugars which make folks sick. We applaud Alex and his efforts.

Top Cat

Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 8:52 p.m.

I hope he isn't planning on expanding into the hay ride business.

Madeleine Borthwick

Sat, Jul 21, 2012 : 8:34 p.m.

Top Cat, wow, great idea, sounds like fun!!!

xfdragon

Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 8 p.m.

happy to hear about the farm purchase and hope some of the produce will be organic..

hmsp

Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 7:34 p.m.

The Roadhouse is a great place, but I really think it is overpriced. I wouldn't want them to cheapen up when it comes to ingredients, but I spent $75 for two there last night, after tip, when I could have had a higher-class dinner at The Earle for under $60 all told. That said, more power to them for their current purchase, and congrats for having a waiting list 7 nights a week! They definitely have a license to print money there. I'm glad they're spending it locally. Of course, having a waiting list is a positive point for them, not for their customers. The option of being able to walk right in, sit right down, and order, even in the middle of the Art Fair, is a big plus in my book for a place like The Earle. I realize that The Earle and the Roadhouse are apples and oranges when it comes to comparing menus. I'm just thinking favorite restaurants and their comparative prices.

Madeleine Borthwick

Sat, Jul 21, 2012 : 8:33 p.m.

hmsp, I know that this is trivial but here goes anyway: "Walk right in, Sit Right Down, Daddy let your mind roll on!" Rooftop Singers, 1963

Itchy

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 10:36 p.m.

Italian pasta! No wonder it costs so much. It really does not taste much different than Mac & Cheese from a grocery store box.

Epengar

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 4:27 p.m.

The Roadhouse prices reflect the high quality ingredients they use. For the mac and cheese (which is a huge portion) the pasta is imported from a small family-run Italian company, and the cheese is made locally at Zingerman's Creamery, except for the cheddar that comes from a small awar-winning company in Vermont. The regular mac and cheese is $14, they have other versions with meat, sauces or vegetables added that cost a bit more.

sigdiamond

Fri, Jul 20, 2012 : 1:32 p.m.

"The Roadhouse is a great place, but I really think it is overpriced. I wouldn't want them to cheapen up when it comes to ingredients, but I spent $75 for two there last night" There are probably a dozen other restaurants in Ann Arbor where you'd spend that much or more on a dinner for two. Why is it that Zingerman's is the only one that ever elicits claims of being "overpriced"?

Goober

Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 10:52 p.m.

Just remember that you have to take out a second mortgage to eat at the Roadhouse. Many more places in AA where the food is better and less expensive. I guess the 1% are supporting Zingermans prices at the Roadhouse. How much do they charge for Mac & cheese? $17 rings a bell!