Walk through the doors of Zingerman’s Delicatessen on almost any day, and you may encounter Daniel Berman enthusiastically introducing someone to a cheese they’ve never tasted, offering a sample of an exceptional olive oil or explaining why one chocolate bar deserves a place in your shopping basket over another.
For Berman, those interactions are far more than customer service—they’re the highlight of his day.
“I adore the opportunity to watch people try some really good foods for the very first time, and feel deeply grateful to be the person who is able to help unlock that experience,” Berman said. “Every day I get to hand people samples of some of the most delicious foods in the world, and I am treated to observing their reactions. It is wild to see waves of pleasure passing over someone’s face, notice their entire bodies relaxing, and hearing the ‘wow’ come out of their mouths. I live for those ‘wows’. They are truly special moments.”
Berman has served as a Specialty Foods Monger at Zingerman’s Delicatessen for about two years, but his journey with the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses began several years earlier. In 2019, he joined Zingerman’s Mail Order, where he spent five years talking over the phone with customers about food before deciding he wanted to work even closer to the products themselves.
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“I thought it was the perfect job,” he recalled. “I could talk with people about food over the phone all day! After five years on the phones, I wanted to get closer to the food, and that desire brought me to the Deli.”
Today, that passion extends well beyond helping shoppers select the perfect cheese or vinegar. Berman has become a sandwich creator, newsletter writer, podcaster, public speaker and one of the Deli’s most enthusiastic ambassadors for great food.
A sandwich that blends two culinary worlds
One of Berman’s first opportunities to leave his culinary mark came shortly after joining the Deli, when employees were invited to submit ideas for an upcoming “Sandwich of the Month.”
There was one catch: every ingredient had to already be available on the sandwich line.
Rather than invent something entirely new, Berman looked to two sandwiches that had helped define his own culinary life.
The first was the Cubano, inspired by the years he spent growing up in Miami. The second was the classic Italian sub, which became a favorite while living in upstate New York.
“The Cubano is a sandwich which is near and dear to me,” Berman said. “I spent most of my childhood growing up in Miami, and even in my youth I was a regular at our neighborhood Cuban cafeteria. I’ve had more than my fair share of authentic, traditional Cubanos. Even though it is not traditional, the Zingerman’s Cubano is delicious and one of my favorite sandwiches on the menu.”
Years later, New York introduced him to another beloved tradition.
“After over a decade living in upstate New York where old school Italian delis continue to flourish and thrive, I developed an affection for how salami and provolone, especially when paired with juicy tomatoes, pungent red onions, sweet roasted red peppers, crisp lettuce, and acidic red wine vinegar, offer an explosion of flavor and texture.”
The bridge between those seemingly different sandwiches turned out to be one ingredient.
“What many folks do not realize is that in Florida there are regional differences in Cubanos, and on the west coast they are made with salami!” Berman explained. “So my creation started off with that salami paired with Zingerman’s Cuban pork. The meat was dressed with tomato, red onion, lettuce, roasted red pepper sauce, olive oil and vinegar. Provolone was the cheese that tied the whole thing together.”
The result was the Italian Cuban, served on grilled Rustic Italian bread.
“Ultimately the combination leaned a bit more heavily on the Italian side, but the Cuban pork did the heavy lifting to bring those flavors of Florida to the party,” he said.
The sandwich even earned unexpected national attention when food vlogger Tony Cu visited Zingerman’s during its run and sampled it alongside the Deli’s famous Reuben.
“Perhaps the most exciting part is that food vlogger Tony Cu happened to make a trip to Zingerman’s in August of 2024 and tried my sandwich side by side with our famous Reuben, and he thought the Cubano Italiano was the better of the two!”
Finding hidden culinary gems
Berman’s passion for food education also led him to another role within the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses.
He serves on the Great Food Group, an internal committee dedicated to increasing food knowledge among employees. Through that work, he became one of the principal writers of The Nosh, the organization’s internal newsletter.
“Great food has long been my driving passion. Not just eating it, but also sharing my love for it with others,” Berman said. “When I learned that Zingerman’s has an internal committee called the Great Food Group, I wanted to have a seat at the table and help the team with its efforts to increase the food knowledge of our staff.”
His previous experience as a food writer made him a natural fit.
“Before moving to Ann Arbor, I worked as a food writer in upstate New York. So when the opportunity arose to help relaunch the Great Food Group’s internal newsletter, I jumped at the chance.”
Berman now writes much of each issue, including introductions, social media roundups, and features on food and beverages from across the Zingerman’s Community.
“I consider it a tremendous honor to share some of my favorite foods with everyone across the organization,” he said. “We sell a lot of really great food and it’s easy for folks to get focused on the items in their home businesses. And even there, it’s easy for some amazing products to get overlooked.”
He points to examples that don’t always receive the attention they deserve—from French butter quietly sitting in a grab-and-go cooler, to chocolate-covered peanut brittle tucked behind more eye-catching displays.
Sharing food stories from the stage
Berman’s enthusiasm for talking about food doesn’t end inside the Deli.
“When the marketing and events folks at the Deli asked me, ‘How would you like to get up on stage and talk about some of our foods?’ I told them with a smile, ‘Don’t threaten me with a good time!'” Berman said.
The presentations combine food history, storytelling, tasting, and audience interaction.
“I recognize this may not be everyone’s idea of a good time, but I love sharing stories about food,” he said. “What happens on stage at the Kerrytown Concert House is fundamentally similar to my daily work at the Deli, just for a bigger crowd.”
The success of the series has organizers discussing future programs. “The Melodies & Morsels series felt like a success to all involved, and I know we are talking about doing it again next year,” Berman said. “Given that Zingerman’s is a Jewish-inspired deli, and we have some great Jewish foods, my hope is that we can expand the series to include something along those lines. I’m also keeping my fingers crossed for something relating to Spain.”
A career built around food
Although Berman seems perfectly suited to his current role, his professional journey took several unexpected turns. His first career was in advertising in California’s Bay Area, where exposure to remarkable food helped reshape his interests.
His daily commute regularly included a stop at Market Hall’s Pasta Shop, where a cheese monger introduced him to traditionally made cheeses and expanded his culinary horizons.
Even then, he couldn’t resist sharing his discoveries. “I wanted to share my passion for food with everyone I could, so I would regularly conduct cheese tastings at the ad agency for my team.”
Although he briefly explored switching careers into cheesemaking, life ultimately took another direction when his wife accepted a faculty position at SUNY Albany.
There, Berman reinvented himself once again. He became a food writer dedicated to highlighting overlooked restaurants and products throughout the region before serving as Yelp’s first Community Ambassador for the area. Along the way he judged pizza competitions, burger contests, Bacon Fest and other culinary events.
A midwestern food podcast
After moving to Ann Arbor about seven years ago, Berman continued finding new ways to celebrate food.
One of those projects became The Heartland Hot Dish, a podcast he co-hosts with chef Kieron Hales.
“The Heartland Hot Dish is really a team effort,” Berman said. “While I might be one of the more regular participants, it would not have gotten off the ground without chef Kieron Hales. Its focus is to help promote and preserve midwestern foodways surrounding the Great Lakes and beyond.”
Among his favorite episodes is one exploring regional pizza traditions that extend well beyond the familiar Chicago and Detroit styles.
The podcast also examines casseroles, regional specialties and interviews with local food producers.
“The podcast is mostly a labor of love,” he said. “We all have fun putting it together, and I think you can hear that when tuning in.”
Slowing down to avor life
At its heart, Berman believes food offers something much deeper than nourishment.
“I hope to inspire people to not just fall in love with good food, but to also have fun with it!” he said. “Life is hard. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows. But we have to eat. And if we’re lucky, we get to eat multiple times a day. Each of those times offers the opportunity to experience joy.”
He encourages people to slow down and fully experience what they’re eating instead of rushing through meals.
“I hope to encourage people to slow down and taste their food. Mindfully and with intention,” he said. “To stop and smell their salad, or their sandwich, or even their soda. And maybe then, to increase their joy, they may stop and smell the flowers, or the trees, or the air after a summer rain.”
He’s equally passionate about encouraging people to enjoy special foods rather than saving them indefinitely.
“One of my deep concerns is that someone will buy something delicious at the Deli and then consider it too precious to eat,” he said.
A Passion that began around the family table
Berman traces his love of food back to childhood and the family members who introduced him to unforgettable flavors.
His Nana Soosha introduced him to Parmigiano-Reggiano, Stilton and lobster. His Papa Freddie insisted on making chocolate malts with Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream and a proper milkshake blender. His parents introduced him to New York pizza shops, calzones and the perfect street-cart hot dog.
Those early memories became the foundation for a lifetime devoted to sharing food with others.
He also credits his wife, Beth, for supporting every step of that journey.
“I am also deeply grateful to my loving wife Beth, who remains incredibly supportive of my journey into food,” Berman said. “While there might be more lucrative paths I could be pursuing, I cannot imagine work that is more joyful, rewarding or energizing.”
Whether he’s creating a sandwich, writing a newsletter, stepping onto a stage, recording a podcast, or handing someone a bite of exceptional cheese, Berman continues to pursue the same goal: helping people discover that extraordinary food can transform an ordinary day into something memorable—one delicious “wow” at a time.
Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
