After an eight-month hiatus, Zingerman’s Creamery reopened its Plaza Dr. retail shop at the end of April. In addition to selling cheeses from the Creamery and other artisan makers, the renamed Cream Top Shop offers a small menu of grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese platters as well as expanded dessert options like gelato shakes, floats, and sundaes.
“Eventually we’d like to get to more of an a la carte menu, but that takes time,” says managing partner Aubrey Thomason. While no one would call the sandwiches delicate–they’re built on sturdy Zingerman’s Bakehouse breads–they’re less massive than the ones at Zingerman’s Deli. Sandwich prices run $8-$9, or $10-$11 if you add salami or prosciutto.
The Creamery closed down last August to build an addition and finish a second-floor area. The work, done in conjunction with Zingerman’s neighboring Coffee Company and Candy Manufactory, was so extensive that production moved to MSU’s dairy plant for the duration.
The new interior, featuring bright white beadboard on dark teal walls, is meant to feel “a little more modern farmhouse, a little more classic,” says Thomason. A row of stools faces a window into the production area, in a nod to the similar window at Zingerman’s Coffee Company.
And why the name change? “The cream rises to the top,” says Thomason smiling. “We wanted to get really clear about what the shop’s identity was, and then I thought it would be really fun to just draw a line in the sand and say, ‘This is who we are, this is our identity.’ You know, it’s separate from Zingerman’s Creamery, [but] it’s still a part of it.'”
Cream Top Shop, 3723 Plaza Drive Ste. 2, 929-0500. Daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. zingermanscreamery.com
