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+2 More Gourmet Itineraries

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What do you do to escape when you run a food shop so famous that it attracts more than 500,000 visitors a year? If you're Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman's Deli (www.zingermans.com) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, you embark on food pilgrimages of your own. "All trips are food trips for me," he says. We asked Weinzweig to share his favorite American destinations and a few essential stops along the way:

Eastern North Carolina: Barbecue Heaven
Barbecue lovers won't want to miss this area, for its pulled pork with distinctive vinegar-based sauce. Fly into Raleigh-Durham; make it your weekend hub. Mitchell's Ribs, Chicken & BBQ 6228 Ward Blvd., Wilson; 252/291-3808; lunch for two $14. Ed Mitchell pit-cooks four or five whole hogs every day of the year. Wilber's 4172 U.S. Hwy. 70, East Goldsboro; 919/778-5218; lunch for two $14. The pork here gets its flavor from being smoked over oakwood. Scott's Barbecue 1201 N. Williams St., Goldsboro; 919/734-0711; lunch for two $10. The recipe for Scott's Famous Barbecue Sauce came to the founder, Reverend Adam Scott, in a dream: "It's the best you've ever tasted." Mama Dip's Kitchen 408 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill; 919/942-5837; lunch for two $20. Swing by for country-style Southern chicken, greens, biscuits, and pecan pie by Mildred Council, the 75-year-old chef-owner.

Vermont: A Wheel Good Time
This is the season to explore the Green Mountain State. Fly into Burlington International Airport and make one of the area's historic inns your home base. Shelburne Farms 1611 Harbor Rd., Shelburne; 802/985-8686. Try the award-winning farmhouse cheddar—while you're at it, check out the estate, a National Historic Landmark. Built in 1886, it now serves as a nonprofit environmental education center. Jasper Hill Farm 884 Garvin Hill Rd., Greensboro; 802/533-2566. Mateo and Andy Kehler turn out a range of cow's milk farmstead cheeses, including three varieties of raw-milk cheese. American Flatbread 46 Lareau Rd., Waitsfield; 802/496-8856. Don't miss the all-natural pizza from this wood-fired earthen-oven bakery. On Fridays and Saturdays, the place turns into an informal restaurant. Woodstock Farmers' Market 468 Woodstock Rd., Woodstock; 802/457-3658. This is an ideal place to buy locally-made products, especially if you're packing a picnic. Vermont Shepherd 875 Patch Rd., Putney; 802/387-4473. Stock up on some of Cindy and David Major's "Best of Show" sheep's-milk cheese from their roadside country stand. Grafton Village Cheese Co. 533 Townshend Rd., Grafton; 800/472-3866. For its cheddar, Grafton uses milk supplied by small family farms; the covered bridge next to the facility provides a terrific rural photo op.
—Francine Maroukian

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