6 minute read
Zak the Baker
Zak the Baker
STORY BY TEAGHAN SKULSZKI (B.A. ’20)
What started in a two car-garage in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District turned into a bread sensation, with lines out the door early in the morning until supplies run low by evening. Zak Stern (B.S. ’07) is the man behind one of Miami’s most popular bakeries, the eponymous “Zak the Baker.”
The local kosher-certified bakery and cafe is founded on compassion and community. “I think what’s special about a local bakery is the connection between the consumer and the producer,” Stern said. “We’ve resisted the urge to open multiple locations, so we’re able to establish relationships and build intimacy with the community. One of the biggest challenges has been understanding what it is I want from the company. It’s more of a philosophical question, but it ultimately drives everything.”
Photo by Craig Ambrosio
There is no doubt that Zak the Baker has a following, down the block and on the web. Racking up 125,000 followers and growing on Instagram, Stern is well-known in Miami and in the food influencer world. He holds numerous awards and recognitions including: 2013 Best Baker and 2014 Best Bakery by the Miami New Times’ Best of Miami Awards, 2015 Bakery & Pastry Chef of the Year at the Johnson & Wales University Zest Awards, and James Beard Miami finalist in 2017 and 2018.
“I didn’t grow up wanting to be a baker, it’s something that developed over time after university,” said Stern. So, how did this FSU graduate end up a celebrated kosher baker? “I was shocked that I made it through with decent enough grades to get into FSU,” he laughed. Stern had hopes of one day becoming a pharmacist so he pursued a pre-med degree.
While at FSU, he ate his way through Tallahassee’s favorite local restaurants. “Kool Beanz was my go-to place when my parents were paying,” he said. “But on a college budget, you could find me at Gordos, Jim & Milt’s BBQ, Super China Buffet and Bird’s Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack.”
Photo by Craig Ambrosio
In 2007, Stern graduated with his bachelor’s degree from the College of Human Sciences with plans to attend pharmacy school at Mercer University in Atlanta. It only took a semester of graduate school for Stern to understand his path was elsewhere. “I realized traditional academia wasn’t quenching my thirst anymore, but I was still thirsty to learn.”
With the realization that he had to put his energy into something that brought him fulfillment, Stern withdrew from graduate school and spent the next five years traveling the world learning about bread, cheese and agriculture. “I apprenticed different bakers throughout Europe through work trades,” he said. He participated in the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms program where he fully immersed himself in the country lifestyle, living off the land and hospitality of others. “I would often work from sunup to sun down in exchange for room, board and the hope that I would learn something along the way.”
Photo by Craig Ambrosio
The program took him through Sweden, France, Italy and Israel, each location bringing him different trials and lessons. “Some places I learned a lot, and some were nightmares!” he laughed. “I think what I learned most was the wisdom of the country: manual labor with a direct relationship to the rhythms of nature.”
For the first time, Stern knew what he wanted to do. He was ready to return home and Miami was his oyster. “Once I returned home from my travels, bread baking was my most accessible craft, and the Miami market was wide open.”
Like many great startups, his business started in a friend’s garage in 2012. “My friend, Jeremy, was my college roommate at Florida State, and his dad was gracious enough to let me pop up a bakery in his garage.”
Zak Stern in his college roommate’s garage in 2012, the location where he first started his business.
Stern started his business with a pizza oven, old butcher table and a few garbage cans to stir flour. No air conditioning, no mixer, no employees and no running water — but a lot of determination. “I would use the sink in the kitchen to wash the bowls,” he said. He spent his early mornings baking in order to set up as soon as the farmers market opened. “Soon enough, there was a line waiting for me before I arrived.”
Growing up, Stern was never deeply invested in his Jewish culture. At the age of 15, he got kicked out of Hebrew confirmation for using the schoolwide intercom in the principal’s office and pretending to be the voice of God. His focus in life was elsewhere. Ten years and a trek across Europe later, Stern was invested in one particular part of Jewish culture: cuisine.
“Nonreligious Jews communicate through food, not services,” he said. Stern pays respect to his ancestors through the artisan kosher bakery. The bakery has been certified kosher since 2014 and is closed all Saturdays and Jewish holidays. Under the bakery’s kosher certification, the bread is Parvae, Pas Yisrael, Non Yoshon, with hafrashat challah taken on each batch; pastries are dairy, Non-Cholov Yisrael, with some non-dairy products made in dairy equipment; and cafe items are dairy Non-Cholov Yisrael. In a bustling fast city life, the bakery serves as a cultural gathering place, where people of all backgrounds and beliefs meet to enjoy delicious food.
Photo by Craig Ambrosio
Located in Wynwood, the arts district of Miami, the outside of the bakery building is covered by a multi-colored block mural painted by Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn, better known as Haas & Hahn. “It’s pretty much the Disney World of wall murals,” Stern laughed. Inside you’ll see a collection of people from all walks of life, from Miami locals to orthodox Jews.
Inside, the menu is a synthesis between old and new. Popular menu items include a salmon Rueben topped with kraut, Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese hot pressed on sourdough Jewish rye bread. Another staple is a grilled cheese made with Challah sandwich bread and mozzarella cheese dipped in egg served with lemon and powdered sugar. And let’s not forget the staple of any bakery: pastries.
Photo by Craig Ambrosio
You can see many of these items and specialties on Stern’s Instagram page, @zakthebaker. There is no doubt that social media has benefited the business. “Social media has given us a platform to share our story for free,” said Stern. It has become particularly important to Stern and the bakery during the coronavirus pandemic. He uses Instagram to update his customers about deliveries, store closings and COVID-19 impacts.
Stern also uses his online presence to extend his community values. “It’s an incredible communication tool that when used appropriately, can have a powerful impact.”
A tuna melt hot pressed on sourdough country wheat bread that was posted on the bakery’s Instagram.
He recently used Instagram to promote a GoFundMe COVID-19 relief campaign launched by the bakery’s most senior staff members. “Sadly, the bakery is not immune to this economic disaster,” Stern explained. “Keeping the bakery open with dramatically reduced business volumes has left us with significant weekly losses that are unsustainable for an independent small business, which has forced me to make some very difficult decisions.”
Stern used the time that restaurants in Florida were closed to expand his delivery service. “There were loads of mistakes, long days and unending uncertainty,” he said, remarking that it reminded him of his beginning days in his friend’s garage.
Photo by Craig Ambrosio
