Kahja interviews Azikiwee Anderson
In the first episode in the "Where Are They Now" series, Kahja catches up with Azikiwee "Z" Anderson, founder, owner, and head baker of Rize Up Bakery, San Francisco’s first Black-owned sourdough bakery. Launched in 2020 in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the isolation of the pandemic, Z—a self-taught baker—turned to sourdough as a form of therapy, creativity, and connection, growing into one of the Bay Area’s most recognizable artisan bakeries.
Following their first interview in January 2023, Kahja and Z catch up to talk about rapid expansion, early influences on learning, being an example of a different kind of career, the gap between systems and creativity, the opening of the new Rize Up Bakery Café, navigating the financial hurdles of growth, bringing the community along on your entire journey, being drained and refilled by your passion, and creating enough runway to be able to enjoy your success.
Recorded on location in San Francisco, CA.
Read about their new café in SF Chronicle!
Be sure to leave a 5 star review if you enjoyed this episode! For advertising or sponsorship opportunities, visit kayinthebay.com.
Wanna keep up in between episodes? Follow Kahja on IG at @heykayinthebay
Intro music by Diff Works