Chefs and Restaurants

Zak Stern on Why His Miami Bakery Had to Get Better Before It Got Bigger

Liz Grossman

Zak Stern started experimenting with sourdough mothers in a vacant garage in 2012. By 2014, he had opened the 2,000-square-foot Zak the Baker in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, “before it was popping,” he says. His kosher bakery has grown to 7,000 square feet. It accommodates 85 employees, a 125-seat cafe, a production kitchen, and a retail space. With lines out the door and Whole Foods as a wholesale client, Stern’s got his hands full,...