Rize Up Bakery

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Rize Up Bakery Rize Up Bakery is a fast growing black-owned San Francisco bakery focused on reinventing sourdough

10/18/2026

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being a guest speaker at CreativeMornings SF, sharing a little of my story and a taste of Rize Up bread.

They welcomed me with open arms. Getting to sit down for an interview in a room full of creative people, talk about the experiences that have shaped me, and reflect on this unexpected journey as a baker felt pretty special.

When you’re deep in the day-to-day of running a business, you don’t always stop to think about how you got here. Conversations like this give me a chance to pause, look around, and appreciate what’s growing out of all this work.

Thank you to everyone who came, listened, asked questions, and broke bread with me. I left feeling grateful, inspired, and happy to have found some more of my people.

Much love.
Z

10/14/2026

Behind the scenes of a baker’s life.

When I was younger, skating took me all over the world. Some of you know that part of my story. Some of you only know me through the bread.

Since starting Rize Up during the pandemic, my world has gotten a little smaller. Owning a bakery can feel like building your own glass cage. You love what you’re creating. You can see the world outside. But stepping away takes a lot more than buying a plane ticket.

Last night, I got on a red-eye to Montreal to visit my best friend, Danny LaRoche. Something I used to do without much thought as a younger skater now feels like a small adventure.

I’m only here for a couple of days. But I get to see my friend. Spend some time. Laugh. Catch up. Just be together.

Life is flying by, and I’m feeling it. There’s always something that needs doing at the bakery. There’s always a reason to stay. But these moments need room in our lives, too.

Right now, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. And that’s truly saying something.

Friendships move through seasons. The time we get together waxes and wanes. But having someone who shows up for you, and getting to show up for them—that’s something I count myself very lucky to have.

To everyone making time in a busy life for friends and family, this one’s for you.

I’m grateful I get to be here.

10/09/2026

It doesn’t cost a damn thing extra to be kind.

And you never know how much somebody needed it.

I’m not trying to be better than anybody. I’m trying to find some joy in this life and share it. For me, that means making bread. Working with my hands. Building a place where people feel welcome, where a conversation over something good to eat can make the day a little lighter.

I get to put my hopes and dreams into this work. And maybe somebody walks through our door, sees what we’re building, and thinks, “Hell, maybe I can make something beautiful, too.”

Every time another person find us and chooses to follow, support, and care about what we’re doing, I sit with that for a minute. Those are people. People who could spend their time and attention anywhere, and gave some of it to us.

It makes the early mornings, the attention to detail, and the energy we pour into every loaf feel well spent.

So tell a friend about Rize Up. Break some bread with somebody you love. Come through, say what’s up, and be part of this family we’re building.

There’s joy here. And we’re so damn happy to share it with you. ❤️

10/08/2026

COME THROUGH AND GET THE BEST MATCHA IN TOWN—BY THE ILLEST BARISTAS IN TOWN 😉🍵🔥

We get our matcha from Song Tea right here in SF, and our crew brings the love to every latte. 💚

Come see what’s good at the Rize Up Test Kitchen Café. Your new favorite matcha latte is waiting.

📍1160 Howard St.,
San Francisco Ca 94103

10/07/2026

💜 UBE PANDESAL IS BACK! 💜

We’re so excited to have it back on the menu at Rize Up Test Kitchen Café. Come through, grab a coffee, and get your ube fix while it lasts!

When it’s gone, it’s gone. Come get yours! 🙌🏾

10/04/2026

Sunday Funday?
Fun Day Sunday?

Either way, come hang with us. ☕️🍞

We’ve loved seeing y’all come through and try the new food at the café. But remember—we sell bread for a living! 😂

So if you’re local, ain’t got nothing to do today, and want a reason to swing by, we’ve got you:

Get 20% off all loaves with the purchase of a specialty coffee, today until the bread runs out.

Grab a bomb ass coffee, take home an amazing loaf, and come say what’s up.

Rize Up Test Kitchen Café
1164 Howard Street, San Francisco

Tell ’em Azikiwee “Z” sent you. 😉

09/30/2026

They say Slow is smooth, and Smooth is fast.

Some days I feel like things are moving in slow motion. Other days, I feel like I’m the one moving in slow motion.

You can never quite get everything firing on all cylinders. Just about the time you get something down, everything changes.

They say the only constant in this world is change.

And if that’s true, maybe whoever gets best at changing wins.

Things shift.
People come. People go.
Different seasons. Different reasons.

All of these ideas, people, problems, opportunities, wins and losses moving in anything but a straight line.

The road curves one way while your integrity strains to stay straight and narrow, and the world keeps pulling at you in every different direction.

Maybe that’s the work.

Learning when to bend without breaking.
Learning when to move and when to stand still.
Learning that slow doesn’t always mean you’re behind.

This morning, these are the thoughts running through my mind as I do this job that I feel so honored—and capable—to do.

The rest of the day is unknown.

Tomorrow will probably change everything all over again.

But all in all…

Still we rise!

09/26/2026

Today I met a super cool baker from Boston (Sastri) Aditya Sastri

He happened to be in town, staying with a friend around the corner, and wandered into the café while I happened to be sitting there enjoying a rare little moment of respite.

We started talking about bread. About inclusions. About flavors (our Masala loaf to be specific) and cultures and putting things into sourdough that, for a long time, people were told didn’t belong there.

And somewhere in that conversation, I felt seen.

We spend so much time doing the work. Mixing, shaping, baking, cleaning, stressing, figuring out payroll, fixing problems, trying again tomorrow. Sometimes you forget that the little decisions you make can travel much farther than you ever will.

Knowing that something we’ve done at Rize Up has made another baker, in another city, feel like there’s room for them at the table—that means everything to me.

Sometimes that’s the only payment you really need.

The whole idea behind “our inclusions being inclusive” has always been bigger than what we put inside a loaf. It’s about who gets to see themselves in the craft. Who gets to participate. Who gets to feel like they can belong.

Today was a beautiful reminder that somebody, somewhere, feels seen because of this work.

And that makes all the hard days worth it to me.

Hats off to all the bakers out there doing the work, pushing the craft forward, making space, and leaving the door a little wider open for the next person.

Keep baking.
Keep pushing.
Keep including. ❤️

SanFrancisco

09/25/2026

To all of our Folks in Sacramento, this one is a little bittersweet.

For quite a while now, we’ve been experimenting with what it would look like to have a little satellite version of Rize Up in Sacramento—bringing bread up every week, setting up at markets, and most importantly, building community at Table Church and Sac Co Op.

But sometimes the math just stops mathing.

With gas prices continuing to climb and the cost of getting bread from San Francisco all the way to Sacramento every week, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to bring this experiment to an end.

What makes it hard isn’t the bread. It’s saying goodbye to the community we’ve built.

So we’re not leaving quietly.

This weekend, we’re bringing 50 loaves with us to Table Church and giving them away. No purchase necessary. Just come through, say what’s up, grab a loaf, give us a hug, and help us say a proper farewell to Sacramento.

To everyone who showed up, bought a loaf, told a friend, brought someone new, smiled at us across the table, or made Rize Up feel at home in Sacramento—thank you.

Experiments don’t have to last forever to be successful. Sometimes they show you what’s possible, introduce you to beautiful people, and leave you with a community you didn’t have before.

We love y’all.

Come get some bread this weekend. 💜🍞

50 loaves. On us. Until they’re gone.

RizeUp

Address

1160 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
94103

Telephone

+14152184031

Website

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