May 22, 2014

Zak the Baker

The recent opening of Zak the Baker in a warehouse-looking location in Wynwood came around with not much noise, and that’s the way Zak likes it. He prefers to focus on the bread that is coming out of the ovens, and you can see that based on the bakery and the menu that it offers. Everything is relatively simple and is a way to showcase the star of the restaurant: the bread. Zak has been Miami’s hottest wholesale and retail bread baker in the city for a while, but now it is his turn to man the storefront. In his bakery, he offers kosher sandwiches, soups, and salads. All ingredients are as local as possible and compliment each other in ways that are revelatory. You would never think that something as simple as avocado, goat cheese, and cilantro on multi-grain would be as phenomenal as it is, but at Zak’s you would be wrong. The fresh combinations of ingredients topping the flavorful and crusty bread lead to an experience that makes you wish that Zak came around earlier. For one, I know that I am now spoiled to the idea of good bread and refuse to settle for anything less than what I have sampled.

Zak the Baker began as a kickstarter program where all the funds used to open the bakery were gathered with the help of the community. Little by little, people who became interested in Zak’s dream helped him in order to achieve what it was that he wanted. He hopes to become an integral part of the neighborhood that gave him so much.

Everything is still in the beginning process of the bakery’s lifespan, but I am sure that this is a place that is going to stick around. You can already see the amount of people that are interested in dining here, as the tables are always packed and lines form behind the bread-filled counters. The interior of the bakery is as simple as the menu, with the decorations being ingredient-filled jars, wooden tables, and of course, the bread. There are selections from multi-grain, to rye, to sourdough. Each is better than the next with no choice being the wrong one. The crust is crisp and perfectly browned, with an uneven hole structure that hints at properly made artisan bread. We were able to interview Zak the Baker, so stay tuned for a Q+A. Until then, make your way to his new bakery and enjoy what is soon to be one of Miami’s newest hotspots.