Member Spotlight: Azikiwee Anderson, Rize Up Bakery

For Azikiwee Anderson, baking started as an experiment but quickly became a calling. He didn’t grow up in a baking family, nor did he see people who looked like him in the artisan bread world. But when he picked up a bag of flour during the pandemic, something clicked. 

What began as a personal challenge turned into Rize Up Bakery, a movement that blends high-quality sourdough, cultural storytelling, and a commitment to community empowerment. Azikiwee isn’t just making bread—he’s creating representation, access, and opportunity in a space where Black bakers have been historically underrepresented.