A Hearthside Chat with Azikiwee Anderson of Rize Up

Free & For Members Only

June 16 / 7:00 - 8:00 pm ET

In celebration of Juneteenth, join us for a special Hearthside Chat with Azikiwee Anderson, the visionary founder of Rize Up Bakery in San Francisco. A chef by training, Azikiwee picked up a bag of flour during the pandemic and never looked back. What began as a personal experiment in his home kitchen has grown into one of the most exciting new bakeries in the country.  

In just five years, Rize Up has evolved into a mission-driven business with a team of 40 turning out over 3,500 loaves each week. Azikiwee’s bold sourdough creations—infused with ingredients like purple yam (ube), Korean chili paste (gochujang), and masala spice—celebrate the diversity of his community and challenge long-held notions of what artisan bread can be. But Azikiwee isn’t just baking bread—he’s rewriting the narrative of who succeeds in the baking world, using his loaves to tell stories of culture, identity, and resilience.  

He’ll be joined in conversation by Kobla Asamoah, Guild board member, Managing Partner at Caminus Ventures, and a passionate advocate for Black entrepreneurs in food and beverage. Together, they’ll explore the meteoric rise of Rize Up, the challenges and triumphs of being a Black business owner in a historically white industry, and how bread can become a powerful force for inclusion, connection, and change.  

Azikiwee was recently featured on National Geographic’s World Eats Bread—catch the preview now and watch the full series on Hulu and Disney+. You can also check out the Guild’s recent Member Spotlight to learn more about his inspiring journey. 

Learn more about Azikiwee and Rize Up at www.rizeupsourdough.com and @rizeupbakery.

Azikiwee “Z” Anderson, the founder of Rize Up Bakery in San Francisco, is a self-taught artisan baker who began his journey during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially a private chef, Anderson turned to sourdough baking as both a creative outlet and a way to cope with the social unrest following the murder of George Floyd. His first loaves were shared with friends and neighbors, but as demand grew, he scaled his production significantly. Rize Up Bakery is known for its unique and bold flavors, such as ube sourdough, which combines the traditional tang of sourdough with the subtle sweetness of purple yam. This flavor innovation exemplifies Anderson’s mission to make bread an art form and centerpiece of community experiences. His loaves are highly sought after, with options like the ube loaf often selling out quickly. Beyond baking, Anderson uses Rize Up as a platform for social impact. His “Pay It Forward” program allows customers to purchase loaves for those in need, and he frequently donates to local shelters. As one of the few Black artisan bakers in the field, he emphasizes representation and community-building, visiting schools to inspire younger generations. 

Kobla Asamoah is Senior Director of Accelerator Operations at Caminus Ventures, an accelerator and investment program targeting food, beverage and related businesses. Prior to Caminus, Kobla served as Head of Small Business at Hot Bread Kitchen, a social enterprise based in NYC. There he focused on growing an incubator program committed to supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs in the industries of food and beverage, providing these entrepreneurs with resources meant to aid in their growth ambition.