La Ventanita podcast: Miami’s Zak the Baker talks James Beard Awards, Miami bass music
Zak Stern’s name is synonymous with the best artisanal bread in Miami.
Stern started baking bread out of his parents south Dade garage and now he is a finalist for a prestigious James Beard Award for the outstanding bread he bakes at his all-kosher bakery in Wynwood, Zak the Baker.
On the March 24 episode of La Ventanita, the Miami Herald food podcast, we talked with Zak about his journey from his bakery — where for some reason a staffer in a gorilla suit was sweeping the floor. That set the tone for us to ask him about growing up listening to Miami booty music with a pair of booming Rockford Fosgate speakers in his mom’s old Honda, why shaving his distinctive beard helped him have a personal life outside the bakery, and why he bakes Cuban guava pastelitos at his kosher bakery.
We even sang a few bars of DJ Laz’s “Esa Morena,” which he always imagined as his baseball entrance music.
We also talked about:
- Nunzio’s Ristorante in the western suburbs closing after 48 years
- the leaders in our search for Miami’s favorite croqueta
- Instagram viral sensation Old Greg’s Pizza opening a restaurant after two years of pop-ups
Tune in Thursdays at 11 a.m. to watch La Ventanita live on YouTube and the Miami Herald website, comment and ask questions during the interview. Find every episode of La Ventanita at the show page and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Megaphone, Stitcher and MiamiHerald.com.
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
