Dec 13, 2022
In Part 2 of our episode with
Arizmendi Bakery, we
hear from baker/owners Lizzy
Harvey and Aeri
Swendson.
Lizzy shares her story of being born
and raised in San Francisco, leaving for college and coming back,
and what, besides baking, she's up to these days (namely, circus
and aerial arts). After her return to The City, she was teaching
here and got a grant to teach English for one year in Córdoba,
Argentina, where she ended up cooking a lot, especially chocolate.
Upon her return to the States, she looked for a job to help her
pursue her new love. The collective/cooperative aspect of Arizmendi was a bonus. She was a candidate
pre-pandemic, and ended up being voted in in March 2020. Timing,
y'all.
Aeri grew up outside of Seattle and moved to SF for college (SF
State) in 2003. She lived in the Sunset during college and became a
customer at Arizmendi. Aeri worked at Green Apple on Clement and
taught gymnastics after graduation before getting the job
at Arizmendi 11 years ago. She had baked virtually all
her life and knew a little about co-ops before coming on. She
speaks to, among other things, the incredible life/work balance
that a job at Arizmendi allows its baker/owners.
Photography by Jeff Hunt