Our Team
The locals behind the loaves.
Every person at The Bake Shop lives in Girdwood. We're skiers, hikers, artists, and parents. We just happen to make really good bread.
Brian Kari
Owner & Operator
Brian took over The Bake Shop in 2017 with his wife Isha, carrying forward a half-century tradition of fresh sourdough and community-first hospitality. His philosophy is simple: what's working, we don't want to break.
Isha Kari
Owner & Baker
Isha brings heart and precision to the kitchen every morning. She's the one who feeds the 100-year-old sourdough starter, coaxing it through Alaska's wild temperature swings and keeping the bread alive — literally.
The Morning Bakers
Bakery Team
Our bakers arrive before dawn, seven days a week during season, to proof dough, shape loaves, and fill the valley with the smell of fresh sourdough. They work in a kitchen that hasn't changed much since the '70s — and that's how they like it.
The Counter Crew
Front of House
The first faces you see when you walk in. They take your order, pour bottomless coffee, and know half the regulars by name. In a town of 2,000 people, that's not hard — but they make it feel personal every time.
The Soup Makers
Kitchen Team
Every morning, fresh batches of homemade soup go into the kettles. Cream of mushroom, clam chowder, whatever's in season. The rule is simple: bottomless. Come back for seconds, thirds — we don't count.
The Girdwood Community
Our Extended Family
Local artists hang their work on our walls. Ski patrollers stop in before first chair. Trail runners refuel after Winner Creek. Families come every Saturday. The Bake Shop isn't just a business — it's a gathering place for the whole valley.
Working Here
A kitchen, not a corporation.
We don't have a corporate office. There's no franchise manual. The Bake Shop runs the way it always has: a small crew of locals who show up early, bake everything from scratch, and take pride in feeding their neighbors.
Our kitchen hasn't been "renovated" — it's been seasoned. The same wood counters, the same commercial ovens, the same sourdough starter bubbling in the corner. New people learn the way everyone has: by watching, by doing, by getting flour on their hands.
Interested in joining the team? Stop by in person — that's how it works around here.
Come say hi.
We're at the base of the mountain, same spot since 1973. The door's open, the coffee's hot, and someone behind the counter probably knows your name.
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