Rise Bakery

Mike (Founder/Owner)

Mike (Founder/Owner)

Mike was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in high school and began baking gluten-free breads at home with his mom in 2004. He moved from Pennsylvania to DC in 2011. He found the options for fresh baked gluten-free items in the DC area lacking, which inspired him to open Rise Bakery in 2014. He is passionate about making gluten-free life in the DC area more delicious and accessible for the Celiac community. His favorite things about working in a bakery are chatting with regulars, meeting new customers and night baking. He spends his free time with his wife and son and their dog and cat. He is a mediocre athlete who finished in third place in the district finals in the 400 meter dash in 5th grade.

Jonathan (Pastry Chef)

Jonathan (Pastry Chef)

Jonathan has been creating amazing pastries for fourteen years, with two of those being gluten-free baked goods for Rise Bakery. He leads the staff in fostering a friendly environment here in the Sterling store. His favorite treat is the Vanilla Donut and outside of the bakery he likes playing soccer, running and building 3-D cakes.

Jurelle (Front of House Manager)

Jurelle (Front of House Manager)

Zonia (Back of House)

Zonia (Back of House)

Zonia has been a key member of Rise Bakery for a year and appreciates having flexibility with her schedule. Previously, she worked for Hyatt as a cook for seven years and a baker for one year. She enjoys cooking and going on hikes to explore the outdoors.

Daniel (Back of House)

Daniel (Back of House)

Daniel has been bringing a positive spirit to the Sterling location for six months and also enjoys the upbeat environment among the team in addition to accommodating schedule. He has been a baker for sixteen years and his pick for a favorite sweet is tied between our classic chocolate chip cookie or tres leches. Some of his favorite pastimes are playing his guitar, soccer and basketball.

Mitchell (Back of House / Driver)

Mitchell (Back of House / Driver)

After a year of working at Rise Bakery, one of Mitchell’s favorite aspects of being here is the comfortable, tight-knit team environment among the staff and flexibility with schedules. One of our newest additions (the blackberry turnover) is his current pick for a favorite pastry! Outside of work he likes to watch movies, travel and play with his son.

Teresa (Back of House)

Teresa (Back of House)

Teresa has been a pastry cook for three years and a part of the Rise Bakery team for five months. She also notes the nice environment among the staff as one of the things she likes about working here the most. She is an excellent cook and prefers to spend her time with her daughters when at home. The tres leches cake is one of her current favorites!

Doris (Back of House)

Doris (Back of House)

Doris has been a cheerful and valuable addition to the bakery team for four months, and one of her favorite aspects to working at Rise Bakery is the flexible schedule. Prior to joining Rise, she worked in the bakery of a local H-Mart for two years. During her free time, she is an entrepreneur who sells products online and enjoys spending time with her son- especially cheering him on while he plays sports!

Heather (Farmers Market Manager)

Heather (Farmers Market Manager)

Heather is Rise Bakery’ resident farmers market gal. She has always had a passion for food, from making it all the way down to eating it. That’s why she enjoys the markets, getting to connect with regulars and new customers over treats. Her favorite part is seeing how excited people get when they realize they can eat everything in front of them. In the off season she is either out and about as a freelance photographer, or at home hibernating with her three wildling boys, 2 dogs, kitten, an undisclosed number of chickens and ducks, several beehives, bearded dragon, and husband.