Kosher micro-bakery find itself a foodie mecca

NOMI KALTMANN meets Maaryasha Werdiger, whose kosher sourdough bakery Zelda started in her garage and has quickly become a Melbourne foodie sensation

AS YOU APPROACH Zelda bakery in Melbourne’s Ripponlea, the first thing you notice is the queue stretching halfway down the block.

It is not surprising that people walking by stop to check out what’s going on, because Zelda bakery is a Melbourne foodie sensation.

The kosher sourdough bakery is the brainchild of paediatric physiotherapist Maaryasha Werdiger.

What started as a garage-based baking project is now being given coverage in major media outlets including Broadsheet, the ABC and Goodfood.

Werdiger called her bakery Zelda because the name evoked what she was trying to express through her baking: “It’s a European woman’s name, it’s a bit quirky. It’s a strong name. And it’s easy to say.” (Sometimes, in homage to the name, Werdiger will slash a Z on some of her loaves). 

The bakery is a product of a fortuitous set of circumstances that occurred just over a decade ago.

“I have always loved baking and hosting parties and events. I had never had sourdough before 2010, when I was living in Jerusalem and my friend, who was into healthy food, gifted me a sourdough starter,” Werdiger says. “[She] wrote down a basic recipe and instructions on what to do with the starter.”

Werdiger, now 41, became hooked and started baking sourdough bread. Her bread tasted good but was dense.

“At the time, there was nothing to read, there were no books on sourdough but a few sourdough bakeries were popping up in Jerusalem,” she says.

“I went to Lechem Tomer [a sourdough bakery]. I found a community on Instagram. Tomer’s bakery showed me how to bake good bread. And on Instagram we all helped each other.” .   

Werdiger began to finesse her sourdough baking and learn some of the techniques and skills that continue to serve her.

“In 2014 I came back to Australia. I could make a great loaf of bread and I was the first kosher person in the Jewish community who was baking sourdough. My friends, cousins and baker friends were like: ‘Teach us.’ So, I started to teach,” she says.

However, with young children and a career as a physiotherapist in the way, Werdiger’s dream to own a bakery remained elusive.

“When my third kid was born, he had some health issues, and he could not go to childcare, and I could not work as a physio. My husband and I moved houses and in the new house there was a garage. And I wanted to bake.

Werdiger began baking in the garage. “From the second I opened my bakery in the garage, there were people out the door. It was crazy the whole time. We used to sell out in like an hour,” she says. “My first bake I did not even have any packaging. I did not have any front of house staff; they were all my friends.”

It was soon clear that her micro kosher bakery could not stay in the garage. “Baking had taken up a lot of my house and caused tension. As everything grew it was not just the garage, it took over more rooms of my house,” Werdiger says. "We would be baking and the whole house would be really hot. I had to get out.”

She took the plunge and in 2021 leased a shop. Open on Wednesday and Friday, Zelda bakery’s products are not just certifiably delicious, but also certified kosher. The bakery complies with the most stringent kosher requirements, though Werdiger estimates that 40 per cent of her clientele is not Jewish.

“I think Melbourne is very foodie place, people love good food, and they are obsessed with bread. They come here via word of mouth or through the baking community,” she says.

However, running a bakery is a massive labour of love. Her preparation starts on Monday at about 6am.

“Monday is a huge prep day, with five people. We roast all the veggies and prepare all the fillings for the quiches, make the cookies for the week, and make all the puff pastry. We prepare all the crumbles, fillings, and syrups. It goes all day until about 6pm.

 “On Tuesday we do the croissant doughs and breads, and we assemble everything.  And on Wednesdays we start baking at 3am.”

When the bakery opens at 7.30am, the queue has already formed.

Werdinger has stopped working as a physiotherapist because she is so busy and her bakery is open just two days a week because she is still evolving from baking in her garage to her shop. She also likes having flexibility.

In the future she may consider opening more days a week, but for now, the current arrangement works.  “It feels like we are throwing a party each week on the two days we are open. It gives me a massive rush of adrenaline.”

On Wednesdays and Fridays, Werdiger’s Instagram stories are an ode to her sourdough goods, with posts from customers reading like love letters to the weekly delicacies on offer, including bialys and sesame rings, or more exotic offerings like raisin and fennel loaf and quince Danishes.

Werdiger is continually striving to create new and interesting food.

She regularly posts innovative “knishes”, where she hosts a local guest who makes a modern version of the traditional Jewish food.

Werdiger even partnered with chef Ben Shewry, whose restaurant Attica – one of Gourmet Traveller magazine’s top 100 global restaurants in 2021 - is just up the road from the bakery.

“Ben Shewry is a neighbour and knows me through the community. I knew him a little before we became neighbours. He knew about the bakery. He has come here a couple of times. He loved it,” Werdiger says.

“When I asked him to make a knish, he said it was his honour. He made a native pepper berry and potato knish. It was kind of his version of a vegetarian sausage roll. He was happy to make something kosher for the area.” As with all Werdiger’s products, it quickly sold out.

So, what’s next for Werdiger and Zelda?

“Customers were pushing this the whole time. In the last year I have had to learn to run a business. Every aspect has been a huge learning curve. I’m still learning. I don’t know what is next, but I have a lot of ideas.”

All photos by Nomi Kaltmann