Give a gift to the Journalism Collaborative to keep our community informed!
Give a gift to the Journalism Collaborative to keep our community informed!
By Chidalu Nnorukah, Matthew Studier, Sasha Wilson & Tabassum Sayeka Tarannum
This story was produced by a collaborative team of students from the Community-Engaged Digital Storytelling (CEDST) Lab at Western Michigan University. It is a joint project with the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative and its equitable community development reporting project.
Sarkozy Bakery has never existed in isolation from the community that surrounds it. Founded in 1978 by Judy and Ken Sarkozy, the Kalamazoo bakery was built on the belief that food, labor, and community are inseparable. Over the years, that philosophy has shaped how the bakery operates, from the way it makes bread to the way it supports its employees and the community around it.
Sarkozy Bakery shows its commitment in several ways. Because Sarkozy’s bread and pastries contain no preservatives, they go stale quickly. Rather than discarding them, the bakery donates unsold bread and pastries daily to local shelters and food assistance organizations.
“We try to keep food waste to a minimum. Our bread goes to the Ministry for Community and Loaves & Fishes several times a week, and our pastries every day to the Ministry of Community, or people in the community can sign up and pick up these pastries by the end of the day for meetings or group functions,” says Alec Wells, a co-owner.
Sarkozy also hires formerly incarcerated persons, its owners believing that human dignity exists regardless of past mistakes. “They should be treated like any other person who walks through that door,” says Wells.
The early years
Before settling in Kalamazoo in the 1970s, Judy and Ken Sarkozy, originally from Detroit, searched for a city with a strong sense of community and a close connection to food and farmers. Kalamazoo stood out because of its tight-knit population and respect for local agriculture.
According to Wells, the couple believed that “the problems in Kalamazoo are more solvable than the problems in other cities they were checking out.”
“So coming here with that sense of community focus in mind, Judy and Ken naturally wanted to be involved with the community. It has had a lot of impact on a lot of people here in a communal sense,” says Wells.
Counting on the community to survive and thrive
The relationship between Sarkozy Bakery and Kalamazoo has always been reciprocal. “The bakery has really survived because of that sense of community in Kalamazoo. There have been times when staffing was tight, and people volunteered to work here. There have been times when money was tight, and people chipped in to buy a new water heater,” Wells recounts.
This relationship was most evident after the infamous event of 2011, when the bakery burned down the original location, and Judy and Ken were ready to hang it up.
They had been running the bakery for 35 years at that point. But the people of Kalamazoo had other ideas, holding several fundraisers. “She [Judy] did not organize it, and Ken did not organize it. The main reason the bakery is back open today is that sort of community engagement,” Wells says. “So, while we have directly and indirectly had an impact on the community, the community has an even bigger impact on us,” he says.
The 32-hour experiment
Internally, the bakery has also reimagined what labor can look like in the food industry. In recent years, Sarkozy Bakery has implemented what they called the “32-hour experiment,” a four-day workweek with no reduction in pay. The idea came after Judy took a three-day weekend for the first time when she was 80 years old and returned refreshed, wanting staff to experience the same balance.
Wells’ initial reaction was “cool, that sounds impossible” because the bakery was staffed with hourly workers who were there to make money. The idea was simple but risky: improve work-life balance while maintaining a sustainable business. “On paper, we could not afford it,” Wells admits.
Sarkozy provided a pay raise to offset fewer hours and equate to what they earned at 40 hours a week.
The results proved transformative. Staff retention increased, efficiency improved, and the experiment became permanent. “We called it the 32-hour experiment, which was four years ago; it’s not really an experiment anymore,” he says. “It’s just the way we operate.”
Employees say the change has transformed their experience at work. “I feel very cared about,” said Jack, a manager at the bakery. “The fact that they are prioritizing having a four-day work week and improving everybody’s physical health makes me feel like I want to put in that bit of extra work. It is very employee mental- and physical-health focused, and I appreciate that a lot,” he says.
Kyuu, a baker at Sarkozy Bakery, shared a similar perspective. “It’s amazing, not only getting a raise but also being told to work one less day a week. It has given me more time to work on the other projects that I haven’t finished. I feel cared about here,” they said. “I am very happy to be here. I didn’t know small businesses could thrive this much, and it is very refreshing to live somewhere where that’s the case.”
Sarkozy Bakery is more than just bread or business. It is proof of the importance of community. It is about a place where care flows in both directions, where a bakery feeds a city, and a city, in turn, keeps a bakery alive. In an industry often defined by burnout and accidents, Sarkozy stands as an example of what becomes possible when labor, ethics, and community are inseparable.
