With a New Name and Location, Squarz Bakery Continues Its Mission to ‘Inspire Joy’

Romeo Montague would be surprised to hear that in the modern era, where people tend to decide on a place to eat based on a Google listing or a social media handle, a name holds a lot of meaning. This is why Squarz Bakery & Cafe owner and baker Steven Gerner recently changed his company’s name to Buttered Up Bakery.

“When I started this, we literally just made little square mini pies,” Gerner explains. “(But now) we don’t only make square products. And we wanted something that easily expressed the values that we have.”

While Gerner plans to eventually rename his company's locations in Tempe and Scottsdale, he decided to start with the newest location in Mesa.

Tucked away in an auto industrial complex just east of the Broadway Road exit on Arizona Loop 101, Buttered Up Bakery is not the easiest to spot. But the company was in need of a new production facility, having outgrown its space in Tempe, and this location fit the bill. Upon moving in, Gerner realized there was enough space for a modest dining area and built a communal space for ordering and eating.
It would be a bold move for some to build a new location, with a new name, in an area with no visibility from a major street. But when you’ve built your company around fostering community, people tend to find you, Gerner says.

After a decade of working with the public, Gerner is a natural people person. He thrives on meeting new guests and welcoming them to try his food.

“Slowly but surely, we built up a steady stream of regulars,” he says.

Finding His True Calling

In 2008, Gerner graduated from the University of Arizona with a double major in political science and biochemistry and molecular biophysics. Unsure of what to do next, he joined the Peace Corps and volunteered in South Africa for two years. The experience introduced Gerner to a philosophical concept that, unbeknownst to him then, would heavily influence his business.

"Ubuntu" is a phrase commonly used throughout South Africa. Roughly translated, it means “I am because we are.” Stemming from the African proverb “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu,” it serves as a reminder to “ensure human dignity is at the core” of one’s actions.

“In South Africa...my purpose was defined by the ability to give back and serve other people,” Gerner says. “We all have to be part of being present for one another to have a meaningful, enriching life.”

Once he returned to the U.S., Gerner wasn’t sold on getting a desk job that directly opposed the values now engrained in his life. He began baking, a family pastime for five generations. Gerner’s great-grandfather worked as a baker at the Fred Harvey Hotel Restaurant in Williams, Arizona.

Inspired by the meat pies he ate during his travels, Gerner and his sister started by selling square pies at local farmers' markets in 2011. As demand grew, so did the need for a brick-and-mortar location. The original Squarz bakery opened in Tempe in 2015, with a Scottsdale location following in 2018. With each location came new additions to the menu, often stemming from customer suggestions.


“The Tempe location used to be a Hungry Howie’s. People would come in and say they couldn’t find other pizza in the area they liked, so we created one using our laminate dough,” Gerner says.

Gerner still counts many people he met at Roadrunner Park Farmers’ Market in Phoenix as clients and friends. Customers regularly ask him to adapt their family recipes to sell at the bakery. By fostering a community through the literal act of breaking bread, Gerner found his calling.

“Being able to have that kind of connection," Gerner says, "brings me so much joy to be part of someone's life like that."

Getting Creative and Sparking Joy

At Buttered Up Bakery, guests will find the same menu items at other Squarz locations. The only difference, notes Operations Manager Joe Fortier, is a few new items.

“We’ll have those on hand a little earlier than our other locations,” he says.

And there is never a shortage of new items to try. There’s typically a monthly rotating pastry, plus delicacies made at the whim of Gerner and his team. There have been seasonal treats, like a mint green croissant for St. Patricks Day, and more whimsical items like the cosmic croissant, which won over the heart and tastebuds of a former Phoenix New Times editor.
In a digital age, it's easy to assume that a restaurant only creates eye-catching menu items for the ‘gram. Photogenic pastries are great, but Buttered Up Bakery strives to create whimsical items for an additional reason.

“We have three core goals as a company. One is to inspire joy,” Gerner says. “We want everything new that we create to feel joyful.”

His most joyful creation to date? A red velvet croissant for the Red for Ed movement in 2018. To show support for the teachers and fellow attendees at a rally held at the state Capitol, he and his team made “hundreds” of croissants to hand out for free.

“I was really grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community,” Gerner recalls.