Eat Local is more than a slogan, Mary Karlin is on a mission

Mary Karlin and Bert Archer of Brick House Bakers have been a strong influence on the local food scene since relocating from their home in Sonoma, California over ten years ago where she taught for culinary school and he was a contractor for nearly thirty years.

Their work in Superior reaches back to their early brick-and-mortar venture, TOAST, where they first introduced the town to their signature breads and woodfired flavors. From there, they built Brick House Bakers, transforming their Heiner Street compound into a working bakery and gathering space. Along the way, they helped grow the Superior Farmers Market into a reliable weekly hub and have consistently championed local growers, producers, and makers.

Through each chapter — from TOAST to today — their hands-on commitment has helped cultivate a stronger, more connected local food ecosystem in Superior.

They are now on their fourth year of hosting Taste of Superior during the Superior Home Show, where they invite vendors like Aravaipa Condor to sell their array of locally-made jams, jellies, fruit leathers, empanadas and tamales.

This year’s Taste of Superior included Brick House Baker’s variety of sourdough breads, focaccia, and Bert’s mini pizza’s made-to-order, as well as his popular sourdough starter-pizza dough, which he began selling years ago for patrons to take home and make their own pizzas.

Karlin says the couple, who now bake six days a week, sell approximately 40 to 50 loaves a week, and double that during the Taste of Superior event every January.

"This year, we sold 100-plus loaves and probably that many pizzas this weekend,” Mary says.

“It’s just Bert and me now,” she adds.

Both are in their seventies, and the days are long. They’re up by 6 a.m. and rarely stop before 4. Bake days run four days a week, with Saturdays devoted to the Farmers Market. They bring in help when they can, but the work — mixing, shaping, baking, packaging, delivering, and selling — rests mostly on their shoulders. Tuesdays are reserved for classic sourdough.

The Eat Local Superior campaign grew out of Local First Arizona’s broader Eat Local/ Good Food Finder initiative. In Superior, Mary Karlin has taken that framework and made it her own — using it to encourage residents and visitors to buy local, eat local, and strengthen a truly regional food economy. Eat Local Superior is an extension of what she has done with the Superior Farmers’ Market and Brick House Gardens and her passion for growing a local food hub and supporting the cottage industry in her community.

For those who missed the event, you’ll find BHB at the Superior Farmer’s Market every Saturday through May. They can be found in the food court, or if the weather is bad, the market moves inside to the Superior Chamber of Commerce.