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44 | SEPTEMBER 3 • 2020 

“Bread has always been something 
that’
s interested me because there is so 
much science behind it. It involves the 
manipulation of time, temperature and 
humidity. I wanted to create my own 
bagel, not replicate a certain style,” Sam 
said, sounding like a scientist in his own 
bagel laboratory. 
To that end he began experimenting, 
formulating his own recipes by tinkering 
with ingredients and using sourdough 
yeast instead of the typically used com-
mercial brand. 
His crispy on the outside, chewy on the 
inside bagels made their Traverse City 
debut at the Sara Hardy’
s Farmer’
s Market 
in June of 2019. He would set up at 6:30 
a.m. and be sold out by 8 or 9 a.m. The 
bagel fressing (feeding) frenzy was on. He 
continued to sell out for weeks on end 
and realized there was enough “dough” in 
his bagel biz to support a storefront.
“The really cool thing about Traverse 
City,” Sam said, “is it actually reminds 
me of the Jewish community in Detroit. 
Everyone kind of knows everyone and 
there’
s just a lot of love and support.”
That support that Sam is a benefi-
ciary of in Traverse City extends to the 
close-knit food community as well. He 
has great friends in the local farming 
community, who play a major role in sup-
plying him with the produce to create his 

wide variety of fresh, homemade cream 
cheeses. 
Even before founding Bubbie’
s Bagels, 
it wasn’
t unusual for Sam’
s grandmother’
s 
influence and his love for his Jewish 
upbringing to show up in his work. I 
tongue-in-cheek inquired if that meant 
he catered his own bar mitzvah at Adat 
Shalom in 2004. Not exactly that far back, 
he confirmed. But it was at a catered 
event in Traverse City in 2018 that his 
pride in his Jewish heritage showed up.
It was just before Rosh Hashanah. Sam, 
in the role of corporate chef for Fustini’
s, 
had been charged with presenting and 
describing each course in a prepared 
multi-course dinner for a gathering at 
Bowers Harbor Vineyards.
The only dessert featured that night 
was Bubbie Esther’
s honey cake, which 
Sam purposely prepared in honor of the 
Jewish High Holiday. 
To the mostly non-Jewish diners, Sam 
explained the significance of the ingredients 
of apple and honey in the cake. “With Rosh 
Hashanah approaching, I wanted everyone 
to know that the ingredients were symbolic 
of my wishes for a sweet year,
” he said. 
Sam’
s parents were in attendance that 
night and proudly witnessed what they 
described was “an incredibly proud and 
heartwarming scene.
”
He’
s earned quite the reputation for 

bagels. “I’
ve gotten a lot of messages on 
Instagram and Facebook from other bagel 
shops around the country talking about 
expansion and different ideas,
” Sam said. 
He also gives tremendous credit to Ben 
Newman of Downtown’
s Detroit Institute of 
Bagels, whom he describes as “an awesome 
resource, amazing.
”
Today, Bubbie’
s Bagels also features 
incredible bagel sandwiches, plus all the 
must-have accoutrements that accompany 
a legitimate bagel meal — Nova lox, tuna, 
whitefish and egg salad (sold by the pound) 
and add-ons like homemade pickled red 
onion and capers.
Sam’
s journey has been a labor of love 
— for his Bubbie, his culinary career and 
his Traverse City community. It’
s also been, 
well, a lot of labor — nine employees and 
five days of prep required for one batch of 
bagels, made to perfection using age-old 
fermenting, boiling and baking techniques, 
which are the hallmark of a truly great 
bagel.
While it does sound like Bubbie’
s Bagels 
is destined for expansion, Sam said, “I’
m 
just taking it day by day, focusing on the 
bagels, making sure everything is consis-
tent. I want to keep the quality as high as 
possible because that’
s absolutely the most 
important thing.
” 
It’
s what his Bubbie Esther would want, 
too. 

Bagels Galore

Bubbie’
s Bagels has it all: plain, sesa-
me, poppy, onion, Everything, cinnamon 
raisin, black pepper parmesan, caraway 
rye, salt stick … The biggest seller is the 
“Everything” bagel.
According to Sam, “The Caraway bagel 
is one that’
s really near and dear to 
our hearts. It’
s probably the one we’
ve 
worked the hardest on. We use a locally 
milled rye flour. In essence, it’
s a pumper-
nickel bagel without the dark appearance 
because we don’
t use food coloring like 
other bagel shops.” 
Bagels can be enjoyed with the store’
s 
own signature coffee affectionately 
named and packaged as “Bubbie’
s 
Blend.” Plus, Bubbie’
s Bagels is also 
supplied with extraordinary tea blends 
harvested by a local flower farm.

Nosh

eats | drinks | sweets

