Is this up-and-coming vendor the bagel version of Wizard of Za?
Bears Bagels is looking to take a bite out of the local breakfast market.
The concept–created by Charis Yost (son of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost) and Lo Yost–is still in its fledgling stages, but don’t be surprised if their coming-of-age happens a lot sooner than you think.
This is in part because the duo is now all-in on bagels. According to Charis Yost, who recently left his role as General Manager of 101 Beer Kitchen to focus on bagels full-time, the concept began as a pandemic hobby. This eventually led to a proprietary master recipe that’s somewhere between a fluffy New York style bagel and a crunchy Montreal bagel.
“Ours are sort of the best of both worlds, with a wonderful fluffy, chewy interior and hearty, blistered exterior,” he said. “And it’s something that Columbus hasn’t seen much of.”
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For comparison, Block’s Bagels are typically considered to be of the New York variety. Yost said The Lox Bagel Shop creates a hybrid style, similar to Bears Bagels.
But don’t take our word for it, because Columbus is currently eating up the new bagel maker. Bears started by regularly selling out of online pick-up offerings “typically within an hour.” Now, Bears Bagels has hit the market circuit hard, recently selling hundreds of bagels at an event in Hilliard, and 360 bagels at Gemut’s Biergarten’s Autumn Market earlier this month.
“It’s one thing to get great reviews online, but to have people come up to you and tell how amazing they think your bagels are, it’s truly validating. We love it,” Yost said.
Bears Bagels typically offers plain bagels, rosemary sea salt, everything and sesame varieties using their master recipe, in addition to other rotating flavors, like tomato basil, fried pickles and more.
Customers can keep track of events (although the colder months bring a lull in outdoor markets) by following Bears’ Instagram, in addition to an online signup portal, which starts next week and will offer regular pickups every Tuesday and Thursday.
And the Yosts don’t plan to stop growing anytime soon. The duo plans to obtain a commissary kitchen soon, with eventual plans for a brick and mortar location that they hope will launch sometime next year.
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