Exploring Life & Business with Jen Kremer of Everything Bagels

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Kremer.

Hi Jen, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
What started as a cute project to cure my husband’s boredom with the local bagel scene turned into art!! I just literally out of a complete daydream decided to open a bagel shop when he gave me 2 thumbs up on my first round of funky bagels. The food industry has always been my life.

I went to culinary school immediately after graduating college and have years of experience in professional kitchens as well as the front of the house, creating and collaborating with some of the top chefs in the areas I have lived in (NYC, Philly, and DC). For several years prior to moving back to my home state of NC, I owned a group of allergy-free bakeries in Philadelphia, PA. (Sweet Freedom Bakery).

After running them from afar, I needed a change and I needed to be actually working with food and seeing the smiles created by the food I make again. Being a mom of a young girl, I wanted to work while she was in school and keep my evenings free to enjoy our family.

I jumped on the daydream and made it happen. After perfecting my recipes, I reached out to various friends in the industry and apprenticed with a few bagel shops in Philly and Virginia. Then, I found the PERFECT location for my shop in Durham, NC, and immediately began putting the plan of creating the craziest and funkiest bagel flavor combos I could.

The BEST part is, I struck gold when I met Chef Ray Williams. Ray comes with TREMENDOUS skills, a crazy palate to match mine, and he is JUST as passionate about the “wow factor” I try to create, and most importantly, he LOVES food.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part, it has been smooth. We were fortunate in 2019 to have amazing friends at The Durham Hotel that gave us a few weekend opportunities to build our following with “pop-ups”.  We were also invited to attend a few festivals and create a little buzz.

Then, 3 weeks before we were slated to open in February 2020, well… We all know what happened- COVID. So as hard as we worked to get things going, it all came to a screeching halt. After LOTS of negotiation, tears, fear, laughs, and researching, we opened the doors to The Durham Foodhall (we are located inside) and got REALLY creative with our “new normal” until we AND the public were comfortable.

Immediately, we were slammed and loved and we are very fortunate to be so loved. Durham is a wonderful city for a small business.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We’re a boutique bagel shop located in The Durham Foodhall serving locally sourced, avant-garde bagel creations. We won Best Bagels in the Triangle our first year open and we are very eager to continue being the trendsetters in the bagel world.

Our hyper-local and seasonal menus reflect that we strive to only work with and support small local farms. We can also be found at the Chapel Hill Farmers’ Market on Tuesdays April-November.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
My passion for food isn’t limited to just bagels. In January 2022, I purchased a pizzeria (also inside The Durham Foodhall).

Napoli Durham is a Neapolitan Wood-fired Pizzeria & Gelateria offering authentic Neapolitan pizza and gelato (with some fun twists on classics). Yes, I’ve been busy!!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: Www.everything bagels.net
• Instagram: @bagelologist
• Facebook: @bagelologist
• Twitter: @bagelologist
• Other: Naplolidurham.com

Image Credits
Heather Varner Fivefeathersphoto.com