During a three week RV trip from Iowa to Alaska in May of 2015, we reconnected with younger versions of ourselves - the dreamers, the entrepreneurs, the wanderlusters. We yearned for adventure, more freedom, and a simpler, more authentic existence that gave us more quality time together. One year later, we left our jobs, rented our house, sold most of our belongings and took a huge risk in order to have the adventure of a lifetime and reinvent ourselves. 

 

Marc always enjoyed baking bread. As a science teacher, he liked the chemistry of baking. After settling into our new home in Costa Rica, Marc’s baking continued and he started experimenting with bagel recipes to fill a gap in the expat community. It wasn’t long before the kitchen experiments turned into a tiny business, providing bagels to friends. Then, it became more than friends and the Bagel Kitchen Costa Rica was born. Due to the global pandemic and the impact it had on tourism and ultimately the business, we closed the Costa Rica business in Feb 2021. 

 

In the Fall of 2020, we began servicing the EGR community by making bagels under the Cottage Law from our home. The demand grew and it became clear we had an opportunity to serve the community on a larger scale, so in August 2021, we opened a physical location at 2228 Wealthy Street and started to conceptualize the first Bagel Kitchen in Grand Rapids.