Bagel Daddies becomes breakout star with help from Local First Community Kitchen

Over the past 15 months, Chris Fregozo has experienced the joy of being involved with the births of two babies.

One, his own second child. The other, his own business. 

While his infant may need a few months to learn to walk, his business — Bagel Daddies — is off and running after spending just one year in Local First Arizona’s Food Business Incubator Program at its South Phoenix Community Kitchen. 

Upon exiting the incubation program to settle into his own location, Fregozo told his nearly 2,000 Instagram followers he was “only crying a little,” joking that it was time for “this little birdie to spread his doughy, carb-filled wings.”

‘I’ve benefited in so many ways’

Preparing local food entrepreneurs to spread their wings is the goal of Local First’s Food Business Incubator Program, which includes a 6-week Restaurant Startup Boot Camp and community kitchens in South Phoenix and Mesa. 

The boot camp empowers Arizonans with food concepts or existing food startups to become full-fledged, revenue-generating successes, while the kitchens provide entrepreneurs with low-cost access to commercial-grade kitchen equipment and support for two years.

Having worked with more than 220 graduates since 2019, the programs help build a diverse community of food artisans, launch entrepreneurial ventures and enrich an already vibrant local food economy in South Phoenix and Mesa. Two new kitchens are slated to open in Maryvale and downtown Phoenix.

“I’ve benefited in so many ways,” Fregozo said of his participation in the program.

From farmers markets to brick-and-mortar

He entered the program in February of 2022 and quickly earned a devoted following from bagel-loving patrons who discovered him at Park West Farmers Market and the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market. 

He soon expanded to offer wholesale orders and forged partnerships with local vendors to acquire high-quality, local ingredients — to include salmon from Chula Seafood, flour from Hayden Flour Mills, honey from Twisted Bee Farms and produce from a host of local growers.

Now Bagel Daddies sells out of its handmade breakfast creations every day, sometimes even before it closes at noon. 

Artistic and pop culture-inspired flavors

With a rotating selection of flavors that include artistic creations like Pepitas and Maple, Bagel Bam Bam (covered in Fruity Pebbles) and pop culture-inspired sandwiches such as the Notorious BEC and the Cheddie Gibbs, Bagel Daddies has carved out a tasty niche.

“There’s no secret to our bagels. Just love. Long, cold fermentation. And, amazing ingredients,” Fregozo said, noting that the bagels may come at the expense of mild carpal tunnel syndrome.

“Local quality ingredients make all the difference in everything that we do and stand for,” he said.

In fact, Fregozo loves the spirit of Phoenix-based organizations so much, he has started covering the fridge at Bagel Daddies with stickers from all the local businesses with whom he works. 

“My favorite thing about starting a business is connecting and meeting so many other people with beautiful, unique visions,” Fregozo said. 

Want to learn more about Local First’s food entrepreneur programs? Visit www.goodfoodfinderaz.com/community-kitchens to get started.

We need your support! Local First Arizona Localists, our legion of recurring donors, allow us to provide these important programs to Arizona entrepreneurs. Become a Localist today by setting up a recurring donation at localfirstaz.com/localist.