As a longtime resident of New York City, Jennifer Gonzalez-Neely couldn’t imagine a morning without a warm bagel in her hand. Even as breakfast trends shifted, and avocado toast dominated menus all around the city, her ritual remained intact: toasted sesame with garlic schmear to fortify her during a busy week.
When Gonzalez-Neely moved west and settled in Santa Barbara just as the pandemic was intensifying across the globe, she was surprised to learn that a traditional bagel shop was as rare as a summer storm.
“I mean, I had met all of these New York transplants,” she recalled. “There had to be a good bagel shop to support their habit, right?”
But the classic boil and bake malted variety with a crisp shell that yielded to a chewy interior was nowhere to be found. What’s more, Gonzalez-Neely’s lifestyle had changed since her city gal days – she had a family now and sourcing quality, nourishing ingredients was a priority. So, she did what any tech executive would do when faced with a culinary quandary: she reverse-engineered her ideal bagel, beginning with a deep immersion into the world of sourdough starters courtesy of local chef Pascale Beale. Settling on a 48-hour ferment, Gonzales-Neely submerged and fired up dough in the late hours of the night until she landed on just the right texture. From there, she began experimenting with savory and sweet flavor profiles that pulled from worldly sensibilities. Za’atar and gochujang and furikake joined the poppy and sesame seed charge, along with a roasted “everything” topping that balanced piquant and smoky flavors with subtlety. The bagels made their way to neighbors and friends, eventually kicking up a demand that required a formal baking schedule and ordering system.
“Food is my love language,” Gonzalez-Neely emphasized. “After my second child, I knew I wanted to translate that into a community offering.”
Gonzalez-Neely carefully arranges a selection of still warm bagels and freshly made spreads onto a large platter before sliding them in my direction. At first glance, they resemble the kind of bagel you might find at any corner deli back east, their blistered tops piled high with familiar-looking garnishes. One bite, and the distinctions start to dance around the mouth: crunchy sea salt flakes folded into raw sesame seeds; the satisfying tang of a sourdough center; farmers’ market blueberries bursting through a hint of whole wheat. A swipe of garlic confit and herbed cream cheese compliments the poppy seed variety, its silken texture punctuated by a wholly satisfying crunch. I dress a sea salt sesame with cinnamon honey butter and close my eyes as I take a bite, the recollection of a Turkish dessert swirling somewhere in the distance. Born and raised in the Philippines, Gonzalez-Neely is no stranger to the gastronomical trifecta of alat (salty), asim (sour), and tamis (sweet), represented brilliantly through the malt and seasonings and wild yeast of a Mother Dough bagel. Each weekly bake embodies the unification of culture and memory – a culinary history perfectly suspended in dough. One month later, she has easily created the most distinguished bagels on the Central Coast, adding to the area’s rising reputation as a mecca for all things naturally leavened, gut-friendly, and mother-approved.
Mother Dough Bagels orders begin at noon on Tuesdays for a Saturday pick-up.
