20+ years ago, I decided I wanted to open a bakery. I was lucky to get hired as a night baker at the Daily Bread. I was even luckier to be trained by Rob Himmel. He was the perfect teacher; an infectious joy of baking, a great East Coast sense of humor and the patience to teach a novice the ropes of commercial baking.

Rob and I stayed in touch through the years as he developed the successful City Bakery and I started the Bloomington Bagel Co. Eventually he started selling our bagels and we would employ his staff when he closed for seasonal breaks. The best part was sharing joint custody of the ever famous Bagel Dave Boyer.

A few months ago, Rob was considering taking an extended break. He still had a remaining lease but felt it was a good time to consider stepping out of the baking business. I was honored when Rob asked the Bloomington Bagel Co to assume his lease. And we are.

Today we open our fourth Bloomington Bagel Co at 1318 E. Third St. And this could not have happened without Rob’s support and the support of the new owner of Bear’s Place, Andrew Thomas. If you haven’t checked out Bear’s Place recently, please do. They have renovated, added a new menu, patio and the BBC.

I am even prouder to tell you that Bagel Dave will continue in his role of Master of Bagel Ceremonies!

Thank you as always to the Bloomington community for your support. It takes a village to start a small business and because of your support, we continue to grow the hole thing. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. At least I kept it PG.

We remain at your service and “Locally Owned and Boiled!”