Earlier this month, I was invited to a special event at Blazing Bagels in Redmond to learn more about the company and taste some of what they have to offer. The event was organized by Annie Nguyen and the great staff at Blazing Bagels. I’ve been a fan of the bagels for a long time. I was surprised to find out about some of their other offerings so I’m sharing with you!

I was struck by the origin story of the company as told by owner/founder Dennis Ballen. Dennis began selling bagels and cream cheese out of a handmade bagel cart to local businesses after being laid off from a sales job of many years. As the business grew and supply dwindled, he hired a consultant to learn how to make his own bagels. From there, Dennis opened the first retail shop in Redmond in 2001, to be followed over the years by locations in Bellevue, T-Mobile Field, and Sodo.

I’m a big fan of tours of kitchens/production facilities. I’m interested in machinery, innovative ideas, and inspired workers. I love it all! In addition to seeing multiple processes of bagel production, I found Dennis’ stories about equipment very real – how to save money when your business is starting. Dennis did what we all would do – look to our local online source for new/used equipment that will work and modify it as necessary.

That night, I had a chance to catch up with friends in the food community over a meal. On hand was my Seattle Foodie Podcast co-host Nelson Lau and many other friends. As I mentioned, there’s a lot more to the company than just bagels. But before getting to that, I have to say my favorites are the pizza bagel, everything bagel, and blueberry! They have great texture, are the right size, and are satisfying in so many ways! They offer a whopping 35 different bagel flavors and hand formed gluten free bagels! Blazing Bagels also serves classic NY deli sandwiches and customized vegetarian and vegan options.

The Greek Challah French toast with yogurt, honey, and berries was a beautiful sight! I’m a lover of French toast and this didn’t disappoint!

My favorite thing that night was the Blazing-Uli @ the Beech(ers), a collaborative breakfast sandwich. All the flavors I love in a delightful sandwich!

Bagel bites and chips were available for tasting with cream cheese. Have you tried cabernet cherry or reuben flavors? I’ve never had anything like it! Both tasted just like you would imagine. I mean, a glass of wine or reuben sandwich in a cream cheese! How dreamy is that?

Bagel dog bites are great for a quick snack on the go, which I love! They’re just the right size and have a good meat to bagel ratio.

Need dessert? Blazing Bagels served up fudge caramel brownies and lemon bars – yum!

If you haven’t visited Blazing Bagels yet, what are you waiting for? Go eat a bagel!!!