Meet Daniel Dunietz

Food and Judaism have long been connected — from latkes and matzo brei, to

jachnun, and yes, even gefilte fish. One of the quintessential Jewish food staples is the

humble bagel, well… at least not during Pesach. Bagels, invented by Jews in middle

age Poland, are a delectable item that have been part of many people’s diets up until

today, and one Polish Jew decided to perfect the art of the bagel right here in Isla

Vista.

Meet Daniel Dunietz: A UCSB alumnus, he has dreamed of comforting food concoctions

since he was in high school. As an adult, he opened a Buddha Bowls (later renamed

Dank Bowls), serving up delicious food in huge bread bowls, which later turned into

Yetz’z bagels. I had the pleasure of interviewing him and asking him about his story,

his restaurant, and bagels.

When interviewing Daniel, my initial question was about his inspiration to open

a restaurant in the first place. He told me he had a dream in high school to create a

creative concept bagel place, with menu items such as a deep dish pizza bagel, but throughout his time at UC

Santa Barbara is that there (at the time) were no good bagels anywhere in IV or Santa Barbara

Barbara. Daniel stated that he was drawn to food service because he loves meeting new people, and that food was always his favorite way to do that. He started

with small pop-ups in IV, and eventually graduated to having a restaurant of his own.

My next question for Daniel was why he decided to transition his business to making

bagels. Originally, he decided to have Yetz’s Bagels as a pop-up in Dank Bowls, but

continue to operate Dank Bowls. Over time, he realized that Yetz’s Bagels was both a

much better business venture, and one that better fit his lifestyle. When he ran

Dank Bowls, he would oftentimes sell 20 or fewer meals up until 5pm and only after

that would business pick up. Additionally, due to the very large portion sizes, he did not

have a regular customer base (and sometimes he had to deal with vomit!). When he

switched to bagels, he noticed the same people coming in repeatedly, because unlike

a bread bowl filled with mac n’ cheese, one can eat a bagel every single day.

The following question I asked was how did bagels connect to his heritage. As a Polish

Jew, he always found himself eating bagels: for breakfast, for dinner,

at Bar Mitzvahs, at Yom Kippur break fasts, and at weddings. He then went further into

bagel history, explaining that there are many theories about why and how bagels

were invented, such as Jews not being able to use the same ovens as Christians – he does not believe this theory, he just knows that bagels are a Jewish creation. His father’s side of the family comes from Chełm, from where bagels are theorized to have originated. So for him, going way back, his own ancestors were

eating some of the first bagels.

The proceeding question I gave to Daniel was his philosophy about making bagels.

Putting it simply, he told me that there are much fewer ways to make bagels than

people think. Since it's been a food that's been around for such a long time, a lot

of the ratios and techniques have been perfected. For him, the key is boiling the bagels, despite the fact that is it very time consuming, it is absolutely

necessary for the best bagel. He went on to describe how certain bakeries use an oven

that pumps steam into the bagels, which can emulate boiling them before baking them,

but  to him, this is the “bastardized little brother” of real bagels.

My next question for Daniel was about the future of Yetz’s Bagels. He told me that in

the near future, he is opening a location in Goleta (by Target), but he is unsure if he

wants to keep opening more stores. On the one hand, he told me, he wants to start a

family and be there for them, but on the other hand, there is

still a severe lack of good bagels in SB proper, and he would like to see that problem

solved.

Lastly, I asked him what his favorite order was — he told me he likes The

Deluxe on a sesame and onion bagel.

In conclusion, Yetz’s Bagels is a major food staple for many in Isla Vista, but behind the

restaurant is a story, and a man who is dedicated to his craft. What originally started as

a restaurant serving bread bowls has sprouted into a restaurant serving (in my personal

opinion) the most delicious bagels you can find in Santa Barbara county. Overall, Daniel’s story of craft and Polish Jewish heritage

shed light onto why Yetz’s Bagels are so delectable and popular.