Baked with Love

Jennifer Gonzalez-Neely comes to her love of bagels honestly. She grew up in New York, and recalls, “Having a bagel was part of my weekly, if not daily, diet.” But that doesn’t mean she won’t give them a twist at Mother Dough Bagels, open for a very successful eight months now in the former Recipes Bakery spot on Santa Barbara Street.

For while she rightfully asserts, “They are New York–inspired, and you will taste the malt, and it will be boiled,” the sourdough (her starter is named Rocky, which her daughter came up with) makes her bagels more Californian. Then there’s one more way Mother Dough distinguishes itself — “I incorporate Asian-inspired flavors close to my heart, as I was born in the Philippines,” she says.

Turns out the culinary bug runs in Gonzalez-Neely’s family. Her brother, a chef in Connecticut, loved playing with Asian-fusion flavors, even serving burgers on ube buns. Inspired by his creativity, Gonzalez-Neely asked herself, “How come nobody puts furikake on a bagel?” It worked. A blend of seaweed, sesame, sugar, and sea salt was the “everything” topping people craved. Jennifer’s follow-up question became, “If I can do that with a bagel, why shouldn’t my spreads be as creative?” Meet the best-selling gochujang cream cheese. 

The success now — Mother Dough has even been doing joint-efforts with Bibi Ji, Barbareño, and Two Baking Brits — wasn’t something the Neelys dreamed of back during the early days of the pandemic. (Husband and business partner Tom “bounced around the corporate world for 15 years,” hiding a hankering to open a small business someday.) After having their two children, Jennifer, who had a background in branding and marketing, admits, “I had a bit of an identity crisis, as I didn’t want to be in front of a computer all day while someone else watched the kids.” 

The two devised a plan that gave Jennifer six months to learn all she could about baking and bagels in particular. Starting to sell bagels from their house for pickup during the pandemic, “demand was huge; we’d sell out in under five minutes,” Tom says.

The hunt for a commercial kitchen, the obvious next step, was bumpy. A real estate agent client took them to check out the adorable Recipes spot that Tom remembered seemed “a pipe dream.” But Jennifer wrote a letter to the owner laying out what they hoped to do, and also played on the fact that they would be across from a construction zone for years as the new police station goes up. It worked; Jennifer claims, “The owner thought we’d keep the soul of the place.”

In the eight months they’ve been open, just Fridays through Sundays, business has boomed to the point the Neelys are again looking for an off-site kitchen for bagel production. Turns out the space now is so small, they can’t make eggs and bagels at the same time. “Coming from New York and knowing the usual unlimited options at a bagel shop, we hope to do that,” Jennifer says. “But we do make everything from scratch — even if it’s more laborious, it’s worth it.” 

Inside Mother Dough | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom

That everything includes jam made with the French method (a three-day process), house cured salmon, and handmade syrups for coffees, including the in-demand miso-caramel that Jennifer calls “not too sweet with a salty umami profile.” While she’s serving the flavors she loves, she’s also wise enough to admit, “That’s my branding brain. Buzzwords like miso, furikake, yuzu — it’s what people like.” All that said, at least more grab-and-go items, especially for lunch, will be coming soon. Maybe, eventually, Filipino food pop-ups.

The couple have been overwhelmed by the support of the community, especially fellow restaurateurs and those in the business. Jennifer took an early bread class with Pascale Beale and considers her a mentor, saying, “She’s a great businessperson as well as a chef.” 

Julian Martinez, the executive chef at Barbareño, early on reached out to say, “I am here to help you,” Jennifer says.

So, among all the other ways Mother Dough grows, connecting with the community will be at the forefront. “I like the idea of highlighting local businesses — it’s not easy here,” says Jennifer. “It’s good to collaborate, cross-promote. It’s my favorite thing.”

Mother Dough Bagels, 604 Santa Barbara St.; open Friday (8 a.m.-1p.m.), Saturday, and Sunday (9 a.m.-1p.m.);motherdoughbagels.com; @motherdoughbagels