About Danna & Our Bagels | The Fleishman’s Story
I've always been a foodie. Ever since I was a kid, visiting my dad in NYC and New Jersey every weekend, food was at the center of it all. We had a ritual: bagels with schmear, whitefish salad, and kippered salmon from one of the many bagel shops. It was pure comfort, a slice of the city in every bite.
When I moved to Colorado, I lost that. Bagels just weren't the same here. I found myself missing that authentic, chewy, boiled bagel that I grew up with. Eventually, I stopped eating bagels altogether because they just couldn’t compare. But instead of giving up, I had this spark—this crazy idea: "Why not bring real bagels to Boulder?" That thought stuck with me, and I knew I had to do it.
So, I packed my bags and headed back to NYC (technically I was in NJ, but who wants to admit that they were in NJ). I went straight to my mentors—people who had been making bagels for over 50 years. They taught me the craft, shared their secrets, and after countless conversations, I felt ready to start. But let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. I spent a full year working on the recipe, testing bagels every week. Six months in, I threw away the first recipe entirely and started over.
It took me another six months to finally get it right, but when I did—it was magic.
In 2020, I was ready to open my own bagel shop. I had a lease signed, everything in motion—and then COVID hit. Every restaurant across the country shut down, including mine before I even had a chance to get started. I had to pull out of the lease, and for a while, I didn’t know what the next step would be.
But giving up wasn’t an option. That’s when I decided to go the food truck route. It took almost three years to finally open, but on January 18, 2023, Fleishman’s Bagels hit the streets of Boulder.
The road has been anything but smooth. Within the first three months, my truck was broken into three times. A lot of things were stolen or damaged, and there were moments when I wondered if I could keep going. But I regrouped, tightened security, and pressed forward. Since then, things have been much smoother—though, like anything, there are always challenges.
At Fleishman’s, we bring a taste of New York to Colorado. Our menu is all about authenticity—hand-rolled, boiled, and baked bagels, just like back East. Whether it’s a bagel with schmear, a Reuben, kippered salmon, or our famous Matzo Ball Soup, everything we do is about quality and passion. We’re a locally-owned food truck, and I couldn’t be prouder to serve this community. We’ve had our share of bumps in the road, but we’re here, and we’re delivering that real New York flavor to Boulderites one bagel at a time.