never toasted

Florida-based bagel shop sprints into first Houston opening

Jeff's Bagel Run has arrived in Houston.

Courtesy of Jeff's Bagel Run

Houston has a new option for hot bagels. Jeff’s Bagel Run, a Florida-based bagel bakery and coffee shop, will celebrate its grand opening this Friday, January 10.

Located in West University Place at 3849 Bellaire Blvd., Jeff’s Bagel Run serves 15 flavors of bagels in both traditional flavors like poppy, sesame, salt, and everything as well as more unusual twists such as asiago, cacio e pepe, and jalapeno cheddar. Daily specials, announced via social media, give customers even more options. Since the bagels are boiled and baked throughout the day, they’re served hot — without the need for toasting that’s an anathema for bagel purists.

Its spread are similarly diverse, covering everything from chive and onion and plain cream cheese to more offbeat choices such as banana pudding and cannoli. Vegan spreads are also available. Beverage choices include hot or iced coffee, lattes in a range of flavors, cold brew, and lemonade.

Danielle and Jeff Perera founded Jeff’s Bagel Run in 2019 as a home-based business. When demand surged during the pandemic, they opened their first brick-and-mortar location in Ocoee, Florida in 2021. Eventually, they drew the attention of uBreakiFix founder Justin Wetherill, who provided the necessary backing for additional locations in Central Florida.

Houston franchisees Brian and Jillian Hess previously owned uBreakiFix locations. They’re using their franchise expertise to bring as many as five Jeff’s to Houston.

“Houston is a culinary powerhouse like no other, and we’re so honored to be joining the city’s renowned food scene,” Jillian Hess said in a statement. “When we first visited Jeff’s Bagel Run in Orlando, we fell in love with the amazing bagels and knew we stumbled upon something truly great. We’re really proud of the product and mission behind the business — we can’t wait for Houstonians to experience it for themselves!”

For the grand opening, which begins at 6:30 am on Friday, the first 100 customers will receive a free West U. tote bag and complimentary bagel cards. The store will be open daily from 6:30 am - 2 pm.

Here’s a sneak peek at the Houston location from local influencer Iris Chang, who has more than 57,000 followers as @thehungrypetite.

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A post shared by Iris Chang | Houston TX Food (@thehungrypetite)

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truffle shuffle

Fine dining chef serves up casual sandwich shop in Houston suburb

Photo by Hungry AF Media

Richmond may not be top of mind among the Houston suburbs with destination-worthy restaurants — other than Larry’s Original Mexican, of course — but a new cafe could have sandwich lovers from across greater Houston contemplating a visit to Fort Bend County.

Meet Truffle & Rye Market & Café. The new restaurant, which celebrated its grand opening earlier this month, serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday. In the morning, look for freshly baked pastries such as muffins and banana bread alongside breakfast sandwiches that are made with organic sourdough bagels.

Lunch is built around sandwiches made with freshly baked schiacciata bread, an Italian-style flatbread that’s similar to focaccia, that Truffle & Rye sources from Houston's Artisan Bread Gallery. They include The Pig (mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio, pesto, and pistachio crumble), The Boar (spicy salami, whipped ricotta cheese, Italian pepper spread, and arugula), and The Bird (roasted turkey, basil pesto, provolone, roasted tomato, and arugula). Three salads are also available.

Beverage options include a full coffee program, including lattes made with Mill-King milk and house made syrups, as well as teas, lemonade, and bottles of wine.

Truffle and Rye restaurant Kaitlyn Chavez and Joey Chavez Truffle and Rye owners Kaitlyn and Joey Chavez.Courtesy of Truffle & Rye Market & Café

Photo by Hungry AF Media

The Bird is made with turkey, pesto, provolone, and roasted tomatoes.

Chef Joey Chavez and his wife Kaitlyn are the husband-and-wife duo behind Truffle & Rye. Prior to launching his private chef company The Hidden Truffle, chef Chavez worked at a number of notable restaurants, including The French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s legendary, three-star Michelin fine dining restaurant in California; the Caribou Club in Aspen; and Brennan’s of Houston, where he had a brief stint as executive chef. Kaitlyn Chavez also brings top-level hospitality experience, having worked for The Ritz Carlton luxury hotel chain.

“We built The Hidden Truffle around private dining and elevated experiences,” Kaitlyn shares. “But we kept coming back to the idea of wanting something for our community, somewhere people could come in regularly, feel taken care of, and enjoy food that still holds that same level of quality.”

While the restaurant won’t serve dinner daily, it will be open on select nights for wine tastings, sourdough classes, pop-up dinners, and other happenings.

Although he has a fine dining background, chef Chavez said he’s excited to bring this more casual concept to Richmond. “We wanted to build something we would want to go to ourselves,” he said. “A place where the food is intentional, the ingredients matter, and people feel comfortable coming in multiple times a week.”

Truffle & Rye is located in Richmond at 107 S. Third Street. It opens at 7 am Monday-Thursday and 8 am on Friday and Saturday.

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