Gene let me in on a little secret - his trademark. They are one of only a few operations that seed their bagels on both sides.
"We've been the best kept secret for a long time and we're now coming out," Gene Davidovich said, in the form of blueberry, pumpernickel and everything in between.
The team at Davidovich Bakery cranks out roughly 19,000 bagels each night. It's an around the clock operation that prides itself, from start to finish, on making their product the old fashion way.
Owner Gene Davidovich says his late grandmother Zoya had a huge influence on him as a child, even now he remembers the sweet smell of bread coming from her Bensonhurst kitchen.
"She always enjoyed baking and I loved watching her in the kitchen," adds Davidovich.
Wanting to combine the art of cooking with the science of business, the 42 year old is a former accountant opened his factory about 12 years ago.
Everyone here is now excited about a new venture.
Currently, they are exclusively a whole sale manufacturer with a top-secret list of clients, but that may soon change.
They've set their eyes on an Upper West Side property, hoping it will be their very first store front - 80th and Broadway, the former home of the now defunct H & H Bagels.
When Gene got wind that the legendary company was having problems, he sprung into action.
"We started anticipating there would be increased demand for our products and we started ramping up production," adds Davidovich.
Gene's business partner Mark Fintz is in talks with the landlord about leasing the 2,100 square foot shop - a way to fill a hole in this bagel-loving, yet now bagel-starved neighborhood. Gene's counting on the fact that we are truly creatures of habit.
For more information, please visit www.davidovichbakery.com.
---
