Thousands of bagels, every day, boiled and baked out of an unassuming storefront in a strip mall in Lewisville — Starship Bagel, the brainchild of Oren Salomon.

"Bagels were there in almost every single important moment of my life," recalled Salomon. "Bar mitzvahs, bris, the morning after weddings."

He made New York bagels for his friends years ago, and they wanted more. He didn't start Starship Bagel until 2021 after taking over his dad's cafe. However, that round piece of dough already consumed his life as he consumed it.

"In many ways, I feel like I didn't choose the bagel," Salomon said. "The bagel chose me."

And the bagel has been giving back to Salomon. He recently won Schmear of the Year at the 2024 New York BagelFest for his basil schmear and won Best Bagel for his plain bagel.

Starship Bagel can crank out thousands of bagels every day, but if you ask Salomon, an admittedly bagel purist, it's the plain bagel that has his heart.

"When I bite into a bagel," Salomon explained. "It transports me to all of those childhood memories, and I get a chance to reconnect with that every morning."

The store is being recognized for its success too. On June 6, it was featured on Food Network's 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives' with Guy Fieri. It was also nominated for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Baking — the first bagel shop to be nominated in that category. The awards are on June 16.

• Food & Drink
• Texas
• North Texas