Bagel company opening storefront in North Bennington

BENNINGTON, Vt. (NEWS10) -- Bennington Bagel Company first opened as a licensed home bakery in November 2023. Now, the sourdough bakery is opening up its own storefront on Main Street in North Bennington.

Bennington Bagel Company will be opening in the former Marigold Kitchen space at 25 Main Street. The bagel business is owned by Lauren Carifio, the head chef, and Steven DeTeso, who focuses on operations.

"We were lucky in that we built strong relationships in the community which eventually led us to connecting with the owner of Marigold's," said DeTeso. "He generously offered his commercial space as he no longer wanted to operate his pizza business. We chose this space because it's a short two-minute drive from our home location now. Also, we have such a strong support network of customers in the North Bennington village."

Once they open the storefront, DeTeso said they'll be offering dine-in service with different cream cheeses and toppings that can be added to the bagels. Bennington Bagel Company will continue to supply their 4-packs of bagels to different area markets and continue their preorders and customer pickups.

Over the past year, DeTeso said they've honed in on their bagel recipe, making what they call "Vermont-style" bagels. Their bagels are sourdough-based and almost all of the ingredients are sourced from Vermont.

"Our bagels are fermented for 18 hours overnight which really brings out the tangy and deliciously deep flavor that our customers have come to know our bagels for and love," said DeTeso.

Bennington Bagel Company does not yet have a set opening date for its retail space, said DeTeso, but they're aiming to open in mid-to-late February. Before they open, DeTeso said they need to rebrand the space, get all their inspections, and hire staff. Once open, they're looking to be open Thursday to Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to mid-afternoon.