We’re born & raised bagel people.
Michael Sousa
Founder
Since I was a kid, food has meant more to me than what’s on the plate. Before Catholic school in Massachusetts, my mom would drive me to Dunkin’ Donuts at sunrise. It wasn’t about the donut — it was about love. That small ritual felt like a pocket of humanity before the day began. I also grew up around the 4 Sisters Owl Diner in Lowell, where grit and warmth lived side by side and everyone felt seen.
After college, I chased adventure and eventually landed in California, drawn to its openness and evolution. Over time, I realized how much home had shaped me. Bonnie’s —named after the street I grew up on—blends East Coast character with California spirit. And yes, the wood-paneled station wagon from my childhood? It’s our company car.
Greg Kalergis
Executive Chef
I was born and raised in a Greek family in a small town in New England. Great food was always the not-so-secret ingredient that connected friends, family, and loved ones. Since experiencing the childhood joy of making a scrambled egg Mother’s Day breakfast, food and service have been my love language. To pursue my passion for new flavors and creative techniques, I moved to California to work as a French pastry chef and a Neapolitan pizzaiolo.
Bonnie Bagels (and company) is the culmination of that East coast authenticity and West coast innovation. I’m so excited to share it with Sebastopol and the rest of Sonoma County—and to witness again the singular joy of breaking bread with the ones we’re close to.
It’s no big secret.
Bagels have their roots on the East Coast. Hand-rolled, cold-fermented, and kettle-boiled are non-negotiable factors in what separates a real bagel from a roll-with-a-hole.
But to create something truly special, you can’t just stop there. At Bonnie, we’ve embraced the slow food movement of California to create a product so simple and straightforward that you can feel just plain good about eating it.
We begin our process with a live sourdough starter, reducing the reliance on commercial yeast, to give just a tinge of tang that's truly one of a kind.
Next we use a unique blend of organic, unbleached, unenriched wheat flours for that artisan flavor and texture. Our bagels are then hand-rolled and cold-fermented overnight to further enhance that malty depth of savoriness that only time and patience can provide.
Finally, these bagels are boiled and then baked on slate, creating the crisp, burnished exterior and unmistakable chew of a true blue East Coast bagel experience.
Deliciously gluten-free.
This one’s personal for us. Michael’s wife is gluten-free, so from the beginning, it mattered to us to create something genuinely delicious.
We make our gluten-free bagels in-house with the same care, craft, and attention we bring to everything at Bonnie’s—alongside a growing lineup of gluten-free cookies and sweets.
We take gluten-free seriously here, because everyone deserves a bagel worth getting excited about.