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Nathan Zucker
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Nathan Zucker
In 2014, Justin Buttner called on his friend Robert Kane to leave his catering post in Binghamton, New York, come to Nashville, and make bagels. A niche needed to be filled.
When he arrived to help launch their mobile bagel business, Kane could not imagine that in four years, he would be overseeing the production of 400 dozen every week.
“But I saw that I’d have to scale up dramatically!” he laughs.
Indeed, for the first three years, Kane made each and every one by hand.
The business grew quickly. What started out in an 8-foot by 12-foot trailer upgraded to a full-size truck in 2016, and recently settled into its bricks-and-mortar home in Hillsboro Village. Kane is grateful to have everything under one roof in a place that’s open to the public. The truck is still active—you can rely on them purveying weekly at the Richland Park Farmers Market, for instance. But now customers have a physical shop, open daily, to get the handcrafted bagels, spreads, bagel sandwiches, and New York deli-style favorites that have propelled the Bare Naked Bagel brand.
The name “bare naked” speaks to the straightforward nature of their product and the purity of the ingredients. And, while it didn’t come to them readily in the naming process, it sure is memorable.
The bungalow on Belcourt Avenue has been converted into a sunny shop with vibrant yellow-orange walls and a graffiti mural. You can catch a glimpse of bagel making in the kitchen, which is partially visible behind the counter. Weather permitting, you can take a table under the umbrellas on the expansive front deck.
Breakfast is served all day, and an order of scrambled eggs, cheddar, and bacon on a toasted sesame bagel is sure to satisfy. However, there’s nothing more quintessentially New York than bagel and lox. Kane’s version sports slices of smoked salmon, tomatoes, and pickled red onions sparked with cinnamon atop a healthy schmear of chive cream cheese. It’s exceptional on an “everything” bagel.
The California bagel sandwich has been BNB’s most popular, and for good reason. Sliced turkey breast, avocado, bacon, and a slather of chipotle mayo makes an unbeatable combination. Try it on a jalapeño-cheddar bagel, which has a fresh, robust taste and lip-tingling heat.
There are terrific housemade soups, too—right in time for cool weather. You’ll find delicious comfort slurping the matzo ball soup, a BNB staple. Look for other seasonal favorites, such as butternut squash bisque, broccoli-cheddar, chili, and cream of potato.
2123 Belcourt Ave, 615-319-7448; barenakedbagel.com