Matteson Koche

EL BAGEL

Matteson Koche, founder of El Bagel, has built a Miami hotspot from a childhood love for bagels and an adventurous spirit that led him on a journey of self-discovery and entrepreneurship.

Born and raised in South Florida, Koche grew up in a household where bagels and lox were morning mainstays, though a culinary career was never in the plans...

Matteson Koche, founder of El Bagel, has built a Miami hotspot from a childhood love for bagels and an adventurous spirit that led him on a journey of self-discovery and entrepreneurship.

Born and raised in South Florida, Koche grew up in a household where bagels and lox were morning mainstays, though a culinary career was never in the plans. Koche attended the University of Central Florida studying international relations and later went on to get a masters degree in urban planning from Florida State University. In 2015, he began his career as a projects coordinator for an architecture firm.

One year later, Koche left his job to embark on a surfing trip across South America, where fate led him to meet Jacob Eichenbaum-Pikser, owner of Sheikob’s Bagels in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Inspired by Eichenbaum-Pikser’s dedication to the art of bagel-making, Koche returned home with a newfound mission—to bring authentic, hand-rolled bagels to his community. He began researching bagel-making online and working toward mastering the craft himself.

In 2017, El Bagel was born out of Koche’s home in Little Haiti. Armed with determination, he perfected the craft of hand-rolled, long-fermented sourdough bagels, delivering them to friends and family from the trunk of his car. A few months later, he purchased a ’91 Cushman Truckster pastelito cart and introduced El Bagel’s first weekend pop-up concept at Wynwood’s Boxelder Craft Beer Market. During this time, Koche was working as an urban planner for the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District as a liaison between restaurants and the city.

Driven by his passion and the overwhelming response from customers, Koche made the bold decision to leave behind his career in urban planning to focus entirely on El Bagel. By 2018, the operation had evolved into a full-size food truck, further solidifying its presence in Miami’s burgeoning culinary scene.

In March 2020, El Bagel opened its first brick and mortar in Miami’s MiMo district just days before the pandemic shut down restaurants, forcing the team to quickly transition to an online ordering system for pickup only. Koche’s loyal customers continued to support the new spot and despite the pandemic’s challenges, El Bagel persisted and continued to grow.

Today, the Miami “bageleria” has become a local hotspot with national praise, being named one of the “very best bagels in the US” by Bon Appetit in 2023. The brand has three locations including the original MiMo location, one in Coconut Grove, Miami and a third inside the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

As the founder of El Bagel, Koche epitomizes the spirit of entrepreneurship, daring to pursue his passion and reshape Miami’s breakfast scene, one hand-rolled bagel at a time.