Tucked into Ponch’s Place in NE Bend, 5th Street Bagels is more than a food truck — it’s a full-on family operation rolling out small-batch sourdough bagels with intention, heart and a “hole” lotta time and hustle.
In a world drowning in sourdough starters, if yours pays the bills, it’s not just bread—it’s gold. Owner Jacob Dawley started baking bagels at home using a gifted sourdough starter and his passion for feeding people. Today, with help from his wife Jessica, their five kids and a deep-rooted support system, he’s serving up some of the most flavor-packed bagels in Bend. Every bagel is made the old-school way: proofed, boiled and baked fresh daily, because as Jacob puts it, “If it’s not boiled, it’s just round bread.”
As an avid sourdough baker/lover, myself, I’ve tasted my fair share of cream cheeses, but 5th Street’s garlic cream cheese? It’s hands-down the best we’ve ever tasted. Shout out to my youngest son, Jack, who tags along for food reviews as my aspiring photojournalist, foodie and all-around hype guy, who made the call after one bite. I backed him up after two.
With a dream of someday opening a café and art studio to serve bagels and creativity side by side, the Dawleys are just getting started.
The Source: What sparked your passion for bagels, and how did that evolve into starting a food truck in Central Oregon?
Jason Dawley: I’ve always had a passion for feeding people, and bagels just became the most popular of the foods and meals I would share. And when someone gifts you a sourdough starter, you have to share it with the world. A food trailer seemed like something I could at least start out running solo, and the mobility factor is so fun.
TS: How did the name 5th Street Bagels come about? Does it hold any special meaning for you?
JD: I started out making bagels at home. I’ve lived on 5th Street almost my whole life. Seemed like the obvious name and had such a nice ring. I have a very talented younger brother, Josiah, who designed my logo and branding in an agreement that, I joke, is much like the Nike swoosh. He also designed my website and runs my social media.
TS: Do you make your bagels and cream cheeses in-house? Give us the schmear about how that works behind the scenes.
JD: Fresh bagels every day. I’m always playing with some sort of new or different flavor, not all are winners or make the cut. My wife usually helps me come up with schmear flavors. We make what we like. Right now, I spend a lot of time in the trailer. It’s a commitment. Luckily, I have the most amazing, supportive and encouraging family.
TS: What’s the most challenging part of running a bagel truck in Oregon—and how do you tackle those challenges?
JD: I think the most challenging part was figuring out logistics of how and where you are going to make everything—whether to rent a commissary space or make it all self-contained. My mom always told me, “They aren’t challenges, they are adventures.” And my dad, I swear, can fix anything mechanical.
TS: How do you decide on menu offerings and specials? Do you draw from local or seasonal ingredients?
JD: I make food that I like, so as items become more popular or specials are requested back often, they usually make the menu.
TS: What’s something customers often say that surprises you once they try your bagels?
JD: People have a bagel memory; it’s such a fun way to get to know them. I’m so excited and grateful that people like my bagels and want to share their stories with me. I have so much fun getting to make them. I feel so blessed.
TS: If you could expand the truck, menu or locations to your dream setup—what would that look like?
JD: Someday, we will have a bagel café with an adjacent art studio so my wife and I can work side by side and serve our community together. As for right now, my trailer is a dream come true.
TS: Any exciting plans coming up this year (new items, events, collabs)?
JD: Yes! We are getting ready to move to Ballers and Brews. We’re very excited for this opportunity and what this space could bring to Bend.
TS: If you could give one piece of advice to someone dreaming of starting a food truck, what would it be?
JD: It’s going to be a lot of hard work and extremely long hours. Make sure you have fun and love what you are doing and just keep grinding.
TS: Anything else that sets your bagels apart?
JD: One thing that sets us apart (besides being all sourdough) is that I small-batch each flavor. That way, I can put seasoning throughout my bagel dough instead of just putting toppings on a plain bagel.
Whether you’re ordering the Villager on za’atar, Lox on double sesame, the rosemary Bacon or just chasing that garlic cream cheese high, one thing’s clear…this family is building something lasting, and this is what it looks like when food and family rise together.
Boil it, bake it, bagel it. That’s the hole story. I still think the word ‘schmear’ will always sound like something you need a prescription for.
BagelFact
Before bagel shops were a thing, street vendors in 17th-century Kraków, Poland sold their bagels by the stack, threaded on wooden dowels like edible bracelets. That’s why bagels have a hole: it wasn’t just aesthetic, it was practical. The dough was shaped by hand into a ring, then briefly boiled to firm it up before baking. The result being that iconic chew, a glossy crust and a portable breakfast you could carry by the dozen.
5th Street Bagels
Tue.-Sun., 6:30am-2pm
62889 NE Oxford Ct., Bend
bendbagels.com
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