In the two years since launching Grab the Bagel, Dave Aldrich has done much more than just bake. He has built a movement rooted in kindness, resilience, and a deeply personal commitment to community. One that’s as much about purpose as it is about poppy seeds.
And like many good stories, his began with a crisis.
Before Grab the Bagel, Aldrich ran a national nonprofit called Grab the Torch, teaching leadership, ethics, and philanthropy to high schoolers across the country. But when the pandemic hit, in-person programming vanished. Schools weren’t ready for new content, and students were burned out from remote learning. Years of curriculum development, including a rebrand to a “cloud-based” model, suddenly couldn’t find a home.
“We couldn’t keep students safe,” Aldrich said. “And none of the schools could take on anything new. All they were trying to do was get through the day.”
With his nonprofit paused and funding drying up, Aldrich leaned into what he’d always taught: lead with compassion. He began delivering homemade cobblers and jars of beach plum sauce to neighbors — no notes, no names, just anonymous acts of kindness. The response was overwhelming.
“It became abundantly clear that people needed something, anything, that reminded them someone cared,” he said.
But it was a lighthearted email from his daughter — subject line: “Crisis” — that ultimately shifted Aldrich’s trajectory.
“She wrote, ‘Dad, the bagel shop in Maine is closing. What are we going to do for bagels next summer?’” he said, laughing.
Determined to recreate their favorite flavor, he taught himself to bake. Despite having never worked with yeast before, Aldrich experimented with batch after batch. By New Year’s Day 2022, he was delivering homemade bagel baskets around his Marblehead neighborhood with a simple message: “Happy New Year. – Dave.”
“They weren’t even that good yet,” he admitted. “But people loved them. I thought, if they like them now, just wait.”
After testing his recipe with hundreds of friends, neighbors, and even a skeptical group of New Yorkers, the verdict was unanimous: the bagels were incredible. Aldrich got approval to retrofit a former food space at the JCC in Marblehead — paying for the conversion himself — and Grab the Bagel was born.
From there, he launched a custom bagel bus, secured a hawker’s license in Swampscott, and began selling at local markets. Demand skyrocketed. He sold out each week at the Swampscott Farmers Market and recently debuted at Marblehead’s market, selling out there as well.
“We’re not a big operation,” he said. “But we have a big following.”
And it’s not just about the product.
Grab the Bagel functions as a social enterprise under Aldrich’s nonprofit umbrella. All proceeds fund local causes — from Make-A-Wish projects for sick children in Marblehead to donations for the Marblehead Counseling Center, police and fire stations, and the Temple Emanu-El’s Taste of the North Shore.
“We do random acts of bagels,” Aldrich said. “We show up with fresh food. No reason. No fanfare. It’s just what we do.”
In fact, Aldrich said his goal has never been to be the best or biggest bagel on the North Shore.
“All I care about is delivering a bagel that makes someone say, ‘This is a good bagel,’” he said. “That’s it.”
The heartbeat of his mission, though, is a woman he calls the matriarch of his family: his 107-year-old godmother in Rhode Island, Mrs. John Nickerson.
Every Tuesday, Aldrich makes the drive to visit her, and every visit begins with the same question: “How’s the bagel business?”
Her influence runs deep. Forty-five years ago, she founded what’s now Rhode Island’s largest food pantry outside of the state’s main food bank. She only stepped down as board chair when she turned 100.
“She started it with a vision of helping people, and never stopped,” Aldrich said. “If you’re not inspired by someone like that, you’re not going to be inspired by anyone.”
Aldrich honored her this week by delivering eight dozen bagels to her assisted living facility for her birthday, cranberry orange, her favorite.
Her legacy is reflected in everything Aldrich does. He’s open about the fact that Grab the Bagel isn’t a money-maker, but that’s not the point. The goal is to serve. To teach. To uplift.
The bagel, it turns out, is just the delivery vehicle.
That mission is personal for Aldrich, who grew up with dyslexia and was labeled a failure throughout his school years. That pain still lingers.
“Back then, if you didn’t succeed academically, you were seen as a societal failure,” he said. “I wasn’t athletic, I wasn’t rich, I wasn’t a standout. I was just a kid with dyslexia, and that meant I was dismissed.”
He went on to found Grab the Torch to help students discover their purpose, something he never felt he had growing up. Today, his curriculum is being redeveloped as Grab the Torch 2.0, with plans to integrate it into Marblehead and Swampscott schools as a service-based elective.
“I made a promise to myself that I’d change one life,” he said. “That turned into five, then fifty, then five hundred. Now it’s thousands.”
And he’s not done yet.
With rainouts affecting recent sales, Aldrich is still chasing consistency. But between the new Beacon location, ongoing markets, and expanding offerings like pizza bagels, he’s hopeful. And grateful.
“We’re very close to paying off our debt,” he said. “And once we’re in the black, we can grow our team, reach more people, and keep doing what matters.”
For Marblehead resident Katie Kinchley, planning her young daughter’s birthday brunch led her to a unique offering at the annual SPUR gala auction earlier this year. Among a variety of local experiences up for bid, one prize in particular stood out: a full bagel brunch for 25 guests, donated by Dave Aldrich, founder of Grab the Bagel.
“When I saw the bagel brunch, it just felt like such a fun and thoughtful gift—and perfect for my daughter’s party,” she said.
Kinchley won the auction and quickly connected with Aldrich, who, she said, was “very communicative” throughout the entire process. The package included a full spread: a variety of bagels, cream cheeses, spreaders, trays, and everything needed to host a beautiful brunch.
“We touched base right away after the gala and got the party date on his calendar,” she said. “Then we checked in again a few weeks before the party to coordinate the details.”
Kinchley’s plan was to host a beachside birthday brunch, and Aldrich helped guide the menu selections to fit the occasion. With a morning celebration planned outdoors, freshness and ease were key.
“He recommended an assortment of bagels that tend to be crowd-pleasers,” she said. “There were plain, everything, cinnamon sugar, cranberry raisin—something for everyone.”
She said Aldrich also gave thoughtful guidance on how the bagels would be sliced and packaged, and ensured that pick-up was timed just right to keep everything warm and fresh.
“I picked up the trays about 30 minutes before the party at The Beacon, where he sells on weekends,” Kinchley said. “It was all super seamless.”
After the event, Kinchley returned the serving trays a few days later—another part of Aldrich’s thoughtful, eco-friendly setup.
But beyond the logistics, she said what struck her most was how well the bagels were received by guests.
“Everyone at the party was asking where they were from,” she said with a laugh. “People loved the sweet ones especially, and it just felt really special.”
The brunch wasn’t just a success—it became a conversation starter, a shared local experience, and a taste of something more than just breakfast.
“Dave was incredibly generous,” Kinchley said. “And you can tell he really cares about what he does and the people he serves. It wasn’t just about food—it was about helping make something joyful and meaningful.”
“That party was such a great memory for our family,” Kinchley said.
For Aldrich, it’s never been just about baking.
It’s about using yeast and flour — and a whole lot of heart — to rise above.
Grab the Bagel will occupy the new Lobster Room Cafe is opening soon at the Beacon restaurant. The cafe will be serving a full breakfast, and lunch.
Grab the Bagel will have a retail store inside the Lobster Room Cafe. “It’s going to be our big break,” Aldrich said.
If you would like to place an order for Friday Pickup at Marblehead JCC, orders must be placed by 5 p.m. on Thursday for (11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) Friday pickup.
Grab the Bagel will be at the lobster room on Saturdays and Sundays and usually at the Marblehead or Swampscott farmers market.
