A tasty gluten-free bagel? There could be no such thing, according to most discerning food-lovers. It’s just not possible. Unless you visit Modern Bread and Bagel in Woodland Hills, where pastry chef Orly Gottesman has created versions of many popular baked goods without wheat, but full of flavor.

The years-long search for a tasty alternative for gluten, which is found in almost all baked goods as well as in other foods, has led Gottesman of Englewood, NJ, and husband Joshua Borenstein of Scottsdale, AZ, down a path that has brought them to the West Coast, where they recently opened their latest gluten-free and kosher bakery and restaurant.

Modern Bread and Bagel has joined other restaurants at Westfield Topanga & The Village, having opened less than a year ago in the destination shopping center.

Borenstein explained that he has been working with Westfield Corp., a shopping center development and operations manager. After the enthusiastic opening of Modern Bread and Bagel on the Upper West Side of New York City, where bagel quality is almost sacred to some, the couple started expanding by opening another NYC restaurant in Chelsea.

“We wanted to know whether our success may have been due to the local clientele. We were keen to explore other areas that look like other parts of America and have more of a mixed audience,” says Borenstein, adding that the outdoor setting is very welcoming and the other merchants make business promising.

The couple met at New York University, and married in 2010. Borenstein had been diagnosed with celiac disease as a 20-yearold college student, and when the couple moved to Paris for Borenstein’s job, it was especially hard to pass by some of the best pastries in the world. So Gottesman spent her free time exploring patisseries and learning about the art of baking, which ignited a passion.

When the couple were reassigned to Sydney, Australia, Gottesman continued her quest to create a palatable alternative for gluten. She undertook patisserie training at the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Institute in Sydney.

“There, I was given a test kitchen play around with every gluten-free ingredient under the sun. My assignment was to make everything in class, but gluten free. Ultimately my work was published in the curriculum,” Gottesman says.

The key to making substitutions for gluten, she found, was to make different blends for different uses. “I ended up using different blends of flours for cakes vs. breads vs. pastries. I launched a Blends by Orly business where people can buy the blends [in stores and online] for their own baking,” says Gottesman, who uses such ingredients as quinoa, sorghum, millet and brown rice to create the best results possible.

Along the way, they grew their family to include three children: a 6-year-old son, 3-year-old daughter and a 7-month-old daughter. Gottesman says balancing her businesses with mothering tiny people is hard. But her mom lives around the corner and regularly helps out. And, of course, so does Borenstein.

The couple decided to take their hard-won knowledge and open a bagel shop and eatery in New York. “We wanted to be the best gluten-free bagel around,” Borenstein says, “which was a very low bar.”

Apparently others have agreed that Modern Bagels are indeed delicious. They were listed among the best bagels in New York City by Eater NY, among other accolades.

In addition to offering bagels even gluten-lovers gobble up, Modern Bread and Bagel offers a wide variety of sides, including cream cheeses—featuring the in-house smoked salmon bagel blend, and other tasty noshes that pair perfectly in their sandwiches. They also offer breakfast and lunches, including deli salads, bowls and sweet brunch items—all 100% gluten-free and kosher.

Modern Bread and Bagel
6256 Topanga Canyon Blvd.,
Unit #1200
Woodland Hills
818-474-4171
ModernBreadAndBagel.com