Exploring Life & Business with Hector Sanchez of H & S Bagels

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hector Sanchez.

Hi Hector, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started working in 7th grade at a Kosher deli. When I was 16 my boss, Kenny Butensky, bought a bagel store that was a part of the franchise Bagel Nosh in Fort Lee, NJ. There I learned how to bake bagels, that made me interested in learning how to roll them. The bagel roller there offered to teach me after hours if I agreed to clean his mixer at the end of every workday. It took me about 3 months to learn how to roll consistent bagels and about 5 months to roll them quickly. About two months later I was able to find another Bagel Knosh at the Bazaar Mall in Mt. Kisco, NY that needed a bagel roller. From there, I rolled bagels as a part-time job on and off through my life. I always found my way back to rolling bagels; I even met my wife at a bagel store.

At one point I was a construction worker and rolling while I was going to school to get my teaching degree. I continued to roll at night when I became a science, history, and math, middle school teacher, at Mother Seton School in Union City, NJ. In 2018, the local USA TODAY’s paper “North Jersey” ranked my bagels as the best in the area.

When my mother moved to Nashville to be with my sister I came to visit and fell in love with the area. I figured that a NY-style bagel store would do well here so when I discussed it with my family they gave me the push I needed to open my store here in Midtown.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
In 2019 I had another location in mind but then the tornado hit Nashville it derailed those plans. Then Covid hit and it made me push my plans further. Finally, an opportunity came along in 2021 so I took it and am so happy I landed in the heart of Midtown.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about H & S Bagels?
My store is an authentic NY hand rolled bagel store. I have been rolling bagels for over 40 years so my specialty lies in the quality I bring with my hand rolled bagels all rolled daily by me. I also specialize in bagel sandwiches like the classic NJ sandwich, the taylor ham (/pork roll for my South Jersey friends), egg and cheese, to represent where I lived most of my life along with our classic New Yorker (lox, cream cheese, tomatoes, red onions and capers) to represent the state I rolled in for many years. What sets me apart is my 40 years of experience rolling bagels and the filtration system I use for water in my store. This filter turns Nashville water into as close to New York water (in terms of PH, minerals, etc.) as it could be.

I’m most proud that every sandwich that leaves our kitchen is made fresh to order and that all of our bagels are hand rolled by me. I’m also proud that this store is truly a family-run business, each member of my family has helped out from the very beginning to make it the store it has come to be.

Our store is currently doing a soft open so we are not doing phone or online orders yet but we are open 7 days a week (Mondays to Saturdays 7 AM-3 PM, Sundays 7 AM-1 PM). We offer free 1-hour parking in Sky Houses’ parking deck next to our store, just ask at our register for parking validation.

What are your plans for the future?
For the future, I’m looking forward to being able to finally move my wife down to Tennessee from New Jersey. Through this whole process, she has supported me from there and I eventually want to have her move down to work in the store with me like we used to when we first met.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handsbagels
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handsbagels