Bagels and schmear: Cutthroat Bagel Company opens in Whitefish

It was toasted, still warm, and I couldn’t wait. Before clicking my seat belt, I grabbed the fattest half of the salty seeded bagel and took a big bite. My strong sharp teeth were foiled, momentarily, by the crusty exterior while the insides gave way, causing the cream cheese to shift outwards.  

The sensation made me smile, furthering my teeth’s efficacy in breaking through and liberating that first bite. Still smiling, I chewed with gusto, pleased with my new find - the Cutthroat Bagel Company. 

Dan Moe made and sold bagels at the Columbia Falls Farmers Market for a year before opening his own shop, Cutthroat Bagel Company, at 28 Lupfer Ave. in Whitefish, just two months ago. 

“We open at 8 o’clock and right now, we aim to sell out at 1 o'clock," he said. “The thing about having fresh bagels is there's only a limited number and so when we sell out, we sell out. I think one Saturday we ran out of bagels in like an hour and a half.” 

Moe turns out eight to 12 dozen bagels on weekdays and closer to 16 dozen on weekends. He also makes English muffins daily, and although he has a couple employees now, the owner is still very hands on. 

“I’m doing all of the bagel mixing, shaping, boiling, baking,” he said. “I’m doing all of that myself.” 

Bagel seasonings change weekly and currently include plain, salted, sesame and salty seeded bagels, which are like the well-known everything bagel with a hint of fennel and no onion or garlic. 

While Moe suggests “ripping and dipping” the bagels in butter, jam or one of Cutthroat’s house made garlic or scallion schmears, the shop also toasts bagels and adds schmear. Soon they will offer other toppings like lox, as well as sandwiches. 

"Jeremy from Abruzzo is working on curing fish for me, so that's pretty cool to involve another local business,” Moe said. “When we do get going with sandwiches, it'll be a very limited number of sandwiches.” 

He believes in keeping changes to the shop incremental and sustainable and he learned from a recent trip to Manhattan to keep the scope focused.

"I'd never been to New York City, and you can't be a self-respecting bagel [shop] owner and never have been to New York City, so my girlfriend and I walked around Manhattan for two days and just ate as many bagels as possible,” Moe said. “The one thing that really inspired me was the busiest places and the places with the best product were the ones that had the most limited offerings. 

"I've always maintained in this industry that you don't have to reinvent the wheel, just make a really good wheel,” he added. “Ironically, now I'm making wheel-shaped baked goods.” 

Over many years as a baker, Moe’s workdays typically ended around noon, affording him time for fishing, hiking and mountaineering. He understands the draw of local outdoor recreation and aims for people to be able to get in and out of the bagel shop in just a few minutes.

Moe grew up in Tacoma, lived in Portland for 10 years, attended and instructed at the Oregon Culinary Institute before moving to the Flathead in 2018. He worked at the Fleur Bake Shop and taught at the Flathead Valley Community College’s Culinary Institute of Montana for four years. 

Since moving to Montana, the most consistently asked question he fields as a baker is if he makes bagels. 

“Any town of any decent size needs at least a bagel shop and especially a mountain town,” he said. “Bread just holds a very special place in my heart and [making bagels is] a way to do bread and do both savory and sweet, which is exciting to me. 

"It's a staple, and so I get to see people from all walks of life come and enjoy our product,” he continued. “I can sell a bagel for $3. That means I can get all the different economic classes of Whitefish and that's really important to me.” 

Cutthroat Bagel Company’s English muffins are taller than most and full of pockets that hold melted butter and jam admirably. They are made from a recipe Moe learned when working at a high-end steakhouse in Portland. 

“They were just so popular, and I loved making them,” he said. “They're fun to make, as a baker, so I've kept that recipe in the back pocket.”

Several Whitefish restaurants are featuring Moe’s muffins, including Folklore Coffee and Herb & Omni. 

Moe emphasizes all things local with his business, including local jobs for local kids and “giving back to the community in the ways that a bakery can and should.” 

“It's a cool community to be part of and I'm excited, now that I own my own business, to make my mark doing that kind of stuff,” he said. 

For more information, visit cutthroatbagelco.com.  

    Dan Moe's bagels are now available at his shop, Cutthroat Bagel Company at 28 Lupfer Ave. in Whitefish. (photo provided)