by Meg Porter
2/10/2011

Daniel Freedman and his wife Linda and their two children have lived on Hanlon Road in Holliston for twenty years. They opened the Blue Moon Bagel Cafe in neighboring Medfield in 1996. If you have never been there, you don't know what you are missing. The staff at HollistonReporter.com could not believe that I drive to Medfield for bagels until I served them at one of our weekly meetings.

I don't think I ever had a bagel until I was in my mid twenties. The only kind of bagel that was offered then was plain. The Blue Moon Bagel Cafe offers 27 kinds of bagels including California Krunch, Chocolate Chip, Asiago Cheese, Sesame and the list goes on. They also offer nine varieties of whole grain artisan breads and fresh ground coffee. I love the free samples myself.

The bagels are just the beginning of the offerings at The Blue Moon Bagel Cafe. There are three different home-made soups featured each day. They are to die for, delicious and purposefully different from one another. I brought my husband home a bowl of their Thai Chicken soup. YUM... They have a full array of deli sandwiches, fresh salads and mouth watering desserts, spreads, cheeses and, well, you have to see for yourself.

Daniel, who is a fourth generation master baker, learned his baking skills from his father and grandfather. Daniel's grandfather came here from Poland with a bounty of Eastern European recipes and a dream of opening a bakery. He opened Green Freedman's which was located on Harrison Avenue in Boston. From the age of eleven on, Daniel worked within the family business.

This rye bread shown baking in the oven was made from the same recipe used by Daniel's grandfather. How gorgeous and cool are these odd shaped loaves of love and nutrition?

Daniel attended baking school at the Dunwoody Institute of Minneapolis where he graduated with honors. He also completed the master's course in baking technique from the San Francisco School of Sourdough Baking.

He went on to start the award-winning Freedman's Bakery of Brookline and Boston. At the time, Freedman's of Boston, located in Quincy Market, was the highest grossing store (per square foot) in the United States.

After they sold the business in 1990, Daniel took a break from the bakery business and became a sales and teaching representative for the C.H. Babb Manufacturing Company. They design and manufacture custom, state of the art baking equipment. He got to travel all over the place setting up custom ovens and teaching bakers how to use them. There are specific ovens for specific baked goods whether it be pretzels or pita bread. Who knew?

The Blue Moon also offers a cozy place to meet. These women belong to a book group. On a snowy winter's day, these friends gathered here because it's a nice place to meet, the coffee and multi grain breads are the best and they know most of the folks who venture out of the house to see what's cooking at The Blue Moon Bagel Cafe.

Daniel is shown here with his daughter Rylin. Rylin is a graduate of Holliston High School and enjoys helping out with the family business. All of the employees at The Blue Moon Bagel Cafe are friendly and helpful.

The employees told me that Daniel is "even, confident and focused. He is extremely commited to the product and treats employees very well." When asked what he likes most about his work, he replied "I love working with dough because it's a living entity."

Thank you, Daniel, Linda and the rest of the gang for creating an inviting place to meet and eat. Please consider opening another location in Holliston. We need a good bakery.