About WoodGrain
As Toronto natives, our reference for great bagels is rooted in the crisp-yet-chewy, slightly sweet version popularized by Montreal bakeries. Yet while we take inspiration from this regional style, it wasn’t an ideal vehicle for hearty sandwiches. In turn, we have developed our own unique bagel recipe and technique—while still honoring traditional methods.
It all starts with high-quality ingredients, including organic, unbleached, unbromated flour and American-grown seeds. We’re even particular about sourcing our firewood: sustainable, air-dried oak with a high moisture content to fuel our extra-hot ovens. From there, we hand-shape every bagel, briefly boiling them in honey water before topping them with custom seed blends. Precision-baked until they’re golden brown, these humble products taste amazing on their own and are made even better with our menu of sandwich offerings.
From an essential egg and cheese, to our bar-setting reuben, we’ve always aimed to be more than a grab-n-go bagel spot. Using as many housemade ingredients as possible, we intentionally accommodate vegetarians, vegans and even gluten-free customers, freshly preparing each item to order. Most importantly, we believe in perfecting the classics, ensuring a consistent quality and level of service that our customers have come to trust—and crave!
Our Founders
Born in England and raised in Ontario, Canada, David worked in restaurants throughout his high school and college years, already earning his first management position by the age of 18. Over the next two decades, he became increasingly entrenched in the Toronto restaurant scene, eventually opening his first independent restaurant, Joe Rockhead’s, at the age of 30. Building on the success of this more casual concept, he then pivoted to the world of fine dining with Monsoon—winning acclaim from international food critics, as well as a 1998 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant Design. His final Toronto concept, BrasserieAix, also received noteworthy attention for both its food and decor.
In 2008, David closed this first chapter as a restaurateur to join his wife Kirsten—a fellow Canadian and fashion industry executive—as she pursued a new role in Philadelphia. There, he was recruited to oversee the expansion of Urban Outfitters’ small portfolio of restaurants. Over the next several years, he not only hired and mentored a team of 220 employees, but also was nationally recognized for his culinary and operations contributions to the brand’s eye-catching Terrain Garden Café concepts.
After nearly a decade in Philadelphia, Kirsten and David relocated to Denver in 2015, bringing a renewed interest in hospitality entrepreneurship. Seeking to develop and invest in a classic, timeless concept—while drawing from their shared interest in elevated design—the vision for Woodgrain was born. Opening the first Boulder shop in 2016, the pair partnered with Seattle’s Graham Baba Architects to develop a sophisticated industrial aesthetic and an inviting dining space that prominently features the brand’s artisanal, wood-fired approach. Since then, Woodgrain has opened two additional locations on the CU Anschutz medical campus and in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood.
