Breanne Kostyk & Jeff Hinson of Flour Moon Bagels: Baking New Orleans into Every Bite
When the pandemic hit in May 2020, New Orleans pastry chef Breanne Kostyk faced uncertainty—but also found opportunity. With hotel kitchens shuttered and a dream quietly simmering, Breanne began selling freshly baked bagels to friends and family via Instagram. Starting with only 18 bagels at a time, she transformed the porch pickups and word-of-mouth buzz into a regular presence at local farmers markets. With crucial support from partner Jeff Hinson, the duo quickly realized the Crescent City had a real appetite for quality bagels—a fact confirmed week after week by lines snaking down the block, even in the notoriously sticky Louisiana heat.
By June 2022, Flour Moon Bagels had made the leap to their own brick-and-mortar, nestled next to a friendly neighborhood coffee shop on the bustling Lafitte Greenway. The process was nerve-wracking, says Breanne: “It was definitely terrifying. But yeah, we did it.” The Flour Moon team embraced the challenge and quickly built a beloved local staple, fueled by a supportive community and the kind of grassroots hustle that can only come from genuine passion.
Breanne and Jeff joined BagelFest’s Bagel Buzz Instagram Live series to talk about the Flour Moon journey.
Regional Flavor
New Orleans isn’t what most people picture when you say “bagel.” But Breanne and Jeff were quick to tap into the city’s melting-pot culture, serving Northeast transplants hungry for an authentic taste of home and drawing new fans with creative, locally-inspired specials. As Breanne points out, the classics get plenty of love (“We had reassuring testimonials from cranky New Yorkers!”), but the real fun is in innovation.
Flour Moon’s “Creole Everything Bagel,” spiced with tomato and a taste of local cuisine, is a perfect example. Their menu often features seasonal specials and collaborations with nearby restaurants, letting the city’s culinary culture shine through every bite.
Beyond food, Flour Moon is about connection. Breanne describes how a love for pie (and the realization that “everyone can agree about pie”) nudged her into baking. That sense of shared experience fuels Flour Moon's atmosphere. Jeff calls their shop “a very personal space” in a food-driven city: “The meal is your main event. You could spend two or three hours having a coffee or an adult beverage. While you’re enjoying that meal, you’re planning your next meal.” Flour Moon’s daiquiri-friendly menu is a nod to New Orleans’s festival spirit and easy social vibe.
The Bagel Boom
Flour Moon Bagels is part of a wider “bagel boom”, a trend that’s seen pandemic-born bakeries pop up across the country. Breanne recalls how as social media connected these fledgling businesses, they shared advice, cheered each other on, and forged a unique bagel community: “We were in each other’s DMs, asking questions about equipment and giving support. I really love the bagel community and what has grown through this.” For the Flour Moon team, attending BagelFest was a dream come true, cementing their place in this vibrant, global community.
Craft & Consistency
Behind Flour Moon’s success is genuine craftsmanship. Their small-batch, sourdough bagels undergo an 18- to 24-hour cold fermentation, a process that brings depth of flavor but also limits how many bagels they can make, depending on space and equipment. At peak times, they produce around 80 dozen bagels per weekend, a far cry from the original batch of 18.
Adapting to New Orleans’s heat and humidity is no small feat. The city’s weather affects both fermentation and baking times. As Breanne explains, “Our bagels really like humidity… But when it’s cold, it takes a lot longer. We’re constantly changing the temperature of our water, adding ice in summer.” This adaptability, and attention to detail, is what keeps Flour Moon’s bagels consistent, and why opening a second shop would be an even bigger challenge.
For now, Breanne and Jeff choose to keep Flour Moon personal and hands-on, savoring their role in the neighborhood. But expansion, new projects, and maybe even a second location are on the horizon.
Looking Ahead
As the bagel world gets bigger and bolder, Flour Moon Bagels stands out for its spirit, mixing the comfort of tradition with the excitement of local flavor, and a real dedication to serving and connecting with community. In every hand-rolled, long-fermented bite at Flour Moon, you taste New Orleans’s character—and the warmth of a bagel community that’s here to stay.
Check out Flour Moon’s website and Instagram.
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