The bagel impresario headed to the White Home

Jeff Zients, who shall be changing Ron Klain as chief of employees in Joe Biden’s White Home, is a person of many hats. He has led the president’s Covid activity power, served as a prime financial adviser and been on the board of distinguished, worthwhile multinationals.

And for a lot of in Washington DC, he’s often known as the co-founder of a wildly common and far beloved chain of “Jew-ish” bagel retailers favoured by native officer staff and President Joe Biden alike.

The restaurant guarantees to ship bagels which can be a cross between a “traditional New York model bagel” and the “sweeter, Montreal-style bagels from our associates up north”.

The chain, “Name Your Mom”, was based in 2018, when Mr Zients was working within the personal sector as a member of Fb’s board of advisors and the CEO of Wall Road funding agency Cranemere.

One of many chain’s co-founders, Andrew Dana, instructed the BBC that the profitable bagel enterprise was born over an equally scrumptious meal – pizzas – after he was launched to Mr Zients by his father, who had been a summer season camp companion of his in New Hampshire within the Nineteen Sixties.

On the time of the assembly, Mr Dana recalled, he was unaware of Mr Zients experiences as prime financial advisor below the Barack Obama administration.

“My dad instructed me he was eager about opening a restaurant. That was all of the background I obtained. I used to be anticipating to go sit with some 24-year-old,” he stated.

“We had lunch, hit it off and determined to do one thing collectively. Then I went residence, Googled him and noticed his Wikipedia web page. I used to be like ‘whoa nelly!'”

The assembly ended with the unlikely pair hitting it off.

“Over that lunch we determined to do one thing collectively and give you a enjoyable idea,” Mr Dana stated. “I went again to the drawing pad with my spouse and associate Daniela, and we drew up what would develop into Name Your Mom – and he was stoked about it.”

Removed from being a quiet, behind-the-scenes investor, Mr Dana stated that Mr Zients was actively concerned within the creation of the primary restaurant, together with an extended collection of style checks.

“Each weekend for about 9 months earlier than we opened, Dani and I’d take bagels over to his home and do dwell style checks to see how the bagel recipes have been coming alongside,” he stated.

Backed by Mr Zients, Name Your Mom grew to become a runaway success. Whilst different Washington DC eating places suffered through the pandemic, the chain flourished, and now boasts seven areas, with one other on the way in which.

In January 2021, Name Your Mom additionally grew to become the primary restaurant during which Joe Biden dined out in Washington as president.

The president’s go to, nevertheless, got here after Mr Zients had divested from the restaurant and brought a job within the Biden administration as Counselor to the President and White Home Coronavirus Response Coordinator.

On Friday, Mr Biden formally introduced that Mr Zients could be taking on in early February as his chief of employees, managing his schedule and driving his coverage agenda.

Mr Dana and Mr Zients, nevertheless, have remained associates. Mr Dana stated that he often nonetheless takes bagels over to his residence.

His favorite bagel? “A sesame bagel, scooped exhausting and double-toasted,” Mr Dana stated.