Flavor explosion on the menu

As a teen, Dan Fusaro and his friends enjoyed the crunch of a handful of chips inside their lunchtime sandwiches. 

“We’d cut the sandwich, crumble up the Doritos, put them on top, close the sandwich and eat it just like that,” he said. 

Little did he know, years later the “blue Dorito” bagel would become a big hit at his establishment, Blazin Bagels & Deli, which opened in early 2022. The joint serves bagels, sandwiches and desserts - but it’s their quirky flavored bagels that have generated the most buzz. 

In addition to the blue Dorito, there’s also a red Dorito bagel, an ode to the fluorescent orange-colored nacho cheese tortilla chips. There’s a fruity pebble bagel, made with the famed colorful children’s cereal. Other flavors include the bacon, egg and cheese bagel, the peanut butter and jelly bagel, and the French toast bagel, which is made with a maple syrup and brown sugar creme brûlée-crusted top. The Cookie Monster bagel is blue and can be paired with their chocolate chip cream cheese. 

Fusaro and his wife, Kathy Fusaro, are no strangers to strangely delicious flavor, in fact, they seek it out. The couple are parents to three grown triplet boys. The oldest of which (by minutes), Blaise, Blazin Bagels is named after. 

“We’re kind of foodies so we like to try different places. We’ll go to Queens or the city or New Jersey or Connecticut. We’ll see stuff on TV we like and we’ll just drive there to try it,” said Kathy Fusaro. 

It’s not just about interesting flavors though. For those seeking a plain, poppy, sesame or everything, Blazin Bagels has those too. Their traditional bagels are popular with customers who enjoy their crispy taste. 

“Our bagel is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside,” explained Fusaro.  

Although the crispy/soft combination is a favorite for Long Islanders, there are other types of bagel recipes that exist. 

“There are a lot of different bagels you can try. There’s a hard bagel. There’s a dense bagel,” Fusaro said of the different types of bagels other stores carry. 

For Blazin Bagels, social media has been a big part of their journey. Before opening in early Jan., they documented the renovation of their building on Facebook. Fusaro did much of the work himself and handpicked the design elements. Much of the design is an ode to automobiles and garages. Fusaro spent most of his professional career as a fleet supervisor in the car business. 

Fusaro said working in the Manorville community has been great. In the future Fusaro said he hopes to work with local growers to bring in fresh ingredients. He stays involved by donating leftover bagels to the nearby Animal Farm Petting Zoo and by offering bagel discounts to first responders. 

Fusaro said the best part of working in the community has been the people. 

“The people here are very friendly and welcoming,” he said.