Our Story
A Dream Born From Passion
It started with a Sunday afternoon TV show and a spark that changed everything. Z. Tim Kahya — born in Turkey, raised across New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia — was watching a travel program when he saw a Slovakian artisan transform gelato into art. He tracked down the craftsman, a man named Nadji in Bratislava, wrote to him, and booked a flight when he got a reply.
For three years, Tim flew back and forth between the United States and Europe, spending months at a time learning the craft at gelato expos in Italy and under the mentorship of world-renowned masters. "Before my mom passed, she tasted the gelato I created and her approval was the greatest blessing," Tim recalls. That blessing became his fuel.
Partnering with his uncle Mumtaz Anac — a veteran bagel craftsman with over 15 years in the business — the two opened Bagelati in Cinnaminson, NJ in June 2019. What began as a unique local pairing of fresh-baked bagels and authentic Italian gelato has since grown into three thriving locations across New Jersey and New York, with ambitions to expand nationwide.
