Mo Jeannot starts before sunrise every Saturday to make handmade knishes that preserve Jewish tradition in Coral Springs
Coral Springs, Florida – Long before most people have had their first sip of coffee on a Saturday morning, Mo Jeannot is already hard at work in the kitchen at Bageland on Wiles Road. The aroma of freshly baked pastries begins to fill the shop as Jeannot, a longtime employee and quiet keeper of tradition, rolls out another batch of knishes—flaky, savory parcels made entirely from scratch.
For 34 years, Jeannot has been perfecting the art of making knishes, a traditional Jewish dish with roots in Eastern Europe. Though not Jewish himself, Jeannot has become an essential part of preserving a culinary staple beloved by generations. His process is entirely manual, entirely authentic, and entirely his own.
“I’ve been making them for what feels like forever,” Jeannot said with a modest smile, standing behind the prep counter early Friday morning. “I still use the same recipe I learned decades ago from a Jewish cookbook that someone gave me when I started here.”
The recipe, passed to him by a fellow Bageland employee in his early days, has become something of a culinary time capsule. Jeannot begins by grinding fresh potatoes by hand, mixing them with cooked onions, pepper, chicken base, and eggs to form the filling. Then comes the careful wrapping of each knish in dough, shaping it into a rounded form, brushing it with egg wash, and finally, baking it until the surface is golden and crisp.
This isn’t fast food—it’s a slow, labor-intensive process. But that’s exactly the point.
“Making this is a lot of work, but we do it from scratch,” said David Lesser, manager of the Wiles Road location. “There’s nothing frozen and there’s no production line.”
The result? Knishes that feel like they came straight from a family kitchen.
On this particular Friday, Jeannot prepared three varieties: plain potato, spinach, and brisket. But over the years, the menu has included an ever-evolving rotation of flavors—beef, kasha (buckwheat), and even seasonal Thanksgiving-themed knishes that featured turkey and cranberry stuffing.
“Mo has perfected the recipe over the years,” Lesser added. “He knows exactly what our customers like, and he always delivers.”
Knishes may have originated in Ukrainian and Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, but in Coral Springs, they’ve found a new home at Bageland, where tradition meets community. Regular customers stop in specifically for the knishes, which are only made in larger batches for the weekend rush.
For Jeannot, the task is not just about food—it’s about continuity, care, and respect for the culture behind the dish.
“I just try to do it the right way,” he said. “People remember the taste, and they come back.”
Jeannot’s handmade knishes are available at both of Bageland’s Coral Springs locations: 8188 Wiles Road in Riverside Square and 1420 Coral Ridge Drive in the Lakeview Drive shopping center. While the flavors may change with the season, the dedication behind each knish remains constant.
So if you find yourself in Coral Springs on a weekend morning, and the scent of something warm and nostalgic catches your nose, there’s a good chance it’s Mo Jeannot, in the back kitchen at Bageland, quietly carrying on a tradition—one golden pastry at a time.
