I’m Toney Chem, and most folks in Clive, Iowa, know me as the guy who sells New York bagels. The funny thing is, I once dreamed of being on stage, singing to thousands. Now, I’m elbow-deep in dough, baking for hundreds each morning - and I’ve realized this audience, my community, means even more.
Sarah and I started 5 Borough Bagels out of homesickness. She’s a New Yorker; I’m an Iowa kid who learned to love her city. When we moved back here, she missed the taste of home, so we baked our own bagels. One bite later, she said, “Let’s open a café.” We had eight weeks to make it happen. No contractor, no investors- just grit, sleepless nights, and faith.
Our shop became a gathering place. When the pandemic hit, our neighbors kept us going. That same community lifted us again when our daughter was born three months early. Those months in the NICU changed everything. We learned what it means to be vulnerable, to need help, and to give it.
Out of that came **5 Borough Bloom**, our nonprofit that helps immigrants and newcomers find jobs, housing, and belonging. We even extended that mission abroad, building a bagel facility and school in Cambodia to create opportunity there, too.
Music has always been my heartbeat. I still write, record, and perform - sometimes at local festivals, sometimes to raise awareness for causes like drunk driving prevention. Whether I’m singing, baking, or mentoring, it’s all the same mission: to lift people up and remind them they belong.
Everything I do - from songs to bagels - is about belonging, resilience, and giving back. That’s my blueprint for home.
Sarah and I started 5 Borough Bagels out of homesickness. She’s a New Yorker; I’m an Iowa kid who learned to love her city. When we moved back here, she missed the taste of home, so we baked our own bagels. One bite later, she said, “Let’s open a café.” We had eight weeks to make it happen. No contractor, no investors- just grit, sleepless nights, and faith.
Our shop became a gathering place. When the pandemic hit, our neighbors kept us going. That same community lifted us again when our daughter was born three months early. Those months in the NICU changed everything. We learned what it means to be vulnerable, to need help, and to give it.
Out of that came **5 Borough Bloom**, our nonprofit that helps immigrants and newcomers find jobs, housing, and belonging. We even extended that mission abroad, building a bagel facility and school in Cambodia to create opportunity there, too.
Music has always been my heartbeat. I still write, record, and perform - sometimes at local festivals, sometimes to raise awareness for causes like drunk driving prevention. Whether I’m singing, baking, or mentoring, it’s all the same mission: to lift people up and remind them they belong.
Everything I do - from songs to bagels - is about belonging, resilience, and giving back. That’s my blueprint for home.