2026 Winner: Brenda Wills: Memaw’s Bagels & More, LLC
Pitch Story
What inspired you to start or expand your business in Questa?
Memaw’s started in September 2025 with something simple: I began making homemade bagels for family and friends. Their response made me wonder if I could turn something I enjoyed into a business. After being laid off, I decided it was time to create something of my own and take control of my future. I began researching the area and discovered an opportunity to bring fresh, handcrafted, traditional-style bagels to Questa—something I couldn’t find locally.
What specific community need or gap in the local market does your business fill?
Memaw’s fills a gap by bringing fresh, handcrafted bagels to our community with distinctive flavors you simply don’t find in mass-produced products. I wanted to offer more than the standard choices on a grocery store shelf. Our bagels are made in small batches, with flavors inspired by our community and the foods people here love. It gives local customers a fresh, homemade option without having to leave the area to find something unique.
How will your pitch grant equipment/purchases transform your day-to-day operations and customer experience?
The pitch grant is helping Memaw’s take an important step from a home-based business toward having a dedicated space in Questa. The equipment I’m purchasing will give me a more efficient workspace, better storage, and the ability to increase production without sacrificing the handcrafted quality that started this business. It will also allow me to expand what I can offer and serve customers more efficiently. Most importantly, the grant is helping me build the foundation for Memaw’s to become a permanent part of the Questa community rather than simply a seasonal market business.
What is your primary goal for the business over the next 6 to 12 months?
Over the next 6 to 12 months, my goal is to establish Memaw’s in a permanent location in Questa, grow a loyal customer base, and expand into wholesale and catering. Just as important, I want to build something lasting that my children and grandchildren can be part of, contribute to, and be proud of.
Meet the Founder: Quick Facts
What is one surprising lesson you’ve learned since starting/expanding your business?
I’ve learned to step outside my comfort zone even when I’m scared, and that every experience is a teaching moment. I never imagined people from other states would tell me they’d been waiting to visit our area just to try my bagels.
What is your favorite part of serving the community?
Some of my best childhood memories are of gathering at Grandma’s dinner table, where food brought people together and conversations began. Now I’m living that through Memaw’s—bringing people together and watching my own dinner table grow into a community table.
Outside of running your business, what is one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
There’s more to Memaw than bagels! I used to be a bodybuilder, have a degree in private investigations, am a certified ThetaHealing practitioner, and was working toward my PhD in metaphysics before putting it on pause.
Community Impact
Memaw’s is about more than selling food—it’s about being part of the community and showing up for our neighbors. That spirit began before the business, from offering free Thanksgiving meals to volunteering with my granddaughter at the Questa Food Pantry. As Memaw’s grows, I want to continue giving back, supporting local events, and bringing people together through food.
Storefront Location Coming Soon!
Memaw’s Bagels plans to open its first storefront store at 2349 Highway 522 in the Family Dollar and Questa Lumber complex. The shop is expected to open Oct. 5. The current plan is to operate about four days a week.
The shop currently offers seven bagel flavors. Regular offerings include everything bagel, cheddar and Hatch green chile bagel while others rotate in and out of availability.
https://www.facebook.com/memawsbagelsandmore2025
(407) 617-8761
Memaw’s Bagels & More
Special Offer: Mention this feature and receive $5 off a Half-Dozen Bagel Bundle —six handcrafted bagels plus
one 8-oz cream cheese. (One offer per customer. Valid through November 30, 2026.)
As a contestant of the 2026 Pitch Contest, Brenda Wills was awarded $5,800 for equipment for her bagel business.
2025 Alumni: Where are they now?
Monique Parker: MS Parker LLC
Looking back over the past year, how did winning the 2025 pitch grant help push your business forward?
The pitch grant gave my business the capacity to work more efficiently and pursue new opportunities. Since then, I’ve expanded my marketing communications work through local projects that combine marketing, storytelling, social media, video and community engagement.
What is the biggest milestone or achievement your business reached in the past 12 months?
Expanding my consulting work has been a major milestone, including marketing communications for Kit Carson Internet, designing the assets for Red River Oktoberfest and Vino in the Valley, and taking on marketing communications for Taos County’s CEED (Community Energy Efficiency Development) program.
What new products, services, or updates can local customers look forward to from you this season?
I’m building on that momentum through storytelling and video projects. I’ve created numerous customer success stories for Kit Carson Internet, including a recent video highlighting residential and business customers. I’ve also produced a video for the Taos County CEED program. I’m excited to bring more of that storytelling. I love sharing the stories of our residents and businesses—their experiences, their successes, and the ways local programs and organizations are making a difference in their lives.
In the 2025 Pitch Contest, Monique Parker took home the top prize of $5,000 for MS Parker LLC.
Interested in competing in the 2027 Pitch Contest? We want to hear your vision. Reach out to Lynn@QuestaEDF.com for entry details and contest guidelines.
Sponsored by LOR and Brought to you by QEDF/QBB