When Mark Walker found himself with much more time on his hands during the first period of stage three COVID-19 restrictions, he decided he would keep himself busy by baking bagels, a staple of his former home of Elmira, New York.

"I started baking in the first lockdown, just really to keep myself occupied," he said.

"I work one day a week out at Creswick Primary School for the hands on learning program, so when the schools closed, I found myself with a lot more time on my hands.

"I used to work in a bagel shop when I was growing up in New York, so I just thought "hey, I'll start making some bagels."

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After tweaking and toying with recipes, Mr Walker ultimately found a method of warm-proof baking that proved popular.

"I started putting photos up on my Facebook and friends started to reach out asking if they could get some," he continued.

"My friends kept telling me they loved them once they tried it, so I thought I had a winner on my hands."

The process ultimately resulted in Mr Walker founding the Ballarat Bagel Company, which quickly gained popularity within the community on social media.

Moving forward, Mr Walker said he is happy for the new endeavour to occupy its current space in his life, but would not rule out potentially expanding the business.

"We're seeing it start to take off already, we've been getting more likes on our Facebook page and more enquiries online. It's still a very young project, but I think it's sustainable. Right now I'm baking two days a week and am very content with that, it doesn't have to turn into a major business thing, but if that comes my way I'll continue to eventuate it."

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