A Woodstock couple who started rolling stuffed bagels in their apartment six years ago will stand in front of the Sharks this week. Ali Chetkof Rhodes and Jeremy Rhodes, the founders of Moonrise Bagels, filmed their pitch for their hand-rolled, stuffed bagel business in June; the episode will air on season 18 of ABC's Shark Tank at 10 p.m. Wednesday.
The timing caps a winding path for a business that started as a pandemic-era experiment. According to the Times Union, Jeremy and Ali started their hand-rolled stuffed bagel business in their Woodstock apartment in 2020, with Jeremy experimenting with combinations like buffalo chicken and bacon, egg and cheese while Ali tasted his creations. Jeremy reportedly asked himself at the time, what if you could stuff pizza inside a bagel — a question that eventually led to a menu of stuffed combinations including philly cheesesteak, buffalo chicken, barbecue tempeh and peanut butter and jelly.
From Apartment Kitchen to Shark Tank Set
Moonrise opened its first brick-and-mortar shop at 68 Tinker St. in Woodstock in December 2021, the paper's reporting shows. A casting producer from Shark Tank later approached the couple about appearing on the show, and a lengthy application process followed, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. Filming for the episode took place back in June, the outlet reports, meaning the couple has been sitting on the outcome of their pitch for months.
Jeremy told the Times Union that neither of them imagined five years earlier that they would reach their current position, while Ali has urged viewers to tune in, saying, “Please tune in. It’s all because of you.” Shark Tank has run since 2009 and features investors including Kevin O'Leary, Daymond John, Rashaun Williams, Lori Greiner and Barbara Corcoran, per the same outlet's account.
Expansion, Menu Changes and a Kingston Closure
Moonrise's footprint grew well beyond Woodstock in recent years. The company opened locations in Poughkeepsie and Kingston in 2024, though the Kingston shop has since shuttered, the Times Union reported. The business also opened its first New York City location in the West Village at 58 W. 8th St. on Dec. 5, 2025, according to amNY.
Along the way, the business leaned harder into its signature stuffed format. In August 2025, the Poughkeepsie location went stuffed-only, and not too long after the New York City location followed suit, according to NEWS10. The station also reported that Moonrise planned to close its Kingston “Just the Stuffed” location on a Saturday, April 25, and that the Woodstock menu rollout removing unstuffed bagels and spreads like cream cheese was set to begin in May.
Sales Growth Fuels the Shark Tank Pitch
The exact scale of Moonrise's sales depends on which account you read. The Times Union reported this week that the business has sold more than 50,000 hand-rolled stuffed bagels, while Forbes reported last year that the founders said they had sold 100,000 stuffed bagels to customers across all 50 states and Canada. Either figure points to a business that has scaled well past its apartment-kitchen origins.
Delivery has played a role in that growth. Moonrise's sales on DoorDash grew 66.1 percent between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2025, according to DoorDash. The company has also leaned on recognition beyond the delivery apps, winning the Most Creative award at the 2024 Bagel Fest and appearing on the Today Show, per the Times Union's report.
Despite the national attention, the founders say they are not chasing more storefronts. The Poughkeepsie Journal reports there are no plans for any expansion or new locations right now, with the owners focused on their Woodstock, Poughkeepsie and Manhattan shops. Moonrise continues to offer nationwide shipping and catering options, the same outlet notes, giving fans outside the Hudson Valley and New York City a way to get their hands on the stuffed bagels regardless of what the Sharks decide.
