Did you know that bagels have gradually become popular in Buenos Aires? Thanks to 27-year-old former geophysics student Jacob Eichenbaum-Pikser, who bravely introduced the Poland-originated bread product to Argentina's capital and largest city.

New York has been known to have the best bagels after Eastern European Jews introduced the bread product to North America. But today, it seems that Buenos Aires is starting to rise as Latin America's bagel capital. According to Munchies, Eichenbaum-Pikser is responsible for introducing handmade bagels to Buenos Aires and can't even bake them fast enough to meet the increasing demand.

He is also trying his best to create "authentic" New York-style bagels and American-style cream cheese from scratch.

"Because for a lot of people, this is their first bagel. I want this to be as authentic as it can be," Eichenbaum-Pikser said. "Bagels have become trendy, like all things American, among Argentinians."

Eichenbaum-Pikser's success in making bagels never came easy since Argentina is not a breakfast and brunch nation. The locals known as Porteños also prefer soft white bread and consume beef late in the day.

"I could not sell bagels for breakfast here," he said. "People wouldn't eat them-especially not with salmon."

Due to of his unwavering determination, Eichenbaum-Pikser decided to offer his bagels as a lunchtime option at several trendy cafes in the chic neighborhood of Palermo Soho in Buenos Aires.

Moreover, Eichenbaum-Pikser, who initially sells his bagels from a bicycle cart at Buenos Aires cafes, also launched a new craze for hamburguesas in the capital after he opened a Burger Joint. Today, bagels and other American baked goods such as muffins, scones and chocolate chip cookies also dominated the café menus.

Jacob Eichenbaum-Pikser, however, never planned to be a full-time baker. As a matter of fact, he had never baked a single bagel before he moved to Argentina two years ago. He was studying geophysics at Brown and Columbia but changed course and moved to Buenos Aires, where he had studied during his junior year.

For a short while, he worked as a private SAT tutor. Though his work was profitable, it was not engaging. Eventually, he decided to pursue his interests in life. And since Argentinian food can get monotonous, he craved for bagels and started to recreate one of New York's comfort food. And while he initially started making bagels as a personal interest, it later exploded into a small-scale production.

"All of a sudden, I had to make five dozen a week when I had been making five dozen a month," he said.

The early days of making bagels, however, were based on trial and error. But despite the substandard bagels and burnt toppings, Eichenbaum-Pikser took his scientific background as an advantage and molded the recipe to perfection. And to further improve his product, he would watch the early morning production at a New York bagel bakery whenever he visits home.

Meanwhile, entrepreneurial spirit and culinary creativity aren't the only factors that made Sheikob's Bagels a success. In fact, making bagels and cream cheese from scratch isn't enough. Eichenbaum-Pikser has constantly faced challenges as well. And the greatest of which was being able to introduce a filling sandwich to a city with no taste for morning meals.