I Know Bagels
Growing up in Chicago, near Wrigley Field, you could say that I first learned about bagels by osmosis. We rarely went out to eat...everything was homemade, including bread and pizza from scratch. My mom, Belle, instilled in us a love of food and baking even more - her specialty. Now both are part of my DNA.
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| Jay Glass at SPoT Bagel in Seattle, 1990 |
Every Friday night was bagel night. My mom served bagels from the neighborhood shop with lox or smoked whitefish as part of our weekly "non-meat" dinner. And of course, the most important Jewish events in our community featured "the tray," overflowing with bagels and various toppings. Whether grieving while sitting shiva or celebrating a new birth at a bris, when everyone was together, we ate bagels - the Jewish soul food.
In 1990, my bagel education picked up steam. While deciding whether to start a bagel bakery, I traveled all over the US seeking the advice of sage bagel bakers. I sought out great bagels made in cities with big Jewish populations, where people know good bagels from bad. I spent countless hours talking with bagel makers in New York, Chicago, Vancouver (Montreal-style bagels), and Los Angeles, seeking an understanding of why their bagels were best. I took their veteran advice to heart when I started SPoT Bagel Bakery in Seattle, which became Seattle's #1 most-loved bagel. We proudly made artisan bagels with creative flavors that revolutionized the bagel industry.
These days, when I think back to how much love and skill my mom put into our homemade meals, I am grateful and realize how much I've matured from the kid that wanted to eat out because he didn't know better. Now I truly know what kind of food I want to eat: local and organic ingredients à la Alice Waters, prepared thoughtfully à la slow food, and with innovative flavors à la Humphry Slocombe.
― Jay Glass