FEBRUARY 2024 26 A h, the bagel. It’s such a versatile food – used for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And there are so many options: plain, everything, onion, jalapeno, with cream cheese or butter or jelly…whatever your heart desires. Bagels were created in Central Europe during the Middle Ages. At first, they were in the form of a German pretzel bread (like pretzels are today) and served to monks in monasteries. The doughy treat made its way from Deutschland to Poland in the 1300s. Polish locals modified the pretzel bread form to produce smaller, round pieces called obwarzanek . Made with pricier white flour, obwarzanek (“to boil” in Polish) were only enjoyed by the upper and royal classes. The origin of the bagel that we know and love today dates back to 1683, thanks to a king named Jan Sobieski, who led Poland against Turkish invaders. To honor him, a baker shaped his obwarzanek into circles, meant to resemble boot stirrups, called beugel . In the 1900s, Jewish Poles immigrated to New York City, taking the popular snack with them. Bagels were available at curbside markets and hung by strings, making it an easy street food for everyone – not just the rich. New York City bagels have gone on to become an iconic food. How lucky are we, then, that many New Yorkers have come to our side of the country to share their bagels with us! P.S. Of course we didn’t forget the bialys: chewy yeast rolls similar to the bagel. The former is boiled before baking, but a bialy is simply baked – and instead of a hole in the middle, bialys have an indent. The bialy was brought to the United States by Polish Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s and became a staple in bakeries in the Northeastern states. Below are five Valley spots serving up doughy deliciousness and more.  2940 E. Thomas Road, Phoenix bagelfeld.com Charlie Blonkenfeld was born in Brooklyn and lived there until he was around six years old. As an adult, he worked as a chef in various kitchens until he started a catering company that served Arcadia, Biltmore, and the surrounding areas. In March 2020, the company was put on hold, and Charlie was struggling to find a new source of income. He had been making bagels for catering orders for about four years prior and decided to start selling them at farmer’s markets. “He tried it out, and it clicked really well for him and his customers,” Manager Ryan Avery said. “He knew the bagels were good, but had no idea how much of a hit they would be. And the name is a play on Charlie’s last name.” After about a year of selling bagels at markets and taking on the occasional catering order, Charlie signed a lease on what is now Bagelfeld’s on Thomas Road. The brick-and-mortar officially opened in February 2022. Bagelfeld’s offers bagels and cream cheese, made fresh daily. They also carry Blue House coffee and cold brew. “Our most popular bagels are our everything, asiago, jalapeño + cheddar and blueberry. Lemon + herb and pepper + garlic are the most popular cream cheese flavors,” Avery said.  4401 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix einsteinbros.com We know what you’re thinking – but no, Einstein Bros. Bagels was not named after the German theoretical physicist. The concept first came about in 1995, when Progressive Bagel Concepts, Inc. was created by the folks at Boston Market – who wanted to create a national bagel company by bringing together several chain stores around the country. Before the first location opened, Progressive owned 24 bagel shops. Ogden, Utah was home to the first official Einstein Bros. store, and in 2021, the company announced that it had merged with Panera Bread and Caribou Coffee to form Panera Brands. Einstein’s offers gourmet, signature and classic bagels – which can be turned into sandwiches for breakfast and lunch if you so choose! Flavors include apple cinnamon, cheesy hash brown, cheddar jalapeno, cinnamon raisin, everything, poppy seed and more. Head bakers get to the store at 2 a.m. to make sure each bagel sold that day is at optimum freshness!

27 FEBRUARY 2024  1455 N. Scottsdale Road nybagelsnbialys.com Co-owners Shelley Curtis and Ruth Leatherman brought their bagel making skills from Chicago and New York City to the Grand Canyon State back in 2005, but the business itself has been open since 1987. More than 7,000 bagels a day are made at the kosher bakery and distributed across the Valley. BNB offers various breakfast and lunch dishes, plus blintzes, brisket, bialys – and of course, bagels. Flavors include plain, asiago, blueberry, cinnamon raisin, cranberry, egg, everything, garlic, jalapeno, marble rye, rye, pumpernickel, oat and onion – and they offer eight different flavors of schmear.  bageldaddiesaz.com Bagel Daddies’ Owner, Christopher Fregozo, has worked in kitchens, bars and bakeries for over a decade. At one point, he decided to start his own business. He and a friend had a concept in mind and would meet at Einstein’s Bagels to go over their plan. “We were meeting at the same place, and I kept thinking, ‘I would rather go to a mom-and-pop shop,” Fregozo said. “I was wondering how I could work and spend more time with my kids.” The original concept never came to fruition – instead, Fregozo opened Bagel Daddies. Thanks to his industry experience, he quickly picked up the bagel-making process. Now, he rents a booth at Uptown Phoenix Farmer’s Market and shares his creations with shoppers on Wednesdays and Saturdays. “I feel like my most popular item is always changing,” Fregozo said. “My biggest seller in December was the Notorious BEC on a green chile cheddar bagel. That one includes bacon, egg, cheddar cheese, chipotle aioli, and sunflower sprouts that I source from Yo Bro Farms.” Fregozo also partnered with Glendale’s Twisted Bee Farms and opened a shop called The Beestro, where he serves bagels, smoothies, honey and other treats. And the name? “The most important part of my business and life is being a dad. So the name came pretty natural,” Fregozo said. Each bagel is made by hand daily. Shoppers can order a six-pack and shmear to-go online, or stop by the booth and grab a Notorious BEC or one of the rotating specials.   5035 E. Elliot Road, Phoenix Owners Khalid and Heidi Salih opened The Bagel Man in Ahwatukee in September 2011. There is only one location in Arizona. The original store, called Hightstown Bagels, Inc., is located in New Jersey and has been in the family since 1995. “Some customers that now live in Phoenix were also customers in New Jersey or remember visiting the store as children!” Heidi said. The store offers New York-style bagels and cold and hot breakfast sandwiches. The cream cheese options (plain, veggie, and honey walnut raisin, among others), lox and salads are homemade daily. “Our bagels are baked and boiled the old-fashioned way – the dough is never frozen and is baked fresh daily in a revolving oven using an old New York recipe,” Heidi said. “We run out quickly, so we advise customers to come early.” Kal has been in the bagel business since 1992. He worked at Denville Bagels in New Jersey before opening Hightstown Bagels, Inc. in 1995. His brother now owns it. The family moved to Ahwatukee in 2009 after two years in Oro Valley and sixteen years in New Jersey. The name comes from a little girl in New Jersey in the 1990s who always called Kal “The Bagel Man.”    Chef Roberto Centeno and the team behind Tacos Chiwas and Bacanora opened a new restaurant in Arcadia in January: Santo Arcadia and Pecado (4418 E. Osborn Road, Phoenix, in the former Chestnut at The Vintage spot). The menu offers fire-cooked Mexican cuisine and seafood made with local ingredients for brunch and lunch – with coffee options included. Pecado offers small bites and a specialty cocktail menu. santoarcadia.com Ivan Jacobo, chef and owner of Anhelo, recently opened Flour & Thyme (944 S. Mill Ave., Tempe). The eatery features coffee and pastries, breakfast, lunch and dinner, with menu items like foie gras, tuna tartare, dry-aged duck pasta and a dry-aged burger. Flour & Thyme will also offer a wine program, specialty cocktails, vegetarian selections and a la carte options. flourandthymerestaurant.com Hai Hospitality, an award- winning Austin-based restaurant group, plans to open Uchi Scottsdale (3821 N. Scottsdale Road) on February 1. Uchi will be Hai Hospitality’s first concept in Arizona. Chef Tyson Cole will offer a variety of sushi and sashimi, tempura, and a chef’s choice menu based on seasonal items. Lamb Sirloin, Masu Crudo and Wagyu Carpaccio are just a few menu items. uchirestaurants.com