Latest news with #Montreal-style


Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- General
- Edmonton Journal
Ottawa bakeries make the Montreal-style bagel tradition their own
Play Video Article content Montreal-style bagels may have originated down the 417, but in Ottawa, the debate over which shop does them best is very much alive, and surprisingly personal. At Kettlemans, Bobino, Cadmans and Bagelshop, that label applies to four distinct recipes — and four devoted customer bases prepared to eat accordingly and defend their choice with conviction. I've been loyal to one bagel for over a decade: sesame, from St-Viateur in Montreal, eaten hot straight from the paper bag, toasted seeds scattering with every bite. In my twenties, I lined up for them at 3 a.m., like many in the Mile End, treating bagels as both hangover prevention and personality trait. These days, I stock up during daylight hours on infrequent visits to the city, but my order hasn't changed, and neither has the taste. There's something oddly comforting about a bread ring that always tastes the way you remember. A proper Montreal-style bagel is hand-rolled, boiled in honeyed water and baked in a wood-fired oven until the crust takes on a slight crackle and the inside turns chewy, with a faint sweetness. It's smaller and denser than a New York bagel and best eaten warm, ideally without hesitation. Bagel-making in Montreal dates to the early 20th century, when Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe adapted Polish and Ukrainian techniques to local ingredients. Fairmount Bagel opened in 1919, then St-Viateur in 1957. The original technique is still central to both family-run bakeries. Last summer, I spent a morning behind the counter at St-Viateur, learning to roll the dough and guide the uneven rings past the flames. The bakers, many of them longtime employees, moved with practiced speed. I did not. By the time I was done, my hands were sore from repetition (though owner Vince Morena did most of the heavy lifting) and my clothes smelled like caramelised bread. I walked out with a baker's dozen — one consumed out front on the sidewalk for good measure — and a sharpened sense of what 'Montreal-style' means. When I moved to Ottawa, I went looking for my bagel fix, expecting disappointment. Instead, I found bakeries working from the same blueprint with intriguing results. I tasted each bagel fresh and toasted, stacked against a control batch from St-Viateur, before speaking to the people who make them. A bagel, in theory, is a simple thing. In practice, it's a set of choices about texture, sweetness, size and timing, shaped by a baker and sustained by the people who keep coming back for the version that feels right. What follows is a look at four Ottawa bakeries calling their product Montreal-style, and how each one puts its stamp on that claim. Bagelshop and Deli Hours: Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prices: $1.59 (single), $8.89 (half dozen), $12.99 (dozen); sandwiches vary Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance -⊚- Sesame bagels from Bagelshop come blistered from the oven, with a chewy interior, a crisp crust and generous sesame coverage. The dough carries a mild sweetness and a malty finish that lingers when toasted. Of all the shops using the Montreal-style label in Ottawa, this one most closely matches the method and flavour I've long associated with St-Viateur. The store has earned that resemblance. When the Piazza family opened the shop in 1984, there were no Montreal-style bagels in Ottawa. 'My mom noticed there was sort of a hole in the market,' said owner Liliana Piazza. Her father, then a teacher, was encouraged by her uncle Joe — who started working at Saint-Viateur Bagel at 14 and later took it over — to bring the style to Ottawa. 'We kind of took the Montreal bagel out of Montreal,' she said. They also helped bring the oven with them. 'My dad actually set a precedent in Ontario law to have this type of wood-burning oven,' she said. The structure is embedded in the building. 'It's brick and concrete. It's not going anywhere.' Liliana grew up working in the Bagelshop and later worked at her cousins' bakery in Montreal while studying opera. She returned to Ottawa in 2012 and took over the business in 2019. Since then, she has expanded the selection with flavoured bagels like sourdough and blueberry-cream. 'We're always trying to find things that are compelling,' she said, describing the sourdough as a cross between a Montreal and New York bagel. 'It has a tang. That bagel doesn't have any eggs in it like our Montreal-style bagel does. It's a different dough.' We kind of took the Montreal bagel out of Montreal. Liliana Piazza, Bagelshop owner Still, the classic sesame bagel remains most popular. 'Because the dough is slightly sweet — there's no salt — the sesame adds that sort of complexity of flavour,' she said. 'There's the sweetness, the crunchiness, the texture of the sesame seed. It's actually a really complex bread experience.' Liliana is protective of the term Montreal-style, especially because her family helped define it locally. 'I feel like if you do those three things — quick dough, boil in honey water, and wood-burning oven — then you're going to have a Montreal-style bagel.' That last part is rarer. 'We probably have one of the last full wood-burning ovens,' she said. 'Newer bagel shops tend not to build the oven into the building like we have.' Her favourite way to eat a Bagelshop bagel? 'Hot cinnamon raisin out of the oven. Or a sesame bagel, sliced in half, with salted butter and a chocolate milk. That's what I had growing up, after school,' she said. The Reuben is a customer favourite, and Liliana mentioned they recently introduced an all-day breakfast sandwich. But for her, the soul of the place will always be the bagels. 'I grew up in this business, and now it's part of my kids' lives,' she said. 'It's generational.' Hours: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Prices: $1.85 (single), $9.95 (half dozen), $14.95 (dozen); sandwiches vary Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance -⊚- Bagels at the Gatineau shop come out of a high-heat oven that co-owner Alex van Dieren says is 'closer to the shape of a pizza oven.' The result is crusty on the outside, tender inside and finished with a sheen that comes from 'a special ingredient in the water as they boil.' When pressed, he clarified, 'That ingredient is mostly honey, but there's something else in there as well… it's all natural. No chemicals.' Unlike some Montreal institutions where fresh-out-of-the-oven is the draw, Bobino recommends waiting. 'Anywhere between two and eight hours after is really the best time (to eat a bagel) because they kind of continue to bake after they're out of the oven,' said van Dieren. The texture is compelling enough on its own that even without much sweetness in the dough they're hard to stop eating. They also reheat well, keeping their chew and structure. Compared to some of the denser, more uniform bagels found elsewhere, Bobino's thinner profile and slightly irregular grooves give them a handmade feel, good for holding toppings. The pastel building across from the Canadian Museum of History — once a car garage, later a gelato shop — houses what van Dieren describes as 'a Montreal-style bagel shop that is not only about the bagel, but the whole experience.' Children who visit are handed playdough at the counter, some may get mini bagels from bakers or at least some real dough to play with. Staff keep the music on seasonal playlists, each song handpicked, 'and the volume of the music is checked every half an hour,' said van Dieren. The shop's name and colour scheme reference Bobino, a beloved children's show that aired in Quebec for nearly 30 years, ending in 1985. Van Dieren said the team got permission from the family of actor Guy Sanche, a Hull resident who played the title character, to use his name. His relatives live next door to the shop and share a fence with it. The cheeky cartoon bagel mascot was designed by Rémi Allen, a longtime collaborator at Orkestra, the Gatineau creative agency co-founded by Bobino's owners. 'When he presented the concept of having a bagel that is alive as a character with his little cheeks at the back, it was approved by everyone in about five seconds.' Van Dieren said he used to bring bagels home from Saint-Viateur and Fairmount in Montreal. 'By now I've gone through way too many salmon sandwiches,' he said. 'So I'm into club sandwiches, Bobino style… But in the morning, you absolutely need to try the cinnamon raisin with just a bit of butter. That just tastes like heaven.' Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Carling Rd.); Monday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. (Montreal Rd.) Prices: $2.29 (single), $9.99 (half dozen), $13.99 (dozen); sandwiches vary Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance (both locations) -⊚- Cadman's has been baking Montreal-style bagels since 2016, but the team behind it has been in the business much longer. President and founder Ranjeev Sharma operated as a Kettlemans franchisee starting in 2004 before breaking away and launching his own brand. 'We had a nasty divorce, let's just say that,' he said. The name Cadman, chosen after the split, means 'fighter' or 'warrior' in Anglo-Saxon. 'It was like a David and Goliath story,' he said. The first location opened on Carling Avenue, followed by a second on Montreal Road in 2017. The company built its following early and retained customers through the transition. 'Even when we were at Kettlemans, we had our regulars. When we rebranded, they stayed with us,' Sharma said. Cadman's sesame bagel is the flagship item. 'We sell thousands of them a day,' he said. Each one is hand-rolled, boiled in honey water, and baked in a wood-burning oven. The dough recipe hasn't changed in years. 'If you come back in three years, it's going to taste exactly the same,' Sharma said. 'We do not mess with our recipe.' Cadmans' locations have an open kitchen, where staff can be seen rolling, boiling and baking bagels throughout the morning. When I visited the Montreal Road shop, staff were quick to recommend the cherry cheese bagel made with Canadian fruit — a replacement for the U.S.-sourced blueberry version they had temporarily discontinued due to tariffs. They also encouraged buying a half-dozen instead of my usual four to get a better deal. The sesame bagels I picked up in the late afternoon were already packaged in plastic. They had a yeasty aroma and looked more like New York-style bagels with a smooth exterior and bready interior. However, the crust had a mild snap, and the overall texture was soft and dense. The full-bodied flavour stands apart from the others in Ottawa, and they do hold their own. Cadman's makes 14 varieties daily, including a jalapeño cheddar created by Sharma. 'People love those bagels,' he said. Customers looking for specific flavours are encouraged to order in advance to avoid disappointment. Bagels are baked from 4:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and hot bagels are typically available between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Sharma's favourite? An all-dressed bagel, hollowed out to crisp the crust, then filled with bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo. 'A BLT, basically. One of my favourite sandwiches,' he said. The BLT is also a top seller at Cadmans. A few customers ask for their bagels scooped, he added, to get more crunch and less crumb. Hours: Open 24 hours (Bank, Trainyards, and Nepean locations); Kanata: daily, 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Prices: $1.79 (single), $9.29 (half dozen), $14.49 (dozen); sandwiches vary Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrances at all locations -⊚- Kettlemans rolls about 9,000 bagels a day by hand. 'It creates this perfectly imperfect product. There are no two bagels that are alike,' said company president Amer Wahab. 'We roll about 55 dozen bagels every hour and a half with manpower, not machine power.' The sesame bagel dominates production, trailed by poppy. Most bagels go straight into the takeout line or sandwich bar, and a few lucky customers might get a hot one off the fire. 'I have been witness to 48 chocolate chip bagels coming out of the oven,' Wahab recalled. 'A lady leaned in, said, 'How many are there?' The baker said, 'Just did 48.' She said, 'I'll take all of them.'' The bagels are dense with a soft chew and a lightly sweet dough. They reheat better than most others in Ottawa and make an excellent choice for adding toppings, even hours after baking. Wahab attributes their appeal to quality ingredients and consistency. Fifteen years later, I came back and I was like, oh my god, they still have a Reuben. I want my Reuben on poppy. Amer Wahab, Kettlemans president That reliability and the round-the-clock hours make Kettlemans one of the few spots in Ottawa where a 3 a.m. bagel run is possible. The scale also gives the shop room to experiment. 'Every major holiday we'll do something,' said Wahab. ' Canada Day, Christmas, Halloween.' Some flavour ideas come from the management team, others from hourly staff. 'If somebody says, 'We should do a lemon cream cheese.' It's like, anybody against it? No? Somebody makes a bench sample, they bring it back and we try it.' Past successes include a triple chocolate bagel made with cocoa, hot chocolate and chocolate chips released on Valentine's Day. Wahab's own go-to orders depend on the filling. 'If it's just with cream cheese, sesame. If I'm having smoked meat or Reuben, it's poppy,' he said. 'And I love our vegetarian sandwich. It's made with spicy eggplant, pesto mayo, lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese — absolutely hands down delicious.' He also praised Kettlemans' gluten-free bagel. 'It's vegan, it's kosher, it's nut free,' he said. 'Honestly, that could be my substitute for any one of those.' Wahab joined Kettlemans a decade ago, first as a consultant who rediscovered his love for the brand through its sandwiches. 'I was a guest in 1993, at (the Bank St.) location, when it first opened,' he said. 'Fifteen years later, I came back and I was like, oh my god, they still have a Reuben. I want my Reuben on poppy. That bite was the same as it was fifteen years prior. It has not changed.' Wahab described the company's relationships with honey producers, butchers and other suppliers as key to preserving continuity. '(Our relationships) are one thing that we will not ever veer from,' he said.


Ottawa Citizen
4 days ago
- General
- Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa bakeries make the Montreal-style bagel tradition their own
Play Video Article content Montreal-style bagels may have originated down the 417, but in Ottawa, the debate over which shop does them best is very much alive, and surprisingly personal. At Kettlemans, Bobino, Cadmans and Bagelshop, that label applies to four distinct recipes — and four devoted customer bases prepared to eat accordingly and defend their choice with conviction. I've been loyal to one bagel for over a decade: sesame, from St-Viateur in Montreal, eaten hot straight from the paper bag, toasted seeds scattering with every bite. In my twenties, I lined up for them at 3 a.m., like many in the Mile End, treating bagels as both hangover prevention and personality trait. These days, I stock up during daylight hours on infrequent visits to the city, but my order hasn't changed, and neither has the taste. There's something oddly comforting about a bread ring that always tastes the way you remember. A proper Montreal-style bagel is hand-rolled, boiled in honeyed water and baked in a wood-fired oven until the crust takes on a slight crackle and the inside turns chewy, with a faint sweetness. It's smaller and denser than a New York bagel and best eaten warm, ideally without hesitation. Bagel-making in Montreal dates to the early 20th century, when Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe adapted Polish and Ukrainian techniques to local ingredients. Fairmount Bagel opened in 1919, then St-Viateur in 1957. The original technique is still central to both family-run bakeries. Last summer, I spent a morning behind the counter at St-Viateur, learning to roll the dough and guide the uneven rings past the flames. The bakers, many of them longtime employees, moved with practiced speed. I did not. By the time I was done, my hands were sore from repetition (though owner Vince Morena did most of the heavy lifting) and my clothes smelled like caramelised bread. I walked out with a baker's dozen — one consumed out front on the sidewalk for good measure — and a sharpened sense of what 'Montreal-style' means. When I moved to Ottawa, I went looking for my bagel fix, expecting disappointment. Instead, I found bakeries working from the same blueprint with intriguing results. I tasted each bagel fresh and toasted, stacked against a control batch from St-Viateur, before speaking to the people who make them. A bagel, in theory, is a simple thing. In practice, it's a set of choices about texture, sweetness, size and timing, shaped by a baker and sustained by the people who keep coming back for the version that feels right. What follows is a look at four Ottawa bakeries calling their product Montreal-style, and how each one puts its stamp on that claim. Bagelshop and Deli Hours: Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prices: $1.59 (single), $8.89 (half dozen), $12.99 (dozen); sandwiches vary Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance -⊚- Sesame bagels from Bagelshop come blistered from the oven, with a chewy interior, a crisp crust and generous sesame coverage. The dough carries a mild sweetness and a malty finish that lingers when toasted. Of all the shops using the Montreal-style label in Ottawa, this one most closely matches the method and flavour I've long associated with St-Viateur. The store has earned that resemblance. When the Piazza family opened the shop in 1984, there were no Montreal-style bagels in Ottawa. 'My mom noticed there was sort of a hole in the market,' said owner Liliana Piazza. Her father, then a teacher, was encouraged by her uncle Joe — who started working at Saint-Viateur Bagel at 14 and later took it over — to bring the style to Ottawa. 'We kind of took the Montreal bagel out of Montreal,' she said. They also helped bring the oven with them. 'My dad actually set a precedent in Ontario law to have this type of wood-burning oven,' she said. The structure is embedded in the building. 'It's brick and concrete. It's not going anywhere.' Liliana grew up working in the Bagelshop and later worked at her cousins' bakery in Montreal while studying opera. She returned to Ottawa in 2012 and took over the business in 2019. Since then, she has expanded the selection with flavoured bagels like sourdough and blueberry-cream. 'We're always trying to find things that are compelling,' she said, describing the sourdough as a cross between a Montreal and New York bagel. 'It has a tang. That bagel doesn't have any eggs in it like our Montreal-style bagel does. It's a different dough.' We kind of took the Montreal bagel out of Montreal. Liliana Piazza, Bagelshop owner Still, the classic sesame bagel remains most popular. 'Because the dough is slightly sweet — there's no salt — the sesame adds that sort of complexity of flavour,' she said. 'There's the sweetness, the crunchiness, the texture of the sesame seed. It's actually a really complex bread experience.' Liliana is protective of the term Montreal-style, especially because her family helped define it locally. 'I feel like if you do those three things — quick dough, boil in honey water, and wood-burning oven — then you're going to have a Montreal-style bagel.' That last part is rarer. 'We probably have one of the last full wood-burning ovens,' she said. 'Newer bagel shops tend not to build the oven into the building like we have.' Her favourite way to eat a Bagelshop bagel? 'Hot cinnamon raisin out of the oven. Or a sesame bagel, sliced in half, with salted butter and a chocolate milk. That's what I had growing up, after school,' she said. The Reuben is a customer favourite, and Liliana mentioned they recently introduced an all-day breakfast sandwich. But for her, the soul of the place will always be the bagels. 'I grew up in this business, and now it's part of my kids' lives,' she said. 'It's generational.' Hours: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Prices: $1.85 (single), $9.95 (half dozen), $14.95 (dozen); sandwiches vary Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance -⊚- Bagels at the Gatineau shop come out of a high-heat oven that co-owner Alex van Dieren says is 'closer to the shape of a pizza oven.' The result is crusty on the outside, tender inside and finished with a sheen that comes from 'a special ingredient in the water as they boil.' When pressed, he clarified, 'That ingredient is mostly honey, but there's something else in there as well… it's all natural. No chemicals.' Unlike some Montreal institutions where fresh-out-of-the-oven is the draw, Bobino recommends waiting. 'Anywhere between two and eight hours after is really the best time (to eat a bagel) because they kind of continue to bake after they're out of the oven,' said van Dieren. The texture is compelling enough on its own that even without much sweetness in the dough they're hard to stop eating. They also reheat well, keeping their chew and structure. Compared to some of the denser, more uniform bagels found elsewhere, Bobino's thinner profile and slightly irregular grooves give them a handmade feel, good for holding toppings. The pastel building across from the Canadian Museum of History — once a car garage, later a gelato shop — houses what van Dieren describes as 'a Montreal-style bagel shop that is not only about the bagel, but the whole experience.' Children who visit are handed playdough at the counter, some may get mini bagels from bakers or at least some real dough to play with. Staff keep the music on seasonal playlists, each song handpicked, 'and the volume of the music is checked every half an hour,' said van Dieren. The shop's name and colour scheme reference Bobino, a beloved children's show that aired in Quebec for nearly 30 years, ending in 1985. Van Dieren said the team got permission from the family of actor Guy Sanche, a Hull resident who played the title character, to use his name. His relatives live next door to the shop and share a fence with it. The cheeky cartoon bagel mascot was designed by Rémi Allen, a longtime collaborator at Orkestra, the Gatineau creative agency co-founded by Bobino's owners. 'When he presented the concept of having a bagel that is alive as a character with his little cheeks at the back, it was approved by everyone in about five seconds.' Van Dieren said he used to bring bagels home from Saint-Viateur and Fairmount in Montreal. 'By now I've gone through way too many salmon sandwiches,' he said. 'So I'm into club sandwiches, Bobino style… But in the morning, you absolutely need to try the cinnamon raisin with just a bit of butter. That just tastes like heaven.' Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Carling Rd.); Monday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. (Montreal Rd.) Prices: $2.29 (single), $9.99 (half dozen), $13.99 (dozen); sandwiches vary Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance (both locations) -⊚- Cadman's has been baking Montreal-style bagels since 2016, but the team behind it has been in the business much longer. President and founder Ranjeev Sharma operated as a Kettlemans franchisee starting in 2004 before breaking away and launching his own brand. 'We had a nasty divorce, let's just say that,' he said. The name Cadman, chosen after the split, means 'fighter' or 'warrior' in Anglo-Saxon. 'It was like a David and Goliath story,' he said. The first location opened on Carling Avenue, followed by a second on Montreal Road in 2017. The company built its following early and retained customers through the transition. 'Even when we were at Kettlemans, we had our regulars. When we rebranded, they stayed with us,' Sharma said. Cadman's sesame bagel is the flagship item. 'We sell thousands of them a day,' he said. Each one is hand-rolled, boiled in honey water, and baked in a wood-burning oven. The dough recipe hasn't changed in years. 'If you come back in three years, it's going to taste exactly the same,' Sharma said. 'We do not mess with our recipe.' Cadmans' locations have an open kitchen, where staff can be seen rolling, boiling and baking bagels throughout the morning. When I visited the Montreal Road shop, staff were quick to recommend the cherry cheese bagel made with Canadian fruit — a replacement for the U.S.-sourced blueberry version they had temporarily discontinued due to tariffs. They also encouraged buying a half-dozen instead of my usual four to get a better deal. The sesame bagels I picked up in the late afternoon were already packaged in plastic. They had a yeasty aroma and looked more like New York-style bagels with a smooth exterior and bready interior. However, the crust had a mild snap, and the overall texture was soft and dense. The full-bodied flavour stands apart from the others in Ottawa, and they do hold their own. Cadman's makes 14 varieties daily, including a jalapeño cheddar created by Sharma. 'People love those bagels,' he said. Customers looking for specific flavours are encouraged to order in advance to avoid disappointment. Bagels are baked from 4:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and hot bagels are typically available between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Sharma's favourite? An all-dressed bagel, hollowed out to crisp the crust, then filled with bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo. 'A BLT, basically. One of my favourite sandwiches,' he said. The BLT is also a top seller at Cadmans. A few customers ask for their bagels scooped, he added, to get more crunch and less crumb. Hours: Open 24 hours (Bank, Trainyards, and Nepean locations); Kanata: daily, 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Prices: $1.79 (single), $9.29 (half dozen), $14.49 (dozen); sandwiches vary Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrances at all locations -⊚- Kettlemans rolls about 9,000 bagels a day by hand. 'It creates this perfectly imperfect product. There are no two bagels that are alike,' said company president Amer Wahab. 'We roll about 55 dozen bagels every hour and a half with manpower, not machine power.' The sesame bagel dominates production, trailed by poppy. Most bagels go straight into the takeout line or sandwich bar, and a few lucky customers might get a hot one off the fire. 'I have been witness to 48 chocolate chip bagels coming out of the oven,' Wahab recalled. 'A lady leaned in, said, 'How many are there?' The baker said, 'Just did 48.' She said, 'I'll take all of them.'' The bagels are dense with a soft chew and a lightly sweet dough. They reheat better than most others in Ottawa and make an excellent choice for adding toppings, even hours after baking. Wahab attributes their appeal to quality ingredients and consistency. Fifteen years later, I came back and I was like, oh my god, they still have a Reuben. I want my Reuben on poppy. Amer Wahab, Kettlemans president That reliability and the round-the-clock hours make Kettlemans one of the few spots in Ottawa where a 3 a.m. bagel run is possible. The scale also gives the shop room to experiment. 'Every major holiday we'll do something,' said Wahab. ' Canada Day, Christmas, Halloween.' Some flavour ideas come from the management team, others from hourly staff. 'If somebody says, 'We should do a lemon cream cheese.' It's like, anybody against it? No? Somebody makes a bench sample, they bring it back and we try it.' Past successes include a triple chocolate bagel made with cocoa, hot chocolate and chocolate chips released on Valentine's Day. Wahab's own go-to orders depend on the filling. 'If it's just with cream cheese, sesame. If I'm having smoked meat or Reuben, it's poppy,' he said. 'And I love our vegetarian sandwich. It's made with spicy eggplant, pesto mayo, lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese — absolutely hands down delicious.' He also praised Kettlemans' gluten-free bagel. 'It's vegan, it's kosher, it's nut free,' he said. 'Honestly, that could be my substitute for any one of those.' Wahab joined Kettlemans a decade ago, first as a consultant who rediscovered his love for the brand through its sandwiches. 'I was a guest in 1993, at (the Bank St.) location, when it first opened,' he said. 'Fifteen years later, I came back and I was like, oh my god, they still have a Reuben. I want my Reuben on poppy. That bite was the same as it was fifteen years prior. It has not changed.' Wahab described the company's relationships with honey producers, butchers and other suppliers as key to preserving continuity. '(Our relationships) are one thing that we will not ever veer from,' he said.


The Province
16-05-2025
- General
- The Province
Siegel's marks 35 years making Montreal-style bagels in Vancouver
Siegel's makes Montreal-style bagels the traditional way, with a wood-burning oven that makes you 'bake by the seat of your pants.' Joel Siegel started Siegel's bagels 35 years ago and is celebrating the milestone occasion. Siegel is pictured at the Kitsilano location May 15. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. When Joel Siegel moved to Vancouver from Montreal in 1974, he quickly realized something was amiss: there were no Montreal-style bagels. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors 'All they had were like buns with a hole in them that came from Safeway,' he recalls. A few years later, he was 'between things' career-wise and decided to open up his own Montreal-style bagel shop in Kitsilano. But Siegel's Bagels took awhile to catch on. 'I started by being on the sidewalk with a little box with bagels and cream cheese and giving them away when people walked by,' he said. Over time, though, Siegel's Bagels became a civic institution, the Vancouver equivalent of Schwarz's Deli or St-Viateur Bagel in Montreal. Besides offering nine different types of bagels, it's where the masses get their Montreal smoked meat, rugelach pastry, and lox and cream cheese. On May 16, the store marks 35 years in business — and it's Siegel's 89th birthday. His daughter Parise now runs the business, but Siegel will be coming in from his home on Salt Spring Island for a celebration at the original location, 1833 Cornwall Ave. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. If you've been to Siegel's, you may recognize Siegel as the tall, thin white-haired guy with the distinctive moustache. He recently shaved it off — 'I got sick of always having hair in my mouth' — but has reconsidered and is growing it back. Siegel grew up in Dolbeau, Que., a small town near Lac-St-Jean, 'way, way up north, where the road ends up, and where the train turned around.' Joel Siegel at first did everything in his bagel shop, including chopping the wood for the oven. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG At 13, his family moved to Montreal. St-Viateur Bagel was nearby, and he started working there as a teenager. But he had other careers before he came back to bagels: He drove semi-trucks for seven years, then was in the clothing business. Oh, and he was a race car driver. 'I raced with the SCCA, Sports Car Club of America,' he said. 'I raced all over the U.S. and did some racing in Europe. I won six championships racing a Viper.' But it had its drawbacks. 'One wreck I had at the Dallas motor speedway, I hit the wall,' he said. 'I broke my neck. I was really lucky to get out of the car alive. And then the following year I raced, and I won two championships.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Making bagels isn't as dangerous, but did have its challenges when he started up. He went back to St-Viateur Bagel in Montreal to brush up on his bagel-making skills, but St-Viateur's owner declined to partner in a Vancouver location. 'He told me to go and steal a couple of bakers from another bagel shop, which I did,' he said. At his Vancouver store, he did everything traditionally to make an authentic Montreal style bagel, installing a wood burning brick oven, flipping the bagels with the long wooden shiva paddle, and rolling the dough the way they do in Montreal. 'The recipe is everything, and then the preparation, rolling them by hand,' he said. 'Getting all the air out so they're dense. And getting a good shine on them from the wood burning oven is really a big factor.' Montreal bagels are quite different from bagels in other cities, such as New York. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The recipe is different,' he explains. 'They use what we call a sourdough type of method, which we don't. New York bagels get harder much quicker, and I don't especially like sourdough. It's an acquired taste, I guess.' Baking with wood is also a bit of an art, because you have to 'bake from the seat of your pants.' In a regular oven, he explains, you turn it on, put the bagels in, 'and when the buzzer goes off, you take them out.' Cooking with wood, 'you have to pay attention to what you're doing, because you have to turn them, get them off the long boards, then put them on the fire brick. And you have to have a method of rotating them in the oven.' Smoked meat is also a Montreal specialty, different from the corned beef or pastrami you get in Jewish delis in other cities. 'It's the same brisket, but it goes into a different preparation, where the smoked pieces goes into brine, into barrels,' said Siegel, who imports his smoked meat from Montreal. 'It takes a week or two weeks for it to cure.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He worked hard to make the store a success, chopping the wood himself for the oven. 'When we started, I did everything, I did the baking, I did the counter,' he said. 'But I said if I can convince half the people that live in Vancouver that came from Montreal to taste our bagels, I'll make it. Eventually we got the Montrealers to come into my shop, and it grew from there.' jmackie@ Read More


Vancouver Sun
16-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Siegel's marks 35 years making Montreal-style bagels in Vancouver
When Joel Siegel moved to Vancouver from Montreal in 1974, he quickly realized something was amiss: there were no Montreal-style bagels. 'All they had were like buns with a hole in them that came from Safeway,' he recalls. A few years later, he was 'between things' career-wise and decided to open up his own Montreal-style bagel shop in Kitsilano. But Siegel's Bagels took awhile to catch on. 'I started by being on the sidewalk with a little box with bagels and cream cheese and giving them away when people walked by,' he said. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Over time, though, Siegel's Bagels became a civic institution, the Vancouver equivalent of Schwarz's Deli or St-Viateur Bagel in Montreal. Besides offering nine different types of bagels, it's where the masses get their Montreal smoked meat, rugelach pastry, and lox and cream cheese. On May 16, the store marks 35 years in business — and it's Siegel's 89th birthday. His daughter Parise now runs the business, but Siegel will be coming in from his home on Salt Spring Island for a celebration at the original location, 1833 Cornwall Ave. If you've been to Siegel's, you may recognize Siegel as the tall, thin white-haired guy with the distinctive moustache. He recently shaved it off — 'I got sick of always having hair in my mouth' — but has reconsidered and is growing it back. Siegel grew up in Dolbeau, Que., a small town near Lac-St-Jean, 'way, way up north, where the road ends up, and where the train turned around.' At 13, his family moved to Montreal. St-Viateur Bagel was nearby, and he started working there as a teenager. But he had other careers before he came back to bagels: He drove semi-trucks for seven years, then was in the clothing business. Oh, and he was a race car driver. 'I raced with the SCCA, Sports Car Club of America,' he said. 'I raced all over the U.S. and did some racing in Europe. I won six championships racing a Viper.' But it had its drawbacks. 'One wreck I had at the Dallas motor speedway, I hit the wall,' he said. 'I broke my neck. I was really lucky to get out of the car alive. And then the following year I raced, and I won two championships.' Making bagels isn't as dangerous, but did have its challenges when he started up. He went back to St-Viateur Bagel in Montreal to brush up on his bagel-making skills, but St-Viateur's owner declined to partner in a Vancouver location. 'He told me to go and steal a couple of bakers from another bagel shop, which I did,' he said. At his Vancouver store, he did everything traditionally to make an authentic Montreal style bagel, installing a wood burning brick oven, flipping the bagels with the long wooden shiva paddle, and rolling the dough the way they do in Montreal. 'The recipe is everything, and then the preparation, rolling them by hand,' he said. 'Getting all the air out so they're dense. And getting a good shine on them from the wood burning oven is really a big factor.' Montreal bagels are quite different from bagels in other cities, such as New York. 'The recipe is different,' he explains. 'They use what we call a sourdough type of method, which we don't. New York bagels get harder much quicker, and I don't especially like sourdough. It's an acquired taste, I guess.' Baking with wood is also a bit of an art, because you have to 'bake from the seat of your pants.' In a regular oven, he explains, you turn it on, put the bagels in, 'and when the buzzer goes off, you take them out.' Cooking with wood, 'you have to pay attention to what you're doing, because you have to turn them, get them off the long boards, then put them on the fire brick. And you have to have a method of rotating them in the oven.' Smoked meat is also a Montreal specialty, different from the corned beef or pastrami you get in Jewish delis in other cities. 'It's the same brisket, but it goes into a different preparation, where the smoked pieces goes into brine, into barrels,' said Siegel, who imports his smoked meat from Montreal. 'It takes a week or two weeks for it to cure.' He worked hard to make the store a success, chopping the wood himself for the oven. 'When we started, I did everything, I did the baking, I did the counter,' he said. 'But I said if I can convince half the people that live in Vancouver that came from Montreal to taste our bagels, I'll make it. Eventually we got the Montrealers to come into my shop, and it grew from there.' jmackie@


Business Journals
22-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Human Robot Brewing taking over former Crime and Punishment space
By submitting your information you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and User Agreement . Crime and Punishment Brewing shuttered last week after 10 years in operation in Philadelphia's Brewerytown neighborhood. Human Robot Brewing is taking over the former home of Crime and Punishment Brewing in Brewerytown. The West Kensington brewery closed on its $760,000 purchase of the building at 2711 W. Girard Ave. on Tuesday, Human Robot co-founder Jake Atkinson told the Business Journal. The deal did not include the Crime and Punishment business or any licenses. Human Robot bought the building from Crime and Punishment Brewing owner Mike Paul. The brewery closed on April 15 after 10 years in operation. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events In the ground-floor space previously home to Crime and Punishment Brewing, Human Robot plans to open a taproom that will operate under the name Human Robot Girard. The location is meant to replace the brewery's Schuylkill Banks location at 2401 Walnut St., which shutters on May 31. Human Robot subleases that space from Montreal-style bagel maker Spread Bagelry, which decided not to renew its lease in the building after it expires next month. Atkinson said the turnkey nature of the space will allow Human Robot to get the taproom up and running as quickly as possible. The brewery is keeping all of Crime and Punishment's furniture and fixtures, except for the brewing equipment in the back room, which will be converted into another seating area for customers. The location will also offer outdoor seating. All three staff members from Crime and Punishment have been offered positions at Human Robot Girard, according to Atkinson. The brewery will also relocate its two employees from Human Robot Schuylkill Banks to the Brewerytown outpost. expand Human Robot Brewing opened in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood in 2020. Ryan Sharrow / Philadelphia Business Journal The interior of the space, Atkinson said, will remain largely the same as it looked during its Crime and Punishment days. "We're not going to change much," he said. "It's not like they didn't do well there. The neighborhood loved them." Human Robot Girard will offer a limited food menu curated by Rich "Poe" Tamaccio, who runs Poe's Sandwich Joint at the brewery's flagship location at 1710 N. 5th St. in West Kensington, which opened in 2020. It will serve the same beers that it offers at its other taprooms. Atkinson said the brewery also hopes to work with Crime and Punishment Brewing's Paul to make new beers for the taproom in the future. "We really want to honor the tradition of that space and what he's already done in the community and not just come in and change everything up," Atkinson said. The three-story, 3,700-square-foot Brewerytown building also has one vacant apartment on each of the top two levels. Atkinson said Human Robot plans to refurbish the two apartments and put them up for rent by August. This will be Human Robot's second new taproom in the works. The brewery also plans to open a tasting room at 12 W. Mechanic St. in New Hope. Atkinson said the group is shooting for a July 1 opening date for that location. In addition to its West Kensington brewery, Human Robot also operates taprooms at 1646-1648 S. 12th St. in South Philadelphia and in the suburbs at 208-210 York Road in Jenkintown. Those locations opened in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Sign up here for the Philadelphia Business Journal's free newsletters, and download our free app for breaking news alerts.