Taste of Ulster Bagels for New Yorkers to Enjoy at Festival
Hand crafted bagels, unique round breads with a hole, from Belfast will be
experienced at a major festival in New York later in the year.
A Taste of Ulster member, Bodega Bagels, founded by Steve Orr and
wife Kirsty in 2021 in their garage will be taking part in this year’s BagelFest in
November at Citifields, New York city, a first for the company and Northern
Ireland.
“We are one of the few international competitors selected, as over 100 applied,
so we are over the moon. We will be making a few hundred of our bagels,
cream cheese, and sandwiches, and competing in a few different categories.
“The event will be massive with more than 2,000 people attending, and we have
already been featured by TimeOut magazine and a few other international
publications. I also think they get quite a few celebrities, who attend or judge,”
Steve says. “We’re really looking forward to bringing a taste of Belfast bagels to
New York in November.”
“Our current challenge is getting all our ingredients to America so we can use
what we use here for our range of bagels, rather than buying American
alternatives. Specifically, we want to use Compsey cream cheese (as we think
all other attendees will be using Philadelphia, and our own Neills Flour from
Belfast,” he adds.
“We are aiming to champion the local produce we use on the international
stage. BagelFest really is a unique global business occasion.”
A Taste of Ulster member, Bodega Bagels, which is based in the
Banana Block on the Newtownards Road with shops in Royal Avenue and the
Halt Market in Weavers’ Cross, will be among more bagel makers from over
100 countries at the event.
Bodega Bagels will be competing for the ‘Best Bagel’ title, one of the most
coveted awards in the American baking industry.
The company hand-rolls, boils, bakes and fills New York and Brooklyn style
bagels daily using the best local ingredients. Bodega Bagels also provides a
catering service.
