Deanna Halcrow had a thought, “I wonder if I could make bagels.” It had nothing to do with proving bagels could be made outside of NY or that water from NY was the key ingredient. She was just looking for something to do, in between watching one food show after another, on a Saturday morning. She searched for recipes on the internet, bought books on baking and watched videos on YouTube to learn bagel rolling techniques. She made bagels for her family, her neighbors and her co-workers, all the while daydreaming of doing it for a living.
Jackie Halcrow’s teenage dream was to one day open a bakery and record shop. After high school, she packed up back to New York, where she attended culinary school then later worked as a pastry cook at restaurants in both New York City and Savannah. After taking a long dip in the retail management pool, she decided it was time to get back into the food business.
Together, they decided to start a bagel making business. It began small, working out of a shared commercial kitchen and selling wholesale to a few coffee shops and restaurants. They modified and perfected the recipe early on until the glorious day that had the ONE!
Gradually, word spread about Emerald City Bagels and their customer base grew larger. They brought lots of samples to potential customers, hawked bagels at craft events, loft tours, a roadside stand in Cabbagetown, and the Green Market at Piedmont Park where they were particularly popular. And in 2015 they won their first award for Best Bagels in Atlanta!
The idea to one day have a physical bagel shop was always in the plans. Although the search for a physical location seemed endless, they finally found their future home in the heart of East Atlanta Village. They opened their doors on January 24, 2018.
The shop's décor is reminiscent of a few of their favorite bagel and appetizing shops in lower Manhattan and the menu is simple and classic. The bagels themselves are made using traditional ingredients and baking methods – including kettle-boiling to produce a dense chewy inside with a crusty exterior. They’re as close to a NY-style bagel as you can get outside of the 5 boroughs. Come give us a try!
