Fairmount Bagel is a Montreal-style bagel bakery in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the Mile End neighbourhood of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough. The first location opened on September 7, 1919 [1] on Saint-Laurent Boulevard by Isadore Shlafman. The current location, on 74 Fairmount Avenue West was opened in 1949. Fairmount Bagel remains a family-run business.
Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, specifically Poland, introduced the Montreal bagel to North America. Originally, the "beugel" was a traditional gift, first, to the King of Poland, John III Sobieski, then more commonly to new mothers. [2] From here, the bagel ended up being sold in the city streets of Russia and was called "bublik". In the first half of the 20th century, after being brought to North America, these bagels were almost exclusively made and sold within the Montreal Jewish communities. In the 1970s, the Montreal bagel gained popularity on the other side of the Canadian border and were mass-produced to supply this demand. [3]
Fairmount Bagel was the first bagel bakery of its kind in Montreal.[ citation needed ] Isadore Shlafman, known as Grandfather Isadore, moved from Russia to Canada, and opened the bakery – originally called the Montreal Bagel Bakery – in 1919 on Saint-Laurent Boulevard. In 1949, Isadore moved from the Saint-Laurent location to a cottage on Fairmount Avenue. The bakery was situated on the first floor and the family lived upstairs. The Shlafman family changed the name, to reflect the new location, to "The Original Fairmount Bagel Bakery". Since the opening, Fairmount Bagel has remained a family-run business. [4] Grandfather Isadore passed the business down to his son Jack Shlafman, who then passed it to his son, Irwin Shlafman. [5]
Montreal-style bagels are smaller, less chewy, and sweeter than the New York style bagel. The former is also made with honey and malt syrup. The process of making this baked good consists of hand-rolling and then submerging the bagel dough in boiling water for roughly 3 minutes, then baking it in a wood-fired oven for 20 minutes. [6]
At Fairmount, sesame bagels make up 70 percent of their sales. [7] Nonetheless, the company has a range of fresh products. The store sells several "schmears", [8] such as tubs of cream cheese, for customers to apply to their bagels.
In May 2008, Astronaut Greg Chamitoff, the nephew of the owner of the store, took products from Fairmount Bakery with him on a mission, STS-124, to the International Space Station. [10]
There was concern that new environmental laws would lead to the outlawing of the wood-burning ovens that contribute to the character of the Montreal bagel. However, existing ovens have been grandfathered under the new legislation and are safe for now. [11]
Filmmakers Jonathan Keijser, from Halifax, and Daniel Beresh, from Edmonton, who spent time in Montreal pursuing musical-theatre projects, created a documentary about Fairmount Bagel, "Bagels in the Blood". [12]
A bagel is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. Bagels are traditionally made from yeasted wheat dough that is shaped by hand into a torus or ring, briefly boiled in water, and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior.
The Montreal-style bagel or Montreal bagel is a distinctive variety of handmade and wood-fired baked bagel. In contrast to the New York-style bagel, the Montreal bagel is smaller, thinner, sweeter and denser, with a larger hole, and is always baked in a wood-fired oven. It contains malt, egg, and no salt, and is boiled in honey-sweetened water before being baked.
The New York–style bagel is the original style of bagel available in the United States, originating from the Jewish community of New York City, and can trace its origins to the bagels made by the Ashkenazi Jews of Poland.
Schwartz's, also known as the Schwartz's Deli and the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen, is a Jewish delicatessen restaurant and take-out, located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was established in 1928, by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania. Its long popularity and reputation has led to it being considered a cultural institution and landmark in Montreal.
Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. is a restaurant operator and subsidiary of the Luxembourg-based company JAB Holding Company. It and its wholly owned subsidiary Threecaf Brands Canada, Inc., are franchisers and operators of Bruegger's bakery-cafés, and Michel's Baguette.
Lender's Bagels is a brand of bagels that pioneered the pre-packaged bagel industry in the United States. Established in 1927 in New Haven, Connecticut, by the Lender family, it became a North American leader in the marketing, distribution and sales of bagels. Lender's introduced frozen bagels and sold the first packaged bagels in supermarkets, eventually becoming the world's biggest bagel producer. The company was sold to Kraft Foods in 1984. In 2003, it became part of Pinnacle Foods. In 1994 it began production of room-temperature fresh bagels. In 2012, Lender's revenue was about $70 million.
Mile End is a neighbourhood and municipal electoral district in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the city’s Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.
Marvellous Mmmuffins, also known as mmmuffins, was a Canadian restaurant chain that sold coffee and muffins. It was established in 1979 and granted its first franchise in 1980.
An everything bagel is a type of bagel baked with a mix of toppings. The exact ingredients vary, but recipes often include garlic flakes, onion flakes, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and kosher salt. The bagels are made with regular dough and the name is independent of additional fillings such as cream cheese.
Wilensky's Light Lunch, also known as Wilensky's, is a kosher-style lunch counter located on Fairmount Avenue West in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened in 1932 by Moe Wilensky, the restaurant was immortalized in Mordecai Richler's novel, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Scenes in the film version of the book were shot in the restaurant.
The Bagel Bakers Local 338 was a trade union local that was established in the early 1900s in New York City and whose craftsmen were the primary makers of New York's bagels, prepared by hand, until the advent of machine-made bagels in the 1960s led to its end as an independent organization in the 1970s. It was a local union of the Bakery and Confectionery Workers International Union. Until 1964, the union used a different transliteration and called itself the Beigel Bakers Union.
St-Viateur Bagel is a famous Montreal-style bagel bakery located in the neighbourhood of Mile End in the borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Moishe's Steakhouse, in its original incarnation, was one of the oldest restaurants in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1938 by Moishe Lighter, it ran in Montreal's The Main district for 83 years. The restaurant had been in its location at 3961 Saint Laurent Boulevard since its founding, in an area that was the historic Jewish quarter.
Kettlemans Bagel is a privately owned Montreal-style bagel bakery started in 1993. The company is based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The bagels are made by rolling, kettling and baking traditional Montreal style bagels in a wood-burning oven.
Quality Dairy Company is a family-owned dairy, bakery, and retail/convenience store chain in the Lansing, Michigan metro area. The first Quality Dairy Store opened in 1936 and as of 2023 there are 26 retail locations in the Mid-Michigan area. Quality Dairy Company's headquarters is located near REO Town in Lansing and operates its Dairy Plant and Bakery Plant from central Lansing as well.
The Montreal Institute for the Deaf and Mute was a boarding school operated by the Clerics of St Viateur between 1848 and 1983 in Montreal, Quebec.
American Jewish cuisine comprises the food, cooking, and dining customs associated with American Jews. It was heavily influenced by the cuisine of Jewish immigrants who came to the United States from Eastern Europe around the turn of the 20th century. It was further developed in unique ways by the immigrants and their descendants, especially in New York City and other large metropolitan areas of the northeastern U.S.
Zylberschtein's is a Jewish deli and bakery in the Pinehurst neighborhood of northern Seattle, Washington, United States. The deli is named after owner Josh Grunig's great grandfather Morris Zylberschtein.
