Growing up in Connecticut, Chris Hetterly vividly remembers his first-ever bagel and has been drawn to them ever since.
“I remember the first bagel I ever ate. I was seven or eight years old. I slept over at a buddy’s house, and his mom took us to get breakfast the next day. We ended up at this little deli in Connecticut, and it was basically love at first bite,” Hetterly told What Now Seattle.
His love for bagels continued into adulthood.
“I’m always in search of great bagels. It became pretty much a family tradition with my wife and kids. They’ve grown up with them in the house consistently. It’s a huge part of the family,” Hetterly said.
When the Hetterlys moved to Tacoma in 2019, they discovered a shortage of bagels.
“We got up there and realized that not only could you not find a good bagel, but you couldn’t find really any bagels,” he said.
Since then, Howdy’s Bagels has opened, but Hetterly said it is “almost a civic duty” to introduce more people in Tacoma to New York-style bagels. He plans to open Bagel’s Bagels at 2805 6th Ave.
The new bagel shop will be a “family-owned and family-operated affair,” with a name carrying a family connection.
“The first ‘Bagel’s’ is possessive. It’s bagel apostrophe s because the store is named after my younger daughter’s cat, whose name is Bagels. He’s a part of the logo and will definitely be a mascot for the whole store,” he said.
Hetterly’s older daughter, who has a minor in art, will oversee the interior design and color scheme.
“It’s going to be a laid back vibe, very casual and a place where you can hang out. It’ll be a place where you want to come in and spend a couple of hours,” Hetterly said.
Bagel’s Bagels will launch with classic bagel options including plain, salt, everything, sesame and poppy, before expanding to varieties such as whole wheat and pumpernickel. The shop will also feature a full kitchen serving breakfast and lunch sandwiches, along with a coffee program from a local roaster.
“The intention is to have something that’s pretty New York-oriented–crispy on the outside, light but still chewy on the inside,” Hetterly said.
He continued, “We’re making a dough. It’s basically flour, yeast and some malt. Then we boil the bagel, brief span, and in the oven for a few minutes. A lot of the art is what those ingredients are, what the portions are, how long we proof the bagels before we bake them–which basically means we make the bagels and let them sit in cold temperature.”
Hetterly said the community is already buzzing about the bagel shop, and he is eager to join Howdy Bagels in building a bagel movement.
“We’ve gotten so much enthusiasm from potential customers. The guys at Howdy Bagels started it, but to have another choice, I think it’s going to be great. We’ll cover some days that they’re not open. They’ll be open the one day we’re not open, and hopefully people have the opportunity to sample both. I think there’s plenty of demand for it,” he said.
Bagel’s Bagels is targeting a summer opening. Follow along on Instagram for the latest updates.
