Some great news is on its way for gluten-abstaining UES residents.
Modern Bread & Bagel is a new restaurant concept that endeavors to take New York’s long bagel history to the next generation. The concept was established by owner Orly Gottesman, a renowned Gluten Free Pastry Chef, on the Upper West Side in 2019. A New Jersey native and NYU graduate (Go Violets!), Orly began experimenting with gluten-free baking in 2007 when her husband was diagnosed with celiac disease. As a dedicated and passionate baker, Orly knew she needed to discover alternative ways of baking in order to share her creations with her husband without making him sick. At the time, she was apprenticing in a local Parisian pastry shop, and it was there where she found her passions truly ignited. Deciding to dedicate her life to baking full-time, she enrolled at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Institute and pursued an independent study on gluten-free baking, working intimately with the school’s head pastry chef to identify suitable flour blends for various products.
After several years of research and experimentation, Orly was finally able to decipher how to create incredible tasting baked goods using ancient grains instead of traditional flour. Soon after graduating, she used this knowledge to launch Blends By Orly, filling an important gap in the gluten free market. While most gluten free flours offer a one-size-fits-all “all purpose” approach to baking, Orly’s training as a Pastry Chef taught her that that approach was absolutely not appropriate for the subtleties of baking. What works for some pastries does not work for others, so Orly established a wide array of unique gluten free flours that are expertly balanced for individual pastries like cookies, bagels, cakes, and pizzas.
After launching Blends By Orly to mass acclaim, Orly was soon able to launch a brand new restaurant of her own design. Building on her work with gluten free flours, Orly opened up Modern Bread & Bagel in 2019 at 472 Columbus Avenue. Made exclusively with Blends By Orly flour, Modern Bread & Bagel shocked many cynical New Yorkers who were reluctant to accept that their favorite dishes could be prepared so deliciously without gluten. Offering mouth-watering, fast casual brunches all day, Modern Bread & Bagel serves a delightful array of chef-curated fresh bagel sandwiches, avocado toasts, craft salads, and hearty bowls, all made in-house on a daily basis.
Now, some exciting news is coming to loyal fans across the park. Orly has just secured the lease for Modern Bread & Bagel’s second expansion to date, which will see the gluten-free bakery opening up a brand new outpost on the Upper East Side. The restaurant’s latest expansion will be opening up at 1427 Third Avenue, moving into the space that was formerly occupied by Casa Pizza & Restaurant. The location offers a total 1,500 square feet of space and is located less than five blocks away from Central Park. While Orly has not yet outlined a time table for opening the new restaurant, you can follow Modern Bread & Bagel on Instagram for regular updates on all of their latest expansions, as well as information regarding wholesale orders for your next holiday party.
