Village Bagel began humbly at home in 2016, one dozen at a time, and quickly turned into the only traditionally prepared bagel operation in Eagle County.
“We aren’t focused on competing with our preservative-packed, shelf-stable opponents in grocery store aisles which bare little resemblance to the bagels of our childhoods on the East Coast. We start with only six ingredients and develop flavor over time. We then hand roll each bagel (so no two look the same). Finally, we honor tradition by boiling the bagels before baking them, creating a chewiness on the inside and a crust on the outside to which no grocery store bagel can compare.”
When Connie was visiting family back in New York in the Fall of 2016, she was enjoying a bagel at Penn Station when it suddenly struck her: there was no “real bagel shop” she could return to in the mountains that brought as much joy, comfort, and nostalgia as the ones back home. She called up Anthony, her chef-boyfriend (now husband), and passionately complained to him over this sad truth. When she had gotten home from her trip to NY, there was a single Poppy Seed Bagel on a plate in their kitchen. Anthony (aka “Tone”) had baked the first Village Bagel. Thus, Village Bagel was born. The couple grew the business from baking small batches to a local coffee shop out of their home, to selling dozens out of the back door of Mirabelle Restaurant in the early mornings for a year (a word-of-mouth food operation they called “Back Door Bagels”), to their own brick and mortar bakery in Edwards which opened in 2018 and serves up diner style breakfast, Sicilian Pizzas, boozey brunch cocktails and the only “real bagel” in Vail Valley (that is: hand-rolled, boiled and baked), seven days a week from 7 – 2. They are proud to serve the community with East Coast comfort food prepared slowly, the old fashioned way. Village Bagel’s welcoming and friendly team love #shmearinghappiness one hand rolled bagel at a time.
The local family that brings you these delicious, East Coast-inspired bagels and pizzas welcome you to their other two businesses in the valley: The Minturn Saloon and Colorado Angling Company. The Minturn Saloon, built in 1901, is the Vail Valley’s most historic restaurant with deep roots in Minturn’s mining community and quite the storied past – including a stint as the local spot for backroom gambling for railroaders. Colorado Angling Company is for the modern day alpine adventurer, where Vail fly fishing guides provide the very best guided trips for anglers, both new and experienced, on the Eagle River, Colorado River and Roaring Fork.