Phoenix’s Bagelfeld’s was one of 24 bakeries on Bon Appetit’s list of “The Very Best Bagels in the US” outside of New York.
Instead of judge each bagel by how intently they approximated New York bagels, the article set off on a mission to celebrate bagels that resisted classification, added local impacts or played with one of a kind garnishes.
Charles Blonkenfeld, the owner of Bagelfeld and a former caterer in Phoenix, had never made a bagel before the pandemic, but he noticed that Phoenix didn’t have many good ones. The Brooklyn-born chef used his time after his catering gigs ended in 2020 to create a crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside New York-inspired bagel.
He takes into account Phoenix’s high temperatures by fermenting the dough for his handmade bagels for longer. The resulting bagels are not as dense inside and are wider and thinner than their New York counterparts.
Blonkenfeld immediately amassed a dependable following at the ranchers showcases and opened a blocks and cement on Thomas Street and 30th Road in 2021.
He supplies numerous Phoenix cafes and restaurants with retail and wholesale orders for his bagels.
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What’s on the menu at Bagelfeld’s
Plain, salt, everything, sesame and poppy seed bagels are evaluated at $2.50. $2.75 is the price of specialty bagels like Asiago, fennel and raisin, or blueberry.
The spreads, which range in price from $5 to $11, include: herb and lemon; fiery pepper and garlic; salmon smoked in honey and brown butter.
Serena Dai, the director of digital editorial at Bon Appetit, offered the advice, “Stick to classic toppings, like plain cream cheese, and watch out for specials, like a nostalgic Asiago cheese bagel.”
