Bagel-induced invective is up 94% this year in Los Angeles, and December isn’t even over yet.
The puffy dough rings have long been a frequent source of controversy in Los Angeles, victim to the same train of thought found in many a European/East Coast émigré talking smack about our town when they can’t locate a version of their beloved pizza slice/art museum/hoagie/culture after relocating to the West Coast.
Only this time… it’s personal.
Bagel + Slice is a brand-new bagel, pizza, and bialy-making café set to make its debut soon on York Avenue in Highland Park. The business comes from Brad Kent, founder of Olio Wood Fired Pizzeria and co-founder of the Blaze Pizza chain, who is dedicated to a painstaking process for making bagels that involves such moves as hand-rolling and kettle-boiling the main attractions.
The accomplished chef made the classic mistake of speaking publicly about something he cares about in 2021, quickly landing himself in a local social media firestorm over his answer about what constitutes a great bagel.