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New York BagelFest 2025, presented by King Arthur Baking Company, wrapped an extraordinary weekend of celebration, competition, and community-building, solidifying its status as the epicenter of modern bagel culture.

More than 2,000 attendees, world-class bagel makers, dozens of leading food brands, and media from across the globe convened for a full lineup of programming on November 16th, during Sunday’s sold-out festival at Citi Field.

Competitors traveled from as far as Madrid, Honolulu, Montreal, Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Chicago, joining local legends across New York City to compete for the industry’s highest honors. This global participation underscored New York BagelFest’s ongoing evolution into an international culinary landmark.

BagelFest has emerged as a launchpad for rising talent, with past winners seeing explosive growth: Connecticut’s PopUp Bagels leveraged its two-time wins into plans for 300 locations, while Starship Bagel (Dallas), a past Best Bagel and Schmear of the Year winner, made history as the first bagel shop to become a James Beard Award finalist. This year’s competitors arrived keenly aware that a BagelFest victory can change the trajectory of a business overnight.

“BagelFest feels like a party, but for the makers, it’s a high-stakes moment. Winning an award can propel a small regional shop into the national culinary conversation. Our 25 exhibitors were hand-selected because they are leading the bagel boom in their cities, and when they go head to head, the creativity and craftsmanship reach levels most people never imagined possible for a bagel,” said BagelFest founder Sam Silverman. “The pure elation the award winners feel is unmistakable.”

A Festival of Flavour and Community

On Sunday, the Heineken Diamond Lounge at Citi Field transformed into a lively culinary playground as guests enjoyed unlimited tastings from bakeries representing the best of today’s bagel landscape. Local icons such as Utopia Bagels, Ess-a-Bagel, and Town Bagel shared the spotlight with innovators like Tilly Bagel Shop (Chicago), Flour Moon Bagels (New Orleans), Si Si Bagels (Madrid), and Tali’s Bagels (Honolulu).

The inclusion of Modern Bread & Bagel, one of the world’s leading gluten-free bakeries, made the festival more inclusive than ever. Beyond bagels, leading national brands elevated the tasting experience with accompaniments from Acme Smoked Fish, Mike’s Hot Honey, Brooklyn Seltzer Museum, and favourites like Peter Pan Donut.

Attendees cast votes using BagelFest’s signature token system while expert “Breadhead” judges conducted blind tastings to determine the year’s most prestigious awards. Additional juried categories—including Schmear of the Year, Most Creative, Best Showmanship, and Best Bialy—were evaluated onsite by an expanded panel of chefs, authors, journalists, bakers, creators, and culinary historians.

The World Bagel Rolling Championship once again packed the main stage, with crowds cheering as competitors attempted to set a new record for the most uniform bagels rolled in one minute.

Expanded Family Programming

This year’s festival offered its most robust family programming to date, including a full Kids’ Section featuring all-day bagel-themed craft stations led by Miss Pop Nails and multilingual storytelling sessions by author Arianna Brooks, whose reading of My Mushy Matzah Ball was an audience favourite. Families enjoyed discounted youth tickets, and All-Access attendees received exclusive perks such as limited-edition BagelFest shirts and behind-the-scenes Citi Field tours.

Industry Talks Series

The BagelFest Industry Talks series featured four sessions designed to support the growth and innovation of the global bagel community:

• The Key to the Perfect Bagel – Moderated by Chrissy Traore (See and Be Kitchen) with Joe Savelli (Malt Products Corporation) and Jeff Yankellow (King Arthur Baking Company).
• A Warm (Bagel) Welcome – Moderated by journalist Andrea Strong with Chris Pugliese (Tompkins Square Bagels) and Brooks Tanner (Fearless Restaurant Group).
• From Toasted to Thriving – Moderated by Karen Bornarth (Bread Bakers Guild of America) with Ben Suh (Between the Bagel), Joshua Pollack (Rosenberg’s), and Bridget Odachowski (Holey City Bagels).
• How to Scale Your Bagel Business – Moderated by Craig Hutchinson (Olmo Bagels) with Ethan Marks (Apollo Bagels) and Matt Kliegman (Black Seed Bagels).

The series was widely praised as an invaluable addition to the festival, strengthening BagelFest’s role as both a cultural celebration and a professional hub.

2025 New York BagelFest Award Winners

Best Bagel (Breadhead Expert Judging Panel – Blind Tasting)

• Winner: Starship Bagel (Dallas, TX)
• Runner up: Fantzye Bagels (Kingston, NY)
• 3rd Place: Potchke Bagel (Knoxville, TN)

Best Bagel Sub-Categories

• New York Style: Starship Bagel (Dallas, TX)
• Sourdough: Fantzye Bagels (Kingston, NY)
• Montreal Style: St-Viateur Bagel (Montreal)

People’s Choice Award

• Winner: Baltik’s Bagel (Richmond, VA)
• Runner up: Curley’s Bagels (Queens)
• 3rd Place: Town Bagel (Long Island, NY)

Expert Judge Awards

Schmear of the Year

• Winner: Fantzye Bagels – Charred Leek and Lemon Caper Schmear
• Runner up: Starship Bagel – Garam Masala Schmear
• 3rd Place: Oído x Olmo – Sikil Pak Schmear (Mexico & New Haven, CT collaboration)

Most Creative

• Winner: Potchke Bagel (Knoxville, TN)
• Runner up: Starship Bagel (Dallas, TX)
• 3rd Place: Oído x Olmo (Mexico & New Haven, CT)

Best Showmanship

• Winner: Starship Bagel (Dallas, TX)
• Runner up: Emerald City Bagels (Atlanta, GA)
• 3rd Place: Tali’s Bagels (Honolulu, HI)

Best Bialy

• Winner: Potchke Bagel (Knoxville, TN)
• Runner up: Tali’s Bagels (Honolulu, HI)

Attendee-Voted Awards

Best of the Boroughs

• Winner: Ess-a-Bagel (Manhattan)
• Runner up: Utopia Bagels (Queens)
• 3rd Place: Bagizza (Manhattan)

Best Beyond the Boroughs

• Winner: Potchke Bagel (Knoxville, TN)
• Runner up: Flour Moon Bagels (New Orleans, LA)
• 3rd Place: Fantzye Bagels (Kingston, NY)

Best International

• Winner: St-Viateur Bagel (Montreal)
• Runner up: Bagel Belly (Copenhagen)
• 3rd Place: Si Si Bagels (Madrid)

Rising Star

• Winner: Tali’s Bagels (Honolulu, HI)
• Runner up: Bagizza (Manhattan)
• 3rd Place: Backyard Bagel Co. (Seattle, WA)

Bagel Rolling World Champion

• Tied for First Place: Alex Baka (Bagizza) and Vince Morena (St-Viateur Bagel)
• Number Rolled: 27 bagels in 1 minute each

Lifetime Achievement Award

Presented to Absolute Bagels, honoring decades of craftsmanship, mentorship, innovation, and cultural impact in New York City’s bagel community. They will be awarded in absentia.

“Bagel makers play an important role. They feed people, create comfort, and build careers. But the work can feel lonely because the challenges are so specific. BagelFest brings the community together so no one has to navigate it alone, and so everyone can learn from those who’ve already lived it,” said BagelFest founder Sam Silverman.

Learn more at www.bagelfest.com.