Lexington, KY - Ever tried one of those grocery store bagels that come half a dozen to a plastic bag with a twist tie on it? And alternatively, have you ever tasted a fresh-baked New York-style bagel, with homemade cream cheese made from fresh, local ingredients?
Now be honest: which one would you prefer?
Lexington's newest bagel makers, Robert Swan and his wife, Lara, are betting they already know your answer. The couple relocated here from Boston three years ago and recently opened Great Bagel in University Plaza at Euclid and Woodland avenues.
"It came into our heads about a year ago. We had a couple of (business) ideas, and one day, it just dawned on us that there were no bagel shops in town," said Robert Swan.
"When I was in college, I lived off bagels and coffee," Lara Swan said with a laugh. "They're satisfying, yummy and delicious; they keep you full."
Most of us here in central Kentucky rarely come across boiled bagels. Robert Swan said the big food companies steam their bagel dough, freeze it and ship it off to wherever it's to be baked locally.
"Real New York bagels are boiled in water first, for 10 to 15 seconds - enough to create that crunchy outside and chewiness. If you didn't boil them first, they'd be more like a piece of bread," he said. "Depending on your recipe, you add a little malt syrup (for shine) or baking soda (to brown them)."
Great Bagel has about 10 different kinds of dough and about 15 varieties of bagels. The most popular is the everything bagel, a tasty combination of onion, garlic and sesame and poppy seeds.
"You prepare them the day before and keep them on trays in the walk-in cooler," Robert Swan said. "Then you come in early in the morning, and you boil and bake them. We're making 200 bagels a day now."
Great Bagel makes breakfast and lunch bagel sandwiches and also tries to pay special attention to its coffee, made by a company called Intelligentsia.
"I am very proud of them. They're based in Chicago. Their priorities are to roast coffee in a sustainable way and to be organic when they can," said Lara Swan. "We're never going to necessarily have the same specialty coffees because the coffee bean is seasonal and is sourced based on the season. But their quality is just top shelf."
Great Bagel is working on developing catering for breakfast, lunch, dinner and other events. In addition to bagels and sandwiches, it also has salads with homemade dressings and soups.
"We try to do everything that we possibly can in-house and try to buy local, sustainable and what's in season," added Lara Swan.
The store's location is also a boost - near UK and several hospitals.
"We really lucked out," said Robert Swan. "This spot was empty for years and was in rough shape."
The refurbished interior is colorful and bright with lots of windows, plus seating for 30. There's also a patio with tables, chairs and umbrellas.
Robert Swan has owned various businesses in the past, working in technology, but he grew tired of it. He decided to put his training as a baker to use.
Starting this venture wasn't so much a gamble as a carefully orchestrated move.
"The biggest hurdle is just deciding to do it and to believe you can," he said. "It's scary. There's so much to do. It's overwhelming. Then comes the day that we would sign the papers, and either we do it or not. Location is the biggest thing. But when you sign the lease, that's it - there's no looking back."
Lara Swan said taking the business plunge in a bad economy didn't faze them. They believed in themselves.
"It was never an 'Oh my God' moment. Maybe we had a split-second of 'What have we done?' But then it was, 'Let's go; this is going to be fun and exciting.' We're going to be feeding people the way that we want to be fed," she said.
Lara Swan's parents are from Jordan, where feeding others is a cultural thing. Her husband has been doing everything in the shop, typical for a new business owner. Eventually he hopes to step back. He's hired and trained a baker.
"I think it's important in the beginning to do each job so you know what you want everyone else to do," he said.
Robert Swan said his wife is fantastic at customer service and meeting and interacting with people. Lara Swan is adjusting to the pace.
"We weren't anticipating being this busy so soon. I knew there was a need for it (a bagel shop), and it would be a niche," she said. "It was a joint idea. Robert and I always have these ideas and can never tell who came up with them."
Summing up the ebb and flow of their business, Lara Swan advised customers that "it may take a minute or two longer here, because we make everything to order. We don't have a microwave in the shop. We crack the eggs when you order them. No shortcuts."