Although many consider New York the unofficial bagel capital of the U.S., Newton resident Marjory Kramer knows better: She sends treats from Rosenfeld’s Bagels in Newton to her family living in the Big Apple, rather than the other way around.
“We love it here,” said Kramer, a longtime customer. On a recent weekday, she waited patiently in her car as her daughter Melissa Rubinsky emerged with a full bag from the kosher bakery. Rubinsky, who also praised the eatery, estimated her family members have been devotees for 40 years.
Rosenfeld’s, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, has been boiling and baking bagels and other delicacies for multiple generations since it first opened in Newton Centre.
Marc Rosenfeld started the independent business in 1973 and brought on master baker Peter DeRosa in 1976. Since 2001, it has been run by owner Mike Lombardo.
At the age of 22, Lombardo starting working at the Newton institution in 1988. However, he revealed, “I had never heard of this place,” until six weeks before beginning.
“It looked like fun … [and] it was the structure I needed at the time,” said Lombardo, who figured he’d work at Rosenfeld’s for six months and move on. Needless to say, life took a different turn.
Time to make the bagels
Lombardo began his Rosenfeld’s career with less-glamorous, but essential cleanup work. He then learned the steps of bagel making, in reverse order — first learning to boil and bake the bagels-to-be and then learning to make the dough.
“It’s like a craft … you learned by doing,” he said. Lombardo didn’t attend culinary school – he perfected his technique on the job.
Some workdays start very early, with Lombardo and other staff members arriving at 3 or 4AM, to weigh out ingredients or make bialys (bread rolls). The key is consistency and “proper execution,” he said.
That consistency — which includes using Marc Rosenfeld’s original recipes — has led to success for 50 years.
Quick facts from Rosenfeld’s owner, Mike Lombardo
- How many bagels do you estimate you sell per week?
A lot!- What is the most popular type of bagel?
Tie between plain, sesame & everything- Which day do you get the most customers coming in to buy bagels?
Sunday- What is the strangest/most unusual bagel you have ever made and sold?
Spinach
When customers step down into the below-street-level bakery, they get a glimpse into its past — from the original payphone and WBCN bumper sticker, to the circa-1989 Newton map and Jerry Garcia poster adorning the walls.
Rosenfeld’s nostalgic vibe also can be found in the nerve center of the business: The kitchen.
“The technology is basically the same” as it was in the 1970s, said Lombardo as he multitasked one morning. After creating plain bagel dough in a massive mixer, he divided it into giant slabs and placed each into a machine that transformed it into identical circles.
As the bagel-shaped dough traveled down a short conveyor belt, Lombardo grabbed and quickly arranged them on a tray in a neat grid. Soon after, a worker slid them into boiling water before they were placed into a large oven.
While Lombardo’s own go-to bagel is plain with a schmear of chive cream cheese, hungry customers can order from a variety of 12-15 flavors.
The same was not true in the 1970s when “a cinnamon raisin bagel was considered really weird,” he said.
Original customers and their descendants continue to pop in and get their bagel fix and lucky for them, Lombardo loves his job.
“There are still days when I can’t believe I get to do this,” he said.
Rosenfeld’s Bagels is located at 1280 Centre St. in Newton Centre.