Baltik’s Bagel has only been open a year, but Yero Rudzinskas is already off to a great start, and now lines out the door on a late Tuesday morning thanks to a big win at New York Bagelfest.
“I think if I ever got on the wrong side of the law and had to choose a death row meal it would probably be bagel with smoked salmon and capers,” Rudzinskas says, describing his love for bagels outside his shop in Richmond’s Southside.
A former tech exec who worked at high end restaurants years earlier, he noticed the lack of bagel shops in the area and opened up Baltik’s last October. And he and his team took home the people’s choice award for best bagel against 50 other shops from across the globe.
His secret?
“Getting a little better every day, thinking aah, a little ferment, humidity, control, you know, adjusting the recipe bit by bit," he says. "And we’re still tinkering; we’re going to keep getting better every day."
Rudzinskas said he was surprised by the win, as well as deeply honored. And it’s already drumming up business from far away. Tom and Cherryl Morris are from Hampton. Two New York bagel veterans who were in the area for work, they read about Baltik’s big win and decided to try it before leaving town.
“Best bagels I’ve eaten in Virginia," Tom Morris tells me before noting he got a so-called "softie bagel" which is designed to give more when biting into it, keeping the bagel's toppings from spilling off.
"The texture is a little different than we’re used to, but the flavor is spot on," he said.
The Morrises said they’d come back the next time they’re in town. As for Rudzinskas, he said the boost in business means they may need to increase production, but they’ll likely stick to only their award-winning bagels for now.
“I think if someone's coming for a bagel, they’re cool to not buy a croissant,” Rudzinskas jokes.
