WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — At the corner of Elm and Big Bend sits Bagel Union. The bagel destination opened it's doors on January 22 of this year. Customers may be familiar with their sister restaurant, Union Loafers.
According to General Manager, Calli Johnson, "They tell the story as there being a regular customer named Gary that wanted them to do bagels," Johnson said.
So, when the Webster Groves building hit the market in 2019, they got the ball rolling! "There's only a few places that really sell bagels in St Louis, so they thought it might be good to try," Johnson said.
Production Manager, Jackie Paulson started working for Union Loafers in 2016, after earning some stripes on the lunch crew, she joined the Bagel Team.
"Learning to do sourdough was fun, and then bagels just kind of was the next thing on the table," Jackie said.
Jackie explained it's their attention to detail that really makes the difference.
"There's not really any secret ingredient. It's just kind of paying attention to what we're doing and doing it with a lot of diligence and care and everybody showing up every day and giving it their all," Jackie said.
The New York Style bagels take three days to create.
"First they you do the the dry mix, then the wet mix, and then you roll and then you boil and bake the bagels. So they are bagels, have that like good crunchy outside and the nice, like airy, fluffy inside," Johnson said.
I tried the DeLox sandwich, it is their best selling sandwich. It comes with cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onion, capers, dill, lemon oil. And oh boy, it is good!
But above all, it’s the Union Loafers culture that makes Bagel Union not just a great place to grab a bite, but a great place to work, too.
"We're all very supportive of each other. We try to foster in a positive environment that everybody's happy to be a part of," Jackie said.
Bagel Union is open Wednesday through Sunday, 7:00am-2:00pm. For more information, visit bagel-union.com.
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