Comfort Bagels manager Makayla Martinson gets to work on freshly risen dough that will be used for to create over flavors and varieties of bagels.
Reminder Publishing photo by Cliff Clark
WESTFIELD — There are bagels, like what might be found at a grocer or even on the shelf of a local convenience store that crumble when cutting, feel a bit mealy in the mouth and so chewy it can make one’s teeth ache.
And then there are Comfort Bagels, which uses dough made from scratch everyday with simple and fresh ingredients, and allowed to cold ferment for 48 hours before being popped in the oven to be bake to perfection.
Shiny when plain, or covered with poppy seeds, or slivers of onion and garlic, and compliant under a knife, these bagels are what Janet Blake, Comfort Bagels owner, was going for when she started baking during the pandemic before opening her shop in the city three weeks ago.
When you enter the bagel shop located at the corner of Main and Mechanic streets, it’s clear there is some serious baking going on inside.
The air is moist, not heavy or steamy, with a slight aroma of fermenting yeast.
There’s a reason for that.
Only a few steps away from where one would place their order is the baking space where the magic happens.
On this morning, shop manager Makyla Martinson is manning the commercial-sized oven while bagels of different varieties are baking to perfection.
As she pulls out each baking tray, the aroma of onion, garlic, cinnamon, and rosemary are all mixed together creating a symphony of smells.
And the bagel menu never gets stale, changing weekly. Blake posts a new bagel list every Monday and it can be found here, and customers can also order online.
The atmosphere inside is bright and airy, even on an overcast snowy morning, which is created by strings of warm lights strung on the high ceilings.
And with windows that look out over Main Street, even if one is by themselves enjoying one of the eight bagel sandwiches on the menu with a cup of Monsoon coffee, they’re not quite alone as everyday life skips along within an arm’s reach.
The shop features sandwiches using whatever bagel a customer wants and toppings that run the gamut from traditional — eggs, cheese, bacon and beef — to more healthy options like avocado and turkey.
And no bagel shop would ever forget to include on its menu smoked salmon and capers.
Blake also makes spreads using recipes she developed, and they are what you might expect, whipped cream cheese and roasted veggie cream cheese, but there is also bacon, honey and sriracha cream cheese, super scallion cream cheese, honey butter, sweet vanilla cream cheese, Fauxmaggio garlic and herb, and Fauxmaggio green onion and chive.
For those unfamiliar with Fauxmaggio, it is made in Holyoke, and is a vegan cheese created using a blend of raw cashews, macadamia nuts, plant-based enzymes and various herbs and spices.
As for coffee, Comfort Bagel has its own blend of coffee, using beans from the Congo and Mexico, and roasted by The Monsoon Roastery, which is in Holyoke.
Blake’s journey to Westfield began at her home in West Springfield during the pandemic.
Because of the lockdown and not being able to able to effectively market her line of handmade jewelry, she began experimenting with sourdough breads and bagel recipes.
After perfecting her dough-making and baking skills she wanted to find out if people were looking for a place where they could buy freshly made bagels.
After posting that question on a social media site, the response was overwhelming.
“By the end of the day, we had 900 yeses,” Blake said.
Outgrowing her kitchen, she began looking for a place to open a shop.
She looked initially in Westfield, “but it didn’t work out.”
She then found space at a renovated mill in Holyoke that Blake called “wonderful,” and operated from there for three and a half years before also outgrowing that kitchen.
It was then that she took a second look at Westfield, and with the help her Realtor, who hooked her up with Rocco Falcone, the president of Rocky’s Ace Hardware, and who owns the property, and with assistance from the city, she decided to close the Holyoke location and open in the city.
Comfort Bagel is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Off-street parking is available.
