By GREGORY ZELLER //
The New York Mets didn’t make the World Series this year, but there’s still plenty of action this Fall at Citi Field – especially if you’re not counting carbs.
Welcome to 2025 New York BagelFest, the hole-in-one/hole-in-all celebration of freshly baked awesomeness scheduled to transform the Metropolitan’s iconic stadium into the galactic hole at the center of the bagel universe on Nov. 16.
This year’s competition, sponsored by the Vermont-based King Arthur Baking Co., is slated to spotlight 25 of the world’s greatest bagel-bakers (and related food-makers) in a no-hole-barred bake-off, with bragging rights on the line in a smorgasbord of categories: Best Bagel, Best Schmear, Best Sandwich and many more.
Spanning continents and cultures, this year’s scheduled competitors include 2023 Best Bagel winner (and 2024 Schmear of the Year winner) Starship Bagel of Dallas, Texas; half-a-dozen New York City legends, including Utopia Bagels of Whitestone, Curley’s Bagels of Sunnyside and Manhattan favorite Ess-A-Bagel; accompaniment aces including Acme Smoked Fish and Mike’s Hot Honey, both based in Brooklyn; and bold bakers from as far afield as Montreal, Madrid, Honolulu and even Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sam Silverman: Hole lotta love.
As many locals claim Long Island is the home of the world’s best BEC sandwiches, it stands to reason that the Island would also be represented at BagelFest – an honor that falls this year to Town Bagel, the Plainview icon that’s been dishing out bagels, bialys and other breakfast staples since 1985.
Attracting creators like St-Viateur Bagel of Canada (“home of the Montreal bagel”) and Tali’s Bagels of Hawaii (famous for its “island influences”) is a true culinary bonus for regional bagel fans – but there’s only one worldwide locale where a true bagel celebration could be staged, according to Sam Silverman, the self-styled “bagel ambassador” who baked up the annual competition in 2019.
“There’s nothing else like it, and there’s no other city where it could happen,” Silverman noted. “At its heart, it’s … a uniquely New York celebration.”
Rising bagel barons from New Jersey, Maine, Virginia, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana and Washington State might challenge that notion. Either way, visitors will enjoy unlimited tastings from participating preparers, while complementary cuisines – including beverages from the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum and treats from Kings County’s Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop – will round out the menu.
Attendees will play a crucial part in deciding the coveted People Choice Award, while a panel of expert judges will weigh in Best Newcomer, Best “New York Style” bagel and other coveted crowns. Participants will also compete in several skills-based competitions, including the World Bagel Rolling Championship, which pits skilled bakers in a fast-paced showdown to see who can hand-roll the most bagels in a single minute.
A sandwich is a sandwich: But a BEC is a meal … and Long Island may claim the best of them all.
New to the 2025 edition is the BagelFest Growth Lab – part-business incubator, part-launchpad for emerging bagel-makers, who can present their creations directly to industry leaders in attendance. Loads of kids’ attractions are on tap, too.
The 2025 New York BagelFest is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 16 inside Citi Field’s Heineken Diamond Lounge. More information on the venue, participating food-makers, the day’s schedule and ticket prices awaits on the event website.
Pre-registration is required – and anyone who loves a good toasted everything with veggie CC would be wise to get their tickets now, according to Silverman.
“BagelFest has become the global nexus for bagel culture,” the event founder added. “It’s where the best bakers, brands and fans from around the world come together, launching some to stratospheric new heights.”
