St-Viateur Bagel facts for kids
St-Viateur Bagel is a very famous bakery in Montreal, Canada. It's known for its special Montreal-style bagels. You can find the original bakery in the Mile End neighborhood, which is part of the Le Plateau-Mont-Royal area of Montreal.
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History of St-Viateur Bagel
St-Viateur Bagel first opened its doors on May 21, 1957. It was started by Myer Lewkowicz, who had moved to Canada in 1953 after a very difficult time in his life. Myer grew up in a small village near Kraków, Poland. He once said that after his tough experiences, all he could dream of was having a piece of bread.
Myer learned how to make bagels by working at another local bagel shop called Montreal Bagel Bakery. He named his new shop after the street it's on, St-Viateur Street. It's now one of the oldest bagel shops in Montreal!
In 1985, a big fire damaged the St-Viateur Bagel shop. But amazingly, their special wood stove, which is key to making their bagels, was not harmed at all.
Today, St-Viateur Bagel has grown a lot. Besides the first shop, they have two other bakeries, three bagel cafés, a food truck, and even an online store. In 2019, one of their cafés on Monkland Avenue closed because its lease ended and rent became too high.
The bakery is now owned by Joe Morena, who worked there for 15 years before becoming the owner. St-Viateur Bagel is often compared to another famous Montreal bagel shop, Fairmount Bagel. People love to debate which one makes the best bagels! In 2017, St-Viateur Bagel celebrated being open for 60 years.
Why St-Viateur Bagel is Important
St-Viateur Bagel is located near Montreal's historic Jewish Quarter and the Mile End neighborhood. This area is home to many famous Jewish food places, like Schwartz's deli and Moishes Steakhouse.
A study by the Université de Montréal suggests that Jewish foods like bagels and smoked meat became very popular in Montreal because they were affordable and easy to find in the early 1900s. This was when many Jewish immigrants settled along Saint Laurent Boulevard.
Some people believe that the round shape of a bagel represents endlessness and life. Because of this meaning, bagels are often served at special Jewish ceremonies, like celebrations for new babies or gatherings after someone has passed away.
How St-Viateur Bagels Are Made
Since 1957, St-Viateur Bagel has used the same traditional way to make their bagels. Owner Joe Morena explains the process:
- Each bagel is shaped by hand.
- Then, it's boiled in honey water for about 30 to 60 seconds.
- Next, the bagel is dipped in seeds, like sesame or poppy seeds.
- Finally, it's baked on a long wooden board inside a special wood-burning oven.
Montreal-style bagels are different from New York-style bagels. Montreal bagels are usually sweeter, thinner, and have a bigger hole in the middle. The wood-burning oven gives them their unique crispy outside texture.
Types of Bagels
St-Viateur Bagel sells many different kinds of Montreal-style bagels. Some popular choices include:
- Plain
- Sesame
- Poppy
- All Dressed (with a mix of seeds and spices)
- Whole Wheat
- Cinnamon & Raisin
- Rosemary & Sea Salt
- Blueberry
- Pumpernickel
- Muesli
You can find information about what's in each bagel and if it contains any allergens on their website. Each bagel usually has between 200 and 240 calories for two servings (one serving is half a bagel). If you want to buy two dozen (24) bagels, it usually costs between $22 and $25 Canadian dollars.
St-Viateur Bagel in the News
In March 2019, when the Monkland Village location of St-Viateur closed, many news channels in Montreal and across Canada reported on it.
In 2018, a newspaper called the Globe and Mail wrote about how businesses that use wood-burning ovens might have to change to gas or electric ovens if they can't meet new air pollution rules. St-Viateur Bagel was mentioned in this article. Since then, St-Viateur Bagel has added a special filter to their oven to reduce smoke and follow the local rules.
In 2020, St-Viateur Bagel was even shown on the Netflix TV show Somebody Feed Phil in an episode from its third season.
See also
- Historic Jewish Quarter, Montreal
- Monkland Avenue, a former branch store location
- Schwartz's
- Wilensky's
- Fairmount Bagel
