The backstory
Growing up in West Los Angeles I learned to love bagels. I suspect that my parents, Goldie and Seymour, migrated from the Bronx with bagels in their bags! Every Sunday my mother sent my father on a trip to our local bakery (shout out to Fred’s) and he returned with horns, bagels, bialy’s and of course cream cheese and cod fish.
I’m not a bagel fanatic, but when I started to bake muffins, cakes croissants, scones bread and other yeasty products, I realized that I love making bagels. They are dependable, reliable, sturdy, and simple. They are an uncomplicated delightful nutritional food that can keep me satisfied from meal to meal.
Miguel
I was caretaking my husband through a long illness and baking soothed my soul and calmed my nerves. I found kneading to be meditative and loved hand rolling each bagel, enjoying that no two were the same. Some might think that non-identical bagels are non-professional but I consider them artisan and unique-each with their own DNA.
Friends and neighbors loved the bagels. Some encouraged me to sell them and one neighbor simply ordered so many I couldn’t afford to give them away. Thus, Sherry’s Bagels sprouted.
When my husband died in March of 2022 I increased my bagel production, reaching out to neighbors and friends in my community not only as bagel testers, but as support. I found so much encouragement and enjoyment from offering bagels, I finally decided to officially offer a Sunday Bake so other families could enjoy the fresh baked Sunday bagel as I did.
Sherry’s Bagels are kneaded with love and dedicated to Miguel Espino, her partner and comrade of 43 years, who died on March 22, 2022.
Bagels for the community
Sherry and other community bakers support the Sogorea Te’Land Trust by baking for a community bake sale one Saturday a month. All donations for bagels, bread and other sweets are sent to the organization as a gift (shuumi). To learn more, visit their website and learn more about the history of the land you occupy.
If your organization seeks economic, social and/or racial justice, please contact Sherry’s Bagels for a donation of labor and ingredients to support your work. I am a one baker operation so understand that I need advance notice and I may not be able to fulfill all requests.
This inspirational mural designed and painted by Kristen Kong is titled: You Are On Ohlone Land. When you come to pick up your bagels you can see this in person!
Veronica Chin, Owner/Baker of A Pie in the Sky - El Cerrito
“So far I’ve tried Sherry’s Sesame Seed and plain bagels and bagel balls. They’ve all been incredible. You can taste the freshness , and she’s got that perfect balance of a dense interior that’s deep with flavor, and that oh so good chewy exterior. I know when I’m eating her bagels they were made with love. ”
Robin Mitchell - El Cerrito
