Without Celestino García, New Yorkers might be without their most beloved bagels. You’ll see long lines out the door at well-known stores like Court Street Bagels and Tompkins Square Bagels most mornings, but Mr. García’s work is less visible there. From 2 am to late afternoon he is in the kitchen mixing dough and rolling it by hand in all kinds of flavors. Bagels can now be made by machine, so there aren’t many masters of the shape that can roll them by hand. But many bagel aficionados swear by the handmade approach, claiming it produces a fluffier, chewier bite.
I spent a day with Mr. García as he went from store to store casually rolling thousands of bagels at a time. And I learned how he became one of the most sought-after people in the New York City bagel business.