Bagel Bike, Pittsford, NY (2026)

01/09/2023

Hey, friends! I'm writing from the second-half of Bagel Bike, not the bagel part -- though that's probably why most of you are here! -- but from the bicycle seat. Stick with me. Even though it's a little foggy in my memory, I had a whole life before I bought that sweet red second-hand Christiania bike. You might not know it but I have my masters degree in urban planning and I still nerd out hardcore about good design and why things work or don't, especially as it relates to transportation. I thought I'd share some of the things that I love about Copenhagen's bicycle network. Come on a tour with me :)

First, let me just say, biking here is a constant exhale. Pure enjoyment, even when it rains, and it rains a LOT. There's a stark, perhaps mind-blowing, juxtaposition between Copenhagen and the majority of the US in terms of sense of safety when biking. One should still, of course, be aware of one's surroundings here, but you're most likely looking for other cyclists or people walking, as people driving vehicles defer to more vulnerable road users. It's been so nice to just relax and ride wherever I need to go.

How?
- The network is complete, no gaps in infrastructure.
- There is a clear delineation of space for people on foot, biking, or in vehicles.
- If there's potential uncertainty/conflict areas, very clear information is given: separate traffic lights, paint on the road.
- People respect the rules.
- Lots of bicycle parking.
- Exceptions given to people on bikes and or foot, to make it easier to get around that way. (Ex: one way road, except bikes)
- Multimodal connections make it easy to cover greater distances (train + bike).
- Small things: countdowns to green light for bikes, foot rests at traffic lights, tilted garbage cans towards bikers.
- Salting/sweeping in bike lanes.
- So safe, kids are doin' it. Little bitty ones. And on their own.

For people here, I guess it's just getting from Point A to Point B. I have to say, it's most often one of the highlights of my day to just be out commuting. Who even says that??? :D Livin' my best bikey life atm. Have questions? Ask! Or come visit and take a ride with me! Love going out to my Bagel Buddies XOXO

11/14/2022

Bagel Besties! Four months into this adventure, and it's update time. I think I was nervous to share details for a while, in case I jinxed myself and all my dreams fell to pieces. Do you do that too?

We've gone from long summer days, where every discovery took my breath away, when I couldn't find my own arse without GPS...to moody, misty autumn days, routines, mental maps, and the feeling that strangers have turned into acquaintances and now they're turning into friends. There's normalcy in life: work, school, chores, the balancing of it all. But there's also a beautiful old apartment building, a city where I can bike from one end to the other careless and carefree, and so many things yet undiscovered. I stop my thoughts at least once a day to actually say out loud from my bike seat "Hold nu kæft kvinde, you're living in f*cking Copenhagen!"

The second day here, I saw an ad for a job. That felt a little crazy to jump straight in, but sometimes things just fit. Someone said to me recently: when you open your heart to change, you welcome so many possibilities and things just keep flowing in. I've really felt that. I've met so many wonderfully kind people here.

I'm working two part-time jobs and enjoying the rest of my time exploring and being a bike bus for my kiddos. Job 1: Bicycle Brewing, a hygge little microbrewery with a superb rotation of beers and ciders & wonderful owners and customers alike. Job 2: an ambitious, delicious, purpose-driven, bakery called Collective Bakery with amazingly kind colleagues. I fill my days helping fill other peoples' bellies and there's nothing more satisfying than that, if you ask me.

Is this a pause or a beginning?, I wonder. I suppose every day is a new beginning. With this one life, this one day, I want it all, I want to live it well.

Not much bagel news, so I don't want to spam your IG, but if you have q's or want to hear about anything specific, drop a comment and I'll do some posts! I think often about my early bagel mornings, my regulars, the kind notes and chats, and I know you're all part of my journey...

Wishing you the best November (one of my very favorite months).
XO, Bagel Brooke

11/01/2022

My Around-the-World-Bagel-All-Star-Tour continues this week, with Patrick from Alt Bagel.

Patrick's based in Aarhus, Denmark, and he's doing really cool things with Danish flour and hyper-locally-sourced ingredients. But I get the feeling he'll always be half-American, half-British in his heart. His bagels are the real American deal.

Alt Bagel: the name took me a minute because I was thinking "alternative," and that's one interpretation, alternative to the boring ol' bagels around here, but "alt" in Danish is...wait for it...."everything." Of course! Everything Bagel....and let me tell you, they are everything and a bag of chips. Yes, I grew up in the 90's, and yes I still think the 90's was approximately 6 years ago when in fact it was 30.

Anyway, back to current day. Patrick and I met in Copenhagen for a cozy dinner in which all I could smell was everything seasoning wafting from two large bags under the table that had made the train trip from Aarhus that day. We chatted about ingredients, fermentation, the Danish language, self-employed life, bakeries, immigrant-life...and I came home with 20 expertly rolled, perfectly sourdough-leavened, hot, hot, hotly baked bagels. I was damn glad I brought a backpack to bike home my loot.

It was late, so we waited til the next day to try the bagels, which is usually the kiss-of-death for bagels, which tend to go stale within hours. But Patrick's bagels were still soft and chewy inside with a great crust the next morning. I noticed everyone in my family going into the kitchen the next day and ripping off pieces of bagels to eat...we were all too embarrassed to admit we wanted a whole other one, so instead probably ate three each over the course of slicing chunks off.

It was a pleasure to meet you, Patrick, and I'm excited to follow as you build your business. Look out Aarhus, all (Alt?!) your bagel dreams are about to come true. Follow along, Danes, you'll be happy you did!

PS -- I'll post soon about my exploits. I'm keeping busy, Bagel Buddies, and I miss all our chats. Drop me a line and update me about you and your families!

09/12/2022

My quest to meet all the home bagel makers in the world continues 😋 and following the trend of being the coolest people on the planet, the latest baker I met was so incredibly lovely and welcoming. Meet Emily from Bagel Belly, American bagel maker in Copenhagen! She invited me over to her apartment to make bagels and sent me home with a bag of bagels trailing the irresistible scent of her own everything mix, which I carefully buckled into my cargo bike for safety, and broke into as soon as I got in the door, even though I was planning to wait until the next morning. 😁 I'm just going to say up front: Bagel Belly bagels are AMAZING. Go follow her on IG and buy them, whenever you're lucky enough to find her baking in her free time.

It was such a treat to see her methodology and recipe, which was similar in some ways to mine, but different in others, and I so appreciated the openness of sharing, and the kindness of inviting me into her home and letting me get my hands messy! Seriously, her bagels are amazing, did I say that? And the delightful conversation about this beautiful city, being an American in Denmark, Danish flour, bank accounts, and all kinds of other stuff was just the cream cheese on the bagel. Thanks for the warm welcome, Emily, I'm happy to be your Bagel Belly sous-chef or delivery gal any time you need an extra pair of hands ;)

XO

09/09/2022

New bike day!!!!!!! And... it's electric, boogie boogie woogie. 😍 Do y'all remember how slow I was going up the hills on Jefferson or Reitz Pkwy? I'm sailing with the iron wind now -- it's a game changer!🔋🚴‍♀️🍃💞

This bike was made in Christiania, right in the heart of Copenhagen at Christiania Cykler ❤️

08/29/2022

One thing that I love about home bakers is how supportive we are of one other. So when I knew I'd be in Amsterdam, I messaged another bagel baker that I've been following on social media, Brendan, from Bagel Boy Amsterdam (formerly Bagel Boy New Orleans).

What -- when you travel, don't you look up local bagel makers and meet up with them? 😅

I've been following Brendan's biz since I started up Bagel Bike because not only does he love bagels, but he loves biking too. He had his own bagel-bike biz in New Orleans and moved to Amsterdam few years ago. It seems fitting that The Bagel Boy and The Bagel Broad each moved to two of the bike-friendliest big European cities. Brendan baked some amazing bagels for us (look at those seeds!!), biked 'em over, and hung out for the evening on our rental houseboat, chatting about bagels, Amsterdam, and being an expat.

We joked that hanging out for an evening with a stranger in a random city can feel so happenstance. But on the other hand, it isn't...there's an interconnectedness amongst all of us that gives life purpose and color. When you find someone whose interests align with yours, it's such a delight to chat about your wheelhouse, comparing stories, notes, successes, failures, recipes...

And when you've left home, are living from a suitcase, and have paused everything that's given you stability in life, it's a pure joy to find these connections and stake a claim to a new piece of your story.

Thanks for meeting up with some totally random strangers, Brendan, and for baking us delicious bagels to fuel our European rail adventures (and delays, I'm looking at you Holland and Germany!). Hope to see you in Copenhagen next time!

08/12/2022

Hej, Bagel Buddies! Another carby update from the last week. I can't say I'm missing the 3am bagel mornings but I am missing baking, you all, and our Bagel Bike community! Are you still out there??

I've spent almost every waking moment outside enjoying Scandi summer bliss (before rain and long nights arrive), swimming in the cool harbor salt water, finding funky playgrounds, biking everywhere with ease, and chatting to anyone who will speak Danish with me. 😎 I haven't spent much time in the kitchen! The grocery stores are itty bitty and incredibly frequent -- there are 9 in a 5-block radius of our place. It's the complete opposite of Wegmans flagship store. You might find four cereal options. There's something very fun about navigating it, reading ingredients, figuring out which stores I prefer. I just biked to pick up freshly-baked rugbrød (rye bread) to make smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches) for a picnic dinner. I spent more on the rugbrød than on the wine I bought. 😅

So the extent of my baking has been a class I took at Meyers Madhus. I signed up for the class when we were just supposed to be here on vacation, and I'm so glad I did because it forced me to jump right in. I was thrilled to listen to a five-hour class in Danish about something I love (new vocabulary!), get my hands floury, and chat with a bunch of other bakers. Showing up by yourself can be intimidating, but a lovely couple invited me to be their third wheel during the group work. 😅

We made Danish faves: rugbrød, kanelsnurrer (cinnamon swirls), kærlighedsboller (love bread rolls...these seem like everyday sourdough rolls), and brought home two doughs to bake at home, sourdough starter, all the recipes, and ate a bunch of yummy bread together...

Another moment stepping outside my comfort zone. Another realization at all the rewards that come from that.

Do the things that scare you! That's how you grow the most.

PS - I have a job lined up (not baking!), just waiting for my visa to be approved 😅 More on that hopefully soon! 🤞 And I've found an awesome place to volunteer each week. It's building some structure into the week and making me feel more part of this place. But I miss you.

08/07/2022

I haven't done a ton of baking here (yet!). But here comes a little picture drop of all the baking-related things I've done...

When good friends who live on the other side of the world happen to be in Europe and hop on a flight over to Copenhagen right as you land in a new country...it really, really helps with the transition. We felt so much love both reminiscing over old memories and exploring new things together.

Their boys made me feel like a celebrity, calling me "Bagel Brooke" and holding my hand all around town. When they asked if I would please teach them to make bagels, I felt a sense of urgency about navigating the grocery store during my first few days to figure out what ingredients I might be able to use to pull together some semblance of bagels. Even though the fresh yeast was a total mystery to me and we were missing one ingredient, they turned out pretty great. But the best part was making them together over wine and candlelight. Oh, and eating them on a boat as we tooled around Copenhagen's harbor and canals.

I'm so grateful for their visit -- it was good for the soul with all those long hugs from long-time friends -- but also because it forced me to jump right into trying baking here -- a new oven, different ingredients, Celsius conversions, and chatting to the grocery store cashier in Danish. Every time I do something just a little bit outside my comfort zone, my confidence grows in terms of my language acquisition and knowing I'll find my path here...

07/25/2022

HERE WE GO!!! For a long while the thought of living abroad was purely an excitement but now, a day out, it still is, but oh my, it's all getting very real. There's a lot more of the nervous thoughts, fears of the unknown, comforting a child through a huge life change and goodbye's, or realizing that hug from Mom and Dad is going to be the last for a long time...

Today I'm channeling my baker bff who quotes Helen Keller whenever a good kick in the rear is needed to do something scary:

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

Thanks to all those near and dear who have made it possible for us to take the leap!

I'll see you soon from Copenhagen: land of cardamom buns, hygge, Legos, bikes and... Lego bikes ❤

07/23/2022

I spent a little bit of time reflecting on all the change over the last few weeks and going through some old Bagel Bike photos -- some of my faves that remind me of all I get out of this little biz -- the skills, the connections, the flexibility, the joy, the silliness, the exercise, the creativity...the people!

You need something in life you wake up excited about, something that gives you purpose and if you find that thing and can bring a kind of energy to it, it makes life so much better.

I especially loved being reminded of how tiny my kids were and how they came with me on deliveries. Life is always changing. It did then. It is now. There's a sadness in that change, but an excitement too. There's always more good around the corner. I'm so excited to follow it.

07/15/2022

Here's my 2022 wrap! I'm *so proud* because I knocked 2021 out of the ballpark half-way through this year. Look at us go, Bagel Buddies!

A friend asked me last night when I got so brave. What a compliment; I never thought of myself as particularly brave. Maybe it's something I'm only just becoming. If so, that gives me a lot to dream about for the future. Bravery, in relation to taking risks, I think comes down to two things: 1) putting yourself out there and doing things that are challenging / outside your comfort zone and 2) knowing that no matter what, you have a soft spot to land: that is, people that will catch you if you fall on your arse. To me that's been my family, friends, teachers, coworkers, customers, my community. I have met --literally-- some of the most thoughtful, genuine people I have ever met in my life, over the last few years. I think of the ways our lives have intersected, and all these connections wove themselves together to form a safety net so strong, that I know if I fall, you'll catch me. If I make mistakes, you'll be forgiving. If I'm going through something hard, you'll comfort me. If I completely embarrass myself, well you might laugh with me, but you won't laugh at me.

I was reading about success recently...how do you define success? It's often seen as the outcome (hey, I do keep track of these numbers after all!)...but if you find joy in the process, than you'll always be successful.

That's what Bagel Bike has given me: joy in the process.

I've been thinking how Bagel Bike is the best version of me. Maybe I'm a little worried to lose that? Can I pack this up into a backpack and bring it with me to be part of me forever, or will it never be the same? Over the last four years, I've had a lot of personal growth, and I attribute much of that to having this business to challenge me, give me space to grow, and ultimately build my confidence in who I am.

I've found there is no greater joy in life than feeling that I have enriched another person's life through my deeds, my creations, my showing up. Thank you to everyone who has shown up for me and who has let me know that I can take a leap and you'll catch me if I fall.

07/14/2022

Quick tutorial: How to make a bagel loaf. If you've taken my class, you can do this! Same recipe. Easy and fun new rolling/forming process. 😎 Let me know if you try! At least one of you has asked me to share this...so go for it, I know you can do it 😘🥯💪

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