Michelin-star trained chef opening Baltiks Bagel in South Richmond
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The bacon, egg and cheese everything bagel sandwich at Baltiks Bagel. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios
Yero Rudzinskas is weird about bagels.
Why it matters: The chef who trained in Michelin-star kitchens is opening Baltiks Bagel in South Richmond on Monday.
- He's also giving away his hand-crafted and kettle-boiled bagels for free all next week.
The big picture: Rudzinskas came to bagels, and Richmond, the long way.
- He grew up in Sonoma, California, went to Harvard, worked in Silicon Valley, burned out, went to The Culinary Institute of America and trained in Michelin-star restaurants (Le Cirque and Eleven Madison Park). Then he moved to Taiwan and opened the country's first panini restaurant, then a nightclub.
- He got homesick so he came back to the States, got an MBA at UNC, worked in finance in NYC, and finally landed in Richmond two-ish years ago.
- Along the way, the 43-year-old met his wife (a UR grad), welcomed a daughter (a second baby is due any day), bought 42 acres in Henrico for his small herd of Katahdin sheep, and turned his well-educated attention to opening a restaurant and making the perfect bagel in his adopted town.
Zoom in: Kettle-boiling, as opposed to steaming, is the most critical part of a good bagel, Rudzinskas tells Axios.
- But size, the right thickness vs. circumference, density, the perfect proof time, plus the right amount of blistering and oil are equally important.
- Rudzinskas is confident he's perfected these for his signature in-house bagels, as well as an exact, thrice-daily cooking schedule to ensure every customer has the freshest possible bagel.
- Plus, he's modified his recipe for the bagels used for sandwiches, creating a "softie" version to make them easier to eat on the go.
Rudzinskas brought the same level of thoughtfulness to the rest of the menu, which includes hand-crafted sodas, iced coffees, a kids menu, and signature sandwiches, like a hot honey and bacon sandwich; bacon, egg and cheese; avocado toast; and the classic bagel and lox.
- And his goal is to have everything on the menu in the hands of customers within three minutes of the order.
- It all comes back to Baltiks Bagel's mission, the three pillars of his concept: Kettle-boiled, chef-driven and lightning-fast, he tells Axios.
The latest: You can test the quality yourself, no-strings, during their limited-hours soft opening next week when every customer will get one free bagel or sandwich (plus a side and drink).
- Freebie hours are: Monday, Oct. 7, 7-8:30am; Tuesday, Oct. 8, 7-9:30am; Wednesday, Oct. 9, 7-10:30am; Thursday, Oct. 10, 6:30-10:30am; Friday, Oct. 11, 6:30-11:30am and Saturday, Oct. 12, 6:30am- 12:30pm.
If you go: Baltiks Bagel is at 6801 Forest Hill Ave. in the former Go Bird restaurant with the drive-thru.
- Regular hours start Oct. 14 and are Monday-Saturday, 6am-2pm.