The Denver Bagel Versus The New York Bagel

New York native Eden Myles has spent years in the bagel biz in Denver, so when Josh Pollack opened Rosenberg's Bagels & Delicatessen and started touting his authentic "New York" bagel, he got a rise out of Myles.

Pollack has been attracting large crowds — and much media attention — since he opened Rosenberg's in a Welton Street storefront in July, after spending years studying bagels. He wanted to perfect a New York-style bagel here in Denver, and determined that New York's water is truly different from Denver's water. So he spent tens of thousands of dollars to have a local engineer design a system that recreates New York's water. Pollack says that's one of the secrets to his success — but Myles doesn't buy it.

"It's very important for me to address the water issue because that kind of claim makes Denver a second fiddle to New York and there's no reason to, whether it's about water or baseball or anything else," says Myles, who rents space for his bakery, Black Sheep Bagel and Bialy, at Crema. "Denver is just as valid."

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