Bays Bagels rolls into new Nelson shop front
Eighteen months ago Jasper Broad-Kolff had never baked a bagel.
Now, the chef’s Bays Bagels food truck has proved so successful he and his wife, Anja Broad-Kolff, have set up a permanent shop in the Marble Arch Arcade between Montgomery car park and Hardy St, opening on Tuesday.
They decided to start their own business when their youngest child started school.
After years of working in restaurant kitchens, including Hopgoods and Urban, it was time for a change, and they spotted a market gap that could be filled by bagels, Jasper said.
“There’s a few standard bakeries and then there’s burger places, and lots of kebab shops and stuff, but there was nothing really in between or that was close to a bagel.”
Undeterred by the fact he’d never made a bagel, Jasper perfected his recipe, registered their home kitchen, and started selling bagels – both plain and with toppings – at markets.
“The demand just got busier and busier,” he said.
But, as popularity grew, so did the number of bagels they had to make – in winter they were making the same number as they’d sold in the summer peak, as regulars started to stop at the Saturday market every week.
“The house sort of got taken over by bagel stuff.”
The arcade shop offered an opportunity, and even came with commercial bakery ovens.
“We’ve always liked this arcade. It’s bright and foot traffic’s good.”
They would still be at the Saturday market to serve regulars, with the shop open Tuesday to Friday.
Bagels were great vehicles for locally sourced toppings, Jasper said.
“It’s one recipe you’ve got to get down pat and then the rest you can freestyle.”
Even Americans who had tasted the product had nodded in approval, he said.
Some people thought they were crazy to be opening a business, but their market success and loyal regulars made them confident to take the next step.
“It’s crazy how far we’ve come in one year, and it’s down to them really … Some people say you must be mad but for us if we want to continue to offer it and grow there’s no other option, because we can’t do it at home any more.”
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