The Best Bagel in the World

I know. You're thinking, it's a picture of a bagel. But not just any bagel. This is the best bagel in the entire world. It's from the Common Roots Cafe in St. Paul.

Baked every night, starting at 2 a.m. Lots of spritzing with water. Cornmeal on the bottom. I'll have to check any other details with my daughter, who worked there this summer. Our name for her job title: community activitist/barista. Because this is an amazing place that is committed to organic, sustainable produce; environmentally-sound materials; local foodways; and creating a space for community groups to gather. The owners invested in two weeks of training for the staff, including sending them out to meet the farmer and see the land where some of the produce would come from.
The underside of the bagel. Crusty and gnarly and chewy.
These bagels are so pure that my established theory that a single onion bagel will infect the whole lot did not hold true. My daughter, against her mother's judgement, brought home the onion bagel in the very same bag as the sesame and poppyseed bagels. And these bagels are so friendly, so concerned with community, that they co-existed without any onion-infection of the lot.

And the cream cheese? From an organic dairy. Sold in a container made from corn and 100% compostable.