Greenberg solely runs and operates the business out of her kitchen, where she prepares her selection of five bagels and homemade spreads, which have become increasingly popular in the neighborhood. "It's called Neighborhood Bagels because I never want to forget that the whole reason I did this was to bring people together over good bagels," says Greenberg. "I can't wait to grow and start doing pop-ups, or, one day, an actual store to bring people together. I know it's kind of a cliche at this point, but food brings people together. We all know that, but I think sometimes it's nice to be reminded."
Come Saturday morning, the bagels have been cold-proofed for 16 hours and are ready to be baked to perfection for her loyal customers, who pick them up right at her house.
Neighborhood Bagels photo
From New York to Miami: A Bagel Love Story
From a young age, Greenberg always loved cooking for her family, but she felt something special when cooking for strangers. A Russian-Jew from New York, the only thing she missed when moving to the Sunshine State was a bagel. "I moved here over a year ago," Greenberg tells New Times. "My whole life, I've been eating bagels; it's part of my childhood. I started trying all the shops in Miami, and they are great, but they're not the flavors I craved from childhood."That's when Greenberg began testing multiple recipes. After making 600 bagels, she finally got the recipe right this past January — and the rest is history. After sharing her bagels with close friends for a few weeks, Greenberg decided to start her small bagel business to do what she has always loved: sharing something special with strangers.
Running Neighborhood Bagels out of her kitchen, Greenberg has found a system that works. On Sundays and Mondays, she has a brainstorming session to decide what bagel-lovers will get that week. After designing the menu and announcing on Instagram, orders are open from 10 a.m. on Tuesday to 5 p.m. on Thursday or until sold out.
The bagel-making process starts on Friday when she makes the dough and lets it rest before rolling each one to perfection by hand. Come Saturday morning, the bagels have been cold-proofed for 16 hours and are ready to be baked to perfection for her loyal customers, who pick them up right at her house.
"The bagel needs to be crispy and golden on the outside with small blisters all over," Greenberg explains the perfect bagel to her standards. You'll see tiny little air pockets all over the outside, which comes from the fermentation process and letting it cold proof overnight. When you tear it open, it's almost like feathers. It shouldn't rip like a muffin; it should be almost like a cheese pull, but of bread."
Served fresh and hot, the bagels pair perfectly with Neighborhood Bagel's homemade spreads. Flavors rotate, and some of the most popular ones have been the miso maple and toasted pecan butter.
Neighborhood Bagels photo
The Neighborhood Bagels Menu
Her menu includes five bagels, two homemade cream cheeses, and one homemade butter. Bagel flavors remain the same and vary from classics like plain, sesame, and everything to favorites like the cinnamon streusel and black pepper parmesan.Served fresh and hot, the bagels pair perfectly with Neighborhood Bagel's homemade spreads. Flavors rotate, and some of the most popular ones have been the miso maple and toasted pecan butter. In favor of seasonality, for this week, bagel lovers can expect a mango spread on the menu. Bagels are sold in 4 packs for $12, and spreads vary between $6 and $9. As a plus, Greenberg also sells her own neighborhood pickles for $12 per jar.
From chasing the perfect bagel in Miami to founding Neighborhood Bagels, Greenberg became your friendly neighborhood bagel baker, but this is just the beginning. Ultimately, she dreams of a bagel shop with a window of multiple spreads where people can come together over a fresh bagel.
Neighborhood Bagels. Orders open from 10 a.m. on Tuesday to 5 p.m. on Thursday or until sold via hotplate.com; pick-up details shared once order is confirmed.
