HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – An Oahu bagel shop won three awards at the annual BagelFest competition in New York City.
Competing against bakers from 12 states and three countries, Tali’s Bagels and Schmear walked away as the winner in the Rising Star category, runner up in Best Showmanship, and third place in the Best Bialy category.
“We serve New York-style bagels in Hawaii, but to serve them to New Yorkers, it was very validating,” said owner Talia Bongolan-Schwartz.
She and Kelly Bongolan-Schwartz began perfecting their bagel-making skills at home during the pandemic, making bagels every day for a month.
“I was born and raised in Hawaii. I didn’t know what a real bagel was supposed to taste like. So I was the baker. She was the taste tester,” explained Kelly Bongolan-Schwartz.
Talia, a native New Yorker, provided the flavor expertise.
“I grew up in New York. I’m from Long Island so I was eating bagels my whole life. I took bagels very seriously so I had the flavors in my mind. I could taste it,” she said.
“There were a lot of fails and then one day there was like a nostalgic moment for her,” Kelly said.
The duo’s passion project eventually grew into a business.
Tali’s Bagels and Schmear opened in Ward Village two years ago and expanded to Kailua in 2024.
Their next big challenge? The Big Apple and BagelFest.
“We did a creamy kimchee mixture instead of the traditional caramelized onions. Instead of the traditional poppy seeds we did black and white sesame seeds,” Talia said.
Their Hawaii-influenced flavors, like ube schmear, proved key to their success.
“Ube has started to become popular on the mainland too,” Talia said. “When we were shopping for ube in the store, it’s literally labeled as Hawaiian purple yam because it was popularized here in New York from Hawaii culture.”
Tali’s Bagels and Schmear is located at 1200 Ala Moana Blvd. in Ward and 26 Hoolai St. in Kailua.
Visit their website for more information.
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