As an NYC expat living in Virginia, there’s nothing I miss more than a good bagel. Tragically, they are few and far between ‘round these parts.
Sure, you can find a serviceable bagel sandwich, but you’d be hard pressed to find a Virginian bagel that truly passes the knock test: hard, crusty exterior with a soft and fluffy interior. Looking for one that doesn’t need to be toasted? Forget about it.
RVA locals will holler: “what about Nate’s Bagels? What about Cupertinos?” And to that I say…. Sunday Bagel blows them all clear out the water.
Since 2022, Julie and Jesse Roberts have been lighting the Richmond bagel scene on fire with their pop-up shop, Sunday Bagel. Now, their bagels aren’t the classic NY style with a yeasted dough (they go for more of a sourdough approach) but they do tick all the same boxes: great crunch on the outside, delicious chew on the inside — AND they don’t need to be toasted in order to be delicious.
I caught up with Jesse and Julie to talk all about their career backgrounds, those dynamite marketing images and, of course, their innovative approach to bagelry.
KAITLIN OWENS: Thanks so much for agreeing to the interview! I’m super excited to chat with you! I’m a huge bagel fan — and can kind of be a bit of a bagel purist. So, anytime I hear about a new bagel spot opening up in Richmond, I have to check it out. I’m curious, How did you get into making bagels? What made you want to start a business making them?
JESSE ROBERTS: So, I spent like 8 years working in NYC, fine dining mostly. But when the pandemic happened, about 2 months in, I started making pizza at a place called LEO. Ultimately, I became the kitchen manager there when we started the bagel program. Once I learned how to make bagels at leo (which they now make under the name apollo bagels) I guess I kinda just fell into it. Once that happened, I made all kinds of sourdough bread, pizza, bagels, etc. I guess it was just like the missing piece in what I was meant to do with the restaurant industry. When we decided to go forward and choose something to do for our first pop-up, we just realized a different type of bagel was needed here in Richmond. So we came up with the name and my wife Julie did the branding and from then on it was kismet. Bagels for my family were always on the table. A funeral or the day after a wedding, we always had a dozen bagels with cream cheese and coffee.
KAITLIN: What do you think makes a good bagel?
JESSE: Our bagel is definitely different from what you’re finding around town. We are fully sourdough meaning naturally leavened with no commercial yeast. When you add sourdough we are also adding flavor, so along with flours we are using (that we get milled locally) we do a very long, cold ferment which gives you our signature Sunday Bagel flavor. We’re making a bagel that’s soft on the inside with a strong crunch on the outside. We also think that you don’t always need a bagel sandwich! The majority of our menu is just loosies and cream cheese on the side for a rip and dip experience.
KAITLIN: Richmond doesn’t have a super strong bagel scene — we really only have a couple spots, but every place has lines out the door. Why do you think there’s such a ravenous fervor for a good Richmond bagel?
JESSE:Honestly I don’t know. I guess it's something everyone can relate to. Especially in the mornings when it's very easy to just grab a bagel with cream cheese before work or as a hangover cure, it just always works. I also think bagels are applicable to all ages, it's interesting to find a product that is attractive to everyone but also affordable, exciting and easy for everyone.
KAITLIN: You have such a strong brand image. I love the look and feel of both your instagram and your website! It’s cohesive and enticing and professional — who does your graphic design?
JULIE ROBERTS: Thank you! I do all of the graphic, web, and photo work! I spent a long time working at small, multidisciplinary design studios in New York but my background is strongly interior design. I graduated from VCU IDES in 2016! I freelance now working mostly with restaurants bringing their image all together across social, brand, and interiors, making them feel authentically them and never trying to impose my particular style on anyone. However, with Sunday Bagel since it’s coming from Jesse and I, I’m really able to explore. I built a very flexible brand base that allows me to iterate for every event and it’s been a lot of fun! I think a brand’s presence across all forms is so important to show its personality and prove its strengths.
KAITLIN:What does the behind the scenes look like at Sunday Bagel? Give me a rundown of a typical day.
JESSE: Our bagels are a three day process. Day One is just me feeding the starter, possibly running to the market and grabbing last minute scallions or dill, just checking out what’s growing and what’s new. Day Two, I get in about 4:30am to start making dough and mixing cream cheese and portioning that. I usually have everything proofed by and ready for an overnight ferment around 2pm-5pm. I go home, come back at around 5am and bake all the bagels, and pack up everything then head over to our pop up location. Come back, finish the dishes I didn't get to then head home and pass out pretty much until dinner haha.
KAITLIN: How did you get into pop-up’s? Who was the first place you reached out to and how did it spiral from there?
JULIE: We always knew that moving from New York to Richmond that there was so much opportunity to start our own thing, whatever it was. Richmond really comes out to support people doing cool things and we knew that with our combined experience we could do something really great. After spending so much time in fine dining, Jesse was looking for something a little more approachable to spend his time doing while still bringing his strong culinary skills to the forefront. We were starting thinking about bagels and then one day we came up with the name and just ran with it!
Before we moved to Richmond, we visited Celladora– because we had heard great things. We ended up sitting there chatting with Megan Lee Hopkins, the owner, for a couple of hours about Richmond and its food scene and everything. She has always been a huge supporter of us in any venture and told us whenever we wanted to do anything, Celladora was open for us! We did our first pop up in September of 2023 at Celladora and have done a couple more there since. Celladora is one of our favorite places and Megan is a huge help in getting Sunday Bagel going!
KAITLIN: What’s next for Sunday Bagel? Do you have aspirations of opening up a brick and mortar?
JESSE: We’re always dreaming of brick and mortar! For now we’re going to keep doing pop ups and build our following. We love meeting people that come out and we love regulars coming back every time. We’re seeing where this all takes us!
KAITLIN: Is there anything specific you’d like me to mention in the article?
JESSE: Yeah I guess we just want to say thanks to everyone who has been supporting us since day one, friends and family. We feel like we belong here in Richmond and we are excited for the future of Sunday Bagel and all the other doors this will open for us!
For more information about Sunday Bagel and their upcoming pop-up events visit their Instagram, @sundaybagelrva or their website, www.sundaybagelrva.com
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