When the new owners of Upper Crust Bagel, on the corner of Locust and Purchase, took over a few months ago, their first step was to give the place a good cleaning. “We power-washed everything,” says Joe Mancuso, a longtime Port Chester native who now lives down the road in Rye Brook. “Then we repainted and repaired so that our customers now feel the surroundings are as fresh as the bagels.”

 

When the new owners of Upper Crust Bagel, on the corner of Locust and Purchase, took over a few months ago, their first step was to give the place a good cleaning. “We power-washed everything,” says Joe Mancuso, a longtime Port Chester native who now lives down the road in Rye Brook. “Then we repainted and repaired so that our customers now feel the surroundings are as fresh as the bagels.”

Along with his daughter Dina Farewell, Joe is striving to make Upper Crust Bagel one of the gathering places in Rye – whether it’s for bagels with their homemade cream cheese, or lox if you prefer, or freshly baked muffins. “We’re even thinking of adding pizza bagels to the menu,” he adds. “Not those tasteless, frozen things you get in the supermarket, but fresh bagels with fresh pizza toppings.”

 

What makes a great bagel? Start with a great baker, agree Mancuso and store manager Jorge Otero. “Our baker, Accell Reyes, gets here every morning at 5 to start the ovens, and then begins mixing the top-quality ingredients we use to create the varieties we offer.”

 

And what’s the favorite topping? “Surprisingly,” says Mancuso, “it’s not butter or cream cheese. A lot of customers order smoked salmon, or something lighter, like Greek yoghurt.”

 

If you want to sample an Upper Crust Bagel, you’ll have plenty of opportunity at the Rye Rec Turkey Run the day after Thanksgiving. Mancuso and Farewell are donating 400 bagels to the event.

 

Their grand opening is scheduled for later this year.

— Peter Jovanovich