Mtn Seasons to Open Jeffersonville Bagel Shop 

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• Courtesy Of Mtn Seasons

In August, when Seven Days last spoke with Jeff Silver and Diane Abruzzini, the chef and farmer behind Mtn Seasons were selling bagels they produced in the wee hours at Jeffersonville's Brewster River Pub & Brewery. This past Monday, the duo received their certificate of occupancy at their own bakery at 4008 Route 108 in Jeffersonville, where they'll soon be baking bagels in bulk.

While Silver and Abruzzini will continue to sell their wares at the Farm Store in Jeffersonville, their market is expanding. This week and next will see the advent of their signature "Vermont-style" bagels at Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier, Sweet Clover Market in Essex and Healthy Living Market in South Burlington.

What separates Mtn Seasons' fare from other Vermont bagels? Theirs are boiled in water flavored with maple syrup, rather than malt or honey, before baking. Flavors include whole wheat, sesame, onion and garlic, and Montréal spice. Garlicky kale has been a summer breakout hit, and Mtn Seasons may produce a few more batches this year if local kale is available, Silver says.

Little by little, the bakers will segue from cooking their bagels in a gas oven to using a new wood-fired oven, custom-made by Jeremiah Church and displaying a black-and-white mountain scene by artist Matt Marro.

But Mtn Seasons' biggest news is the opening of the new bakery to the public. If all goes according to plan, that will happen on November 15, just as lifts start running at Smugglers' Notch Resort.

For the first few weeks, the bakery will be open Thursday through Monday from 6 a.m. to noon, serving bagels with creative cream cheeses inspired by local produce. "We want to start off kind of small for the first couple of months," Silver says. About six weeks in, he says, diners can expect to see new breakfast and lunch items, such as frittata sandwiches on bagels. That may just inspire some skiers to leave the slopes and warm up by perhaps the most fragrant fire on the mountain.

The original print version of this article was headlined "In Season"