Brooke Downing has opened a hand-rolled bagel bakery called BB’s Bagels at 5197 Main Street in her hometown of Waitsfield. As of November 15, the small takeout shop offers freshly baked bagels Thursday through Sunday, along with house-blended cream cheese flavors and breakfast sandwiches.
Downing, 19, challenged herself to learn to make bagels during the pandemic. Working to perfect the recipe, she had “a gazillion extra bagels,” which she handed out to neighbors. “People kept saying, ‘You should do a shop in town,'” she recalled.
The young woman had been working in local restaurants, such as the now-shuttered Worthy Burger Too, since age 14. As high school graduation approached, Downing considered applying to culinary school. But when a space owned by her mother on a local commercial building’s first floor became vacant, she resolved to start her own business there instead.
Downing funded the construction of a commercial kitchen with savings from her jobs and help from family. She named the business with the initials of her name and that of her mother, Buny.
Thursday through Sunday, Downing gets up at 2 a.m. to make the dough, roll, boil and bake about 500 bagels. Flavors include classics, such as poppy, sesame, everything and cinnamon-raisin, plus her signature flavor: rosemary-salt.
The baker said she takes pride in using the best ingredients, such as King Arthur Baking flour and Philadelphia cream cheese. Her veggie cream cheese, Downing said, is packed with peppers, carrots, scallions and “a ton of seasonings.” Learn more at bbsbagelsvt.com.
This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2024.
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