Say howdy to Tacoma’s newest bagel shop, which will offer up some unique schmears

East Coast purists will say it can’t be done, but another set of bagel entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest is out to prove them wrong.

Howdy Bagel, the brainchild of Jake Carter and Daniel Blagovich, has been operating as a pop-up bakery since the early days of the pandemic, serving at markets and offering home delivery to its lucky bagel club members. Its first storefront will open at 5421 South Tacoma Way.

In addition to classics like everything, sesame and poppy seed, the couple has garnered a reputation for flavors including rosemary sea salt and za’atar. Schmears — lemon-dill, pecan maple, mixed berry and “cowboy spice” (onions cooked down with chilis, then popped with adobo) — have further set them apart.

At the Proctor Farmers Market last year, they popularized their open-faced sandwiches with, for instance, lox, red onions and dill. At the shop, they will expand their offerings to include breakfast sandwiches and more vegan options. The bagels themselves are vegan, save for one infused with parmesan and potent black pepper.

Though not sourdough, Howdy Bagels begin with a simple sponge base of yeast, flour and water, proofed for 12 hours at room temperature or 24 hours in the fridge. Then they shape and let rise again in the cooler for another 36 to 48 hours.

“You get some of those similar flavors,” explained Carter. “Not as strong [as sourdough], but more time for flavor development.”

Importantly, in a region sorely long lacking in bagel perfection, they develop way more flavor than you’ll ever get from a grocery store bagel, he added.

“They’re not smooth — they have tiny blisters. We call them ‘bagel birthmarks,’” Carter said. “If you’re a bagel aficionado, it’s usually a telltale sign that people are developing flavors.”

Olympia Coffee, where Carter works part-time, and a hopeful set of rotating roasters from across the country will join these necessary carbs in an “intimate and cozy” cafe designed with up-cycled materials, accented by ample natural light.

THE EVOLUTION OF HOWDY BAGEL

Originally from Texas, Carter moved to the Puget Sound to work with refugees primarily around food access, following a stint as a documentary photographer in the Middle East. He longed to return to the food industry, having been a barista and a cook.

“I always wanted to do something in hospitality, and I particularly loved baking,” he said.

Blagovich, who grew up in West Seattle, is an old-house and reuse devotee who works by day as a contractor. Since 2015, he has run My Little White House, a 170-square-foot studio constructed entirely from salvaged materials.

With time on their hands as the pandemic unraveled, Carter began home-testing recipes, sharing the bounty with family, neighbors and friends. With Blagovich’s endless support, he said, they outgrew the home oven and cold-called a catering company to rent kitchen space. Because they baked in Seattle but lived in Tacoma, their customer base encircled both areas, but it was Grit City that won the long-term bagel battle.

They moved to The Gourmet Niche last year, which is much more amenable for those 3 a.m. wake-up calls.

“We didn’t necessarily have intentions of looking into a storefront any time soon, but people would say, ‘When are you guys gonna open a brick-and-mortar?’” Carter told me last week after sharing the news on their Instagram page, which has amassed more than 5,300 followers.

A year of sales data showed their customers lived all over the city and nearby towns. They connected with landlords Theory Real Estate, which has been flipping old warehouses and renovating property along South Tacoma Way since moving their offices there five years ago, and discussed with neighbors, business owners and community groups to understand if a bagel shop would fit.

“We really wanted to be intentional before we signed anything,” said Carter, “obviously for ourselves to make sure we were doing the right thing, but also for the neighborhood and community.”

It turns out that, yes, South Tacoma wants bagels.

Humbly, he admitted, “There’s no one making bagels here like this.”

They are also Kenji-approved, as in appreciated by Kenji Lopez-Alt, celebrated author of The Food Lab. A recent Seattle transplant, he decided the region’s best bagels could compete with their New York brethren.

Howdy will join a small but formative wave of bagel makers in Pierce County: Adam’s Bagels slings a Montreal-PNW hybrid style from a shared kitchen in Central Tacoma, while B’s Bagels & Butters will open a storefront in Gig Harbor this year with an East Coast-inspired round.

Carter also pointed to a collaborative community of talented bakers in the Tacoma area who got their start in a market setting: macarons and caneles by Girl Loves Cakes Desserts, pop-tarts and pies by Spilled Butter Desserts, sourdough from Balloon Roof Baking Co., Fruit Bat Baking Co. and Sourdough Hough, among others.

“I’m excited to see what happens in the baking scene in Tacoma,” he said. “It’s something that should and definitely will grow.”

HOWDY BAGEL

▪ 5421 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, howdybagel.com

▪ Details: bagel shop and cafe opening 2023; bagel subscriptions and home-delivery will continue

▪ Try Now: look for market dates and other pop-ups by following instagram.com/howdybagel

Reporter’s Note, Feb. 2022: This story has been updated to reflect a later target opening date.

This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 10:00 AM.