More than a roll with a hole, bagels are sometimes chewy, dense and even crispy. They are not bread ... well, not the good ones. There are aficionados who say that they have to be hand-shaped and never steam cooked.
Tradition evolves given time and even the size of a bagel has increased significantly over the decades. Is the ideal bagel true to its boiled and baked origins? Would someone from 17th century Kraków, Poland recognize it? Does it matter?
Plain, flavoured or sliced and served open faced or as a sandwich the combinations are vast. At most delis, lox (cured salmon) cream cheese, raw onions, tomatoes and capers make this a metropolitan grab-and-go balanced meal.
Who hasn’t loved bagels toasted or sporting a coat of poppy of sesame seeds, garlic and onion, garlic, incorporating cheddar cheese, or the popular ‘everything’ bagel. It seems every city has its own version: Chicago, New York, Montreal, London, Halifax and yes, even Sudbury.
Justin Sawchuk — Sudbury’s purveyor of bagels — agreed to a conversation. Naturally, I had to ask why it is called Salty Dog Bagels.
“The name was inspired by a friend who helped us start. She owns a business with a similar name so it was a tribute of sorts. We felt it had a familiar ring to it that had a friendly feel. Since we love animals it seemed a good fit.”
Sawchuk said bread is popular in her European family, but he was motivated to get into the bagel game by watching the bakers at Ottawa’s Kettleman’s Bagels. He describes the Salty Dog approach as “avid” experimentation.
“We are avid experimenters in the area of food. From pasta, to pizza, to bread, we were experimenting independently with doughs and came together for business because of our love of bagels,” she said. “It seemed there was a need for local bagels, so we got a little more serious (but still had fun) until we thought we had something edible for the public.”
Getting their start at the Sudbury Market they offered local and wholesome, authentic and unique. Organic flour comes from K2 Milling in Beaton, Ontario, while other ingredients are sourced closer to home. A loyal customer base developed.
“In fact, we were also creating a bagel culture in Sudbury. If you leave Bathurst … well, as far as we know, no one else is doing bagels north of the GTA. There has been a ‘hole’ in the market,” laughs Sawchuk.
Having built a customer base through their booth at the Market, the natural next step seemed to be opening a storefront.
“The storefront has been an exciting rollercoaster of a ride, but a successful endeavour. It allowed us to better control our production, expand our offerings, and provide our goods on a more regular basis,” Sawchuk said, adding being downtown was important for Salty Dog. “We are strong supporters of downtown Sudbury. We want to see it thrive as it is the heart of Greater Sudbury.”
Knowing that baker’s hours frequently mean a 5:30 a.m. start, this is a passion project.
What bagels do they have?
“We offer a variety of flavours, some traditional and some Salty Dog originals. The more traditional are Everything (which is a typical vegan New York Style bagel) and Sesame; more experimental staples include Rosemary Sea Salt (our take on a Montreal Style bagel), Cinnamon Sugar, and Smoked Salt and Pepper. Not just mimicking others we developed our own expression. We have a great following of regulars who love us being here. Some come by daily.
Slicing that bagel in half and sandwiching tasty thing between the two pieces is also important.
“Sandwiches have greatly expanded our business,” Sawchuk said. “We've gone from strictly bagels to a variety of products that use or are inspired by our bagels.”
Salty Dog sandwiches use local ingredients, like mushrooms from the Ugly Barn Farm and vegan cream cheese from Please Cheeze Me. The greens were sourced from Truly Northern, and the porchetta is from Tarini's.
“We are looking to add more sides that will compliment our bagels and sandwiches,” Sawchuk said. “We currently offer a wonderful salad (kale & quinoa) from Good Grab and want to do more. We are on the cream cheese train right now. Jalapeno Fire for the spice lover is a hot seller.”
Of course COVID-19 has had a huge impact everywhere. How has it affected Salty Dog? Sawchuk pauses. “We certainly didn’t have the launch we expected. We opened November, 2019, just in time for the pandemic madness,” she said. “Our grand opening was lost in the shuffle. It's very hard to say how exactly it's affected us since we opened our storefront just as the pandemic started.
It seems a lot of business has shifted from in store to delivery. And markets have slowed indoors but thrived outdoors. We try not to dwell on what could have been, but focus on pivoting successfully for the future by expanding easy takeout options and less perishable items. Our business was always oriented towards quick, wholesome, grab-and-go items, so it has been relatively simple to adapt to what customers seem to be looking for during COVID times.”
Visit and order a veggie (featuring artichoke hearts, balsamic reduction and more on a sesame bagel), a classic porchetta (grainy dijon, greens, cream cheese on an everything bagel), the mushroom medley (it’s vegan, too). A smoked fish sandwich and a Caprese round out the menu.
Salty Dog bricks and mortar bakery and storefront offers a good breakfast (reasonably priced egg, roasted red pepper, greens, cream cheese, sriracha on an everything bagel) and the lunch crowd is strong, too.
Sawchuk looks out the plate glass window overlooking Lisgar Street.
“Even during COVID there are a lot of people working and passing through downtown. An old-fashioned six pack of tasty bagels is still our main driver. In store and at the market, our customers are enjoying our bagels as is, or toasted and shmeared with our variety of original cream cheese flavours.”
Salty Dog Bagels
Though the address is 96 Larch, Salty Dog physically is on Lisgar Street.
You can order through the online store here.
Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Online ordering or in person, delivery options exist.
Phone: (705) 669-0000
Hugh Kruzel is a committed foodie and a freelance writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat is made possible by our Community Leaders Program. Are you an advertiser? Learn more about our Community Leaders Program here.
