Berkeley bagel matriarch preps expansion into downtown San Francisco
The hottest thing in the world of bagels is about to land in San Francisco. Berkeley's Boichik Bagels, founded by a UC grad, has become internationally known for its authentic New York style quality.
On this International Women's Day, KPIX caught up with Emily Winston, matriarch of the new bagel empire.
"The dough is coming up," Winston explained of the process. "It's been formed into this kind of rectangular log. We're coming in here. This is going to kneed it out smaller and divide it into chunks. That just gets wrapped up. The ends get stuck together, and it comes out like a bagel."
Winston watched early moments in the creation of a bagel, a process that's more high tech than usual.
"And then we've got our robot arm that picks it up and puts it in the rack," she said. "And that prevents a ton of repetitive stress injuries and workers comp issues."
But even the newest technology not does not replace the most essential elements of this old art form.
"We're doing the old-school New York bagel process here and I have not added any automation to this," she explained. "This is exactly as it's been done for the last hundred years."
Winston's knack for blending tradition and modernity is what's pushed Berkeley's Boichik to the center of the bagel universe.
"Especially adding that arm," she said of the robot. "We're probably running the most technically advanced bagel operation right now. Which is fun. My background is mechanical engineering, so I love this. This is where I get to shine."
After a quick tour, it's easy to see how her passion for the modest bagel has translated into not just success, but international acclaim.
"My wildest fantasy was that the New York Times maybe would one day say that my bagels were OK," she laughed. "And then they came and said that they were even better than New York. Which is completely nuts. But yeah, it's awesome. I have a lot of people that are super psyched to see a woman building a business that's so successful. It's an honor. It's an honor to be a role model like that. I'm super stoked. I'm excited to change the bagel industry."
Boichik has found a loyal following among those willing to seek out quality, and that means three new locations in San Francisco.
"I'm bullish on downtown," she said. "I'm investing in downtown."
Winston says the city's falling lease prices have created the perfect opportunity to position for the years ahead, and what she sees as the inevitable San Francisco rebound; The next chapter for Boichik's incredible expansion -- from a single store to Bay Area institution -- in just four years.
"The question was where and when," she said of the move. "And I don't want to build 40 stores around the Bay Area. We're going to keep it to about 10 or 12. People want good bagels. They are desperate for good bagels."
That's another established Bay Area business that is bullish on downtown San Francisco. In this case, Market and Battery, where they expect more and more people in the years ahead. All three of the new locations are expected to be open by the end of June.