Bagel bash

Deli celebrates year of N.Y. authenticity

When Ramon Palha and Julie Gold moved from Brooklyn to Florida, they quickly found that something was missing — a real-deal, New York bagel.

“Almost all the bagel shops in Florida said they offered New York bagels, but they were just New York-style,” Palha said. “Me and Julia are real New Yorkers and know what a New York bagel really tastes like.”

So the husband and wife decided to make their own. And last month, they celebrated a year in business.

New York Bagel Café & Deli, located on Pines Boulevard, has dough shipped to them weekly directly from Brooklyn. It comes complete with the ingredient Palha says separates the New York bagels from the New York-style: water. “The New York water is contained in each and every bagel,” he explained.

From there, the bagels are boiled and baked. Palha said within the last year, he’s made it his mission to educate Floridians about New York bagels. “A real bagel from New York needs to be kettle boiled and then baked,” he said. “Other bagels are simply baked. A real New York bagel is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, whereas the other bagels are chewy all the way.”

Palha and Gold, who reside in Miramar, say their clientele is pretty diverse, but their main audience is derived from former New Yorkers “who are just looking for a taste of their home.”

The deli offers almost 20 different types of bagels, including poppy, blueberry and pumpernickel. Abd ub addition to its namesake, they also specialize in omelets and knishes — which Palha said are both best sellers.

“What makes us stand apart from other businesses is that we don’t claim to be New York,” the owner said. “We are New York.”

New York Bagel Café & Deli is located at 10211 Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines.