BAGEL BEGINNINGS Craft bagel shop coming to Cleveland Heights
By Becky Raspe
C
leveland Heights bagel lovers are set to get a new option – and one that happens to be kosher – when Nubeigel opens this summer. Headed up by chef and baker Josh Admon, Nubeigel’s entire concept and vibe are encapsulated in its name, he told Admon Jstyle. With the old, European spelling of bagel and the Jewish word “nu,” Admon says as a proud Jew, he was keen to incorporate both the cultural aspect of his business as well as the theme he wants to carry through it. “The name itself really says a lot about what I’m trying to do in general,” says Admon, 41. “It came about because people were asking what I was doing and when I would open (a business here). And when I realized I wanted to open a bagel shop, I felt some internal resistance to say that. People have this notion and idea of what a bagel shop is. And while it’s not going to be this radical, new idea, I want to treat (Nubeigel) a little differently.” After growing up in Los Angeles, Admon lived and worked throughout Europe and settled in Israel for 15 years. While living in Jerusalem, he created, owned and ran a coffee and pastry shop at the Shuk. He moved to University Heights with his wife, Raquel, and their five children less than two years ago with the plan to come back to America and settle in a family-oriented city. He says similar to his shop in Jerusalem, he’s going for a “very authentic, raw, noncommercial – real type of feel,” for Nubeigel. “It’s this idea of the traditional quality,
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Jstyle
Spring 2022
The front facade of what will become Nubeigel, a bagel shop “that happens to be kosher,” at 2254 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. | Submitted photo paired with a fun, new approach,” says Admon, who attends services with his wife and children at a congregation that meets at Beatrice J. Stone Yavne High School in Beachwood. “People look at bagels as this mass-produced and bulk product, banging out as many bagels as we can get. This is more like a craft product, doing smaller batches.” He’s aiming for the feel of a coffee shop, with an open kitchen so patrons can see
the action. It will serve bagels, schmears and sandwiches, with a focus on quality. Coffee will also be emphasized and Admon is now looking at local roasters. “I will have a little bit more fun – I’m not going to stick to the rules,” he says, adding he also will feel out what customers want. Implementing his experience with baking, he’s using, “natural fermentation and yeast, a cold-proofing fermentation process that has a lot of benefits physically
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