Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Vallorosi
Hi Jessie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in the kitchen. Mornings were spent with my family, watching the Barefoot Contessa, each one of us, curious and hungry. We watched and asked questions in between “mhms” and “ahs” as Ina Garten sliced expensive cheese. It would only take 15 minutes of an episode for my dad to be inspired and announce he was running to Shoprite for ingredients. “We’re making that” he would announce on his way to grab the car keys. He’d grab a dozen fresh bagels on his way home. We’d sit and eat breakfast while planning dinner, each meal leading to the next because in my family, “hungry” is a personality trait.
On Sundays we’d craft homemade pasta. My mother, flour-dusted cheeks, kneaded the dough while my father commanded the hand crank, rolling sheets to the perfect thickness. My grandma, Roro, glasses just barely gripping the tip of her nose, would be elbow-deep in a steaming pot, red sauce splattered across her white crewneck. My sisters and I watched and waited to hear our assignment. “Girls, go to the garden and clip a few leaves of basil” my dad would call out. All at once, the three of us would spring out of our chairs and scurry to grab the scissors. Smells of garlic and onion and ripe tomatoes collided with the summer breeze as we opened the sliding glass door.
We caught on quickly. It wasn’t long before my sisters and I graduated from herb gatherers to tortellini twisters. Cooking and baking connected us, it was our family’s rite of passage. At a young age, we were gifted with the tools needed to grow into nurturers. From chocolate chip cookies and pound cake, to handmade tortellini and clams and spaghetti; we cooked and we baked and we ate good food; sharing with neighbors and friends. Our meals were filled with warmth and togetherness. This is our love language.
When we relocated to Florida in 2021, we quickly realized that the New Jersey/NYC influence had not quite made it down to the Gulf. We were able to seek out an authentic NYC pizza spot but our hunt for a good bagel was never ending and soon we lost hope. I spent a year working in healthcare, utilizing my degree in Athletic Training. I was tired and bored and frankly, I was hungry –hungry for newness and family time and a good NYC-style bagel. I started experimenting with hand-rolling bagels in my kitchen, using my family of self-claimed food critics as a source of truth. It took months to get it right until one day I did. With my dad’s innovation and business leadership skills and my older sister’s artistic mind and marketing background, the three of us transformed a spontaneous idea into a business. With Bagel Babe Co. we are not only bringing a true boiled and baked NYC bagel to Florida, we are paying homage to our ancestry. Creating and launching this business was intuitive for us and we have only just scratched the surface.
Since launching out of the Foodie Labs in 2023, we have received amazing customer feedback and already gained loyalty. We have established a presence throughout the Tampa Bay area and are ready to take the next steps to open our own storefront by 2025.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course, the road I have ventured down with this business came with a few obstacles, but I would not call them struggles. Starting something new, although very exciting, is not always easy. The biggest obstacle mentally for me was taking the initial risk of changing careers and going all in on Bagel Babe Co. Starting at the Foodie Labs at first felt a bit overwhelming, but I persevered through knowing I had my family along side of me. Growing up a competitive athlete has also taught me mental toughness and I always put my 110% into something that I want.
It took a couple of months for my family and I to get our operation down in the kitchen, but it was nothing unfamiliar to us as this is where we are used to being.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Bagel Babe Co.?
Bagel Babe Co. is a family-owned and operated business serving artisan NY-style bagels, hand-rolled, boiled and baked fresh daily. techniques. Our bagel-rolling process consists of utilizing generational techniques that were established in New York in the late 1800s. We use simple, high-quality ingredients and classic kettle boiling methods. We are traditionalists and highly-disciplined when it comes to the art of creating a bagel. We offer a variety of breakfast and lunch bagel sandwiches, with classic combinations such as the highly coveted New Jersey delicacy: pork roll, egg and cheese. Customers that crave the classic “bagel and cream cheese,” are able to choose from our homemade cream cheese and butter “schmear” options. We also offer cold-brewed coffee, served iced or hot with flavor add-ins. Our latest customer favorite beverage option: “Iced Tea of the Day.”
What sets us apart is our consistency, resilience, and all around passion for nurturing others. We are rooted in family values and food has always been our love language. Each day we open, we look forward to seeing old and new faces with a deep satisfaction to be able to provide each one of them a memorable breakfast and experience. We do not hesitate to bounce new ideas off customers, gathering feedback, with arms wide open, making them feel heard and seen. Bagel Babe Co. is a result of family rituals and the innate desire to fill people with good food, comfort and love.
Our brand was once an idea turned into a small online-only shop. Since then we have grown, establishing a physical presence in Saint Petersburg, Florida, operating out of the Foodie Labs with plans to expand and move into our very own brick & mortar location with more product offerings by next year. For Bagel Babe Co. and my family, this is only just the beginning.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bagelbabeco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bagelbabeco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bagelbabeco
