The guys behind Everything Bagelry have something new brewing.
Brothers Tyler Bookhout and Erik Hartshorn partnered with friends Matthias Wesner and Ian Yoder to launch Baked & Brewed Cafe in the West End Plaza, 107 Winney Hill Road in Oneonta, on Oct. 1.
Bookhout, 33, of Bainbridge, said the cafe, in the former Wakeman Coffee West End location and cooperative home of Muddy River Brewery and Ty’s Taco-ria, marks the realization of a plan made when Everything Bagelry was founded in 2021.
“It has always been our goal to have retail locations across the country,” he said. “It’s our goal to have 40 (sites), specifically, and this opportunity opened up with Wakeman leaving. We had 10 days to get it operational, and it was absolutely insane, but we figured this could be a good proving ground for what we set out to do in the future. We want to compete with a Starbucks or a Dunkin’.”
Wesner said in a statement that the cafe is a “local passion project driven by our deep roots in the community and commitment to the ‘keep it local’ mission.”
“Our story began Sunday, Sept. 22 when Muddy River extended a unique opportunity for us to join their co-op,” he said. “After touring the space and sharing an energizing session of ideas, we knew this was a chance we couldn’t pass up.”
Bookhout and Hartshorn said the menu varies, with many offerings incorporating their bagels.
“We have breakfast sandwiches, breakfast wraps, and we have gluten-free wraps and bread,” Bookhout said. “We serve Americanos, breves, cappuccinos, chais, dirty chais, drip coffee, hot chocolate, London fogs, matcha and we sell kombuchas. It’s Kathy, Dave, and Eric’s Flavored Coffee, a company out of Binghamton, and they roast the coffee for us. We get our lox from Acme (Smoked Fish) in Brooklyn, and they’ve been around since 1906. We know people like bagels and lox and can’t really get that around here.”
“It’s bagels and lox, and bagels by the dozen and half,” Hartshorn, 28, also of Bainbridge, said, “and you can mix and match any flavors.”
Bookhout said the cafe will have “a limited window to do breakfast.”
“Right now, because of grill space, we’re limited to cold items Thursday through Sunday, but you can still get bagels toasted with cream cheese,” he said. “Tuesday and Wednesday we’re going to be open for lunch, and we’re working on a lunch menu.”
Bookhout said collaboration has been an important part of bringing Baked & Brewed to life, and will continue to be a priority.
“We’re waiting to partner with Clark’s for cream cheese,” Bookhout said. “We’re developing that partnership right now, and he’s developing the cream cheese. We’ve already tested it, and we still partner with Kutik’s honey for the bagels. We use Windy Acres maple syrup in our French toast bagels. We’ll still source everything local when we go national, and we will be starting to sell Kutik’s honey and Windy Acres maple syrup here.”
Wesner said that artist Gavin Bocanegra, of Sidney, painted the cafe signage.
Customers, Bookhout said, have been “spectacular.”
“Everybody’s really happy we’re here and they love knowing they can get fresh bagels and coffee and they’re ecstatic with how friendly we are and the great service, and we love the support from them,” he said. “It’s mostly Oneonta people and people who know us. A lot of people didn’t know that we started (Everything Bagelry), so when they find out, that’s a plus, and it keeps them coming back.”
“We just want to create a warm and open atmosphere, and create a good vibe,” Hartshorn said.
“We can’t wait to refine, evolve and become Oneonta’s favorite spot for breakfast and coffee,” Wesner said in the statement.
That evolution, Bookhout said, is underway.
“We have a partner in Florida and we’re working on setting up a retail location down there, somewhere near Daytona Beach area,” he said, “and we have someone in Dearborn, Michigan, that also wants to do (a retail space).”
On the way are the cafe’s direct-to-print bags, which will let them tap into the larger grocery market.
“We’ve been stickering for the last two years,” Bookhout said. “We’re waiting on the final shipment of bags to come in, then we’ll be able to finally pursue those markets. We’re already going to be in the Oneonta Hannaford and a total of three Hannafords, and the Schenectady Price Chopper, Syracuse Price Chopper and Chenango Bridge (Price Chopper).”
The cafe is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. For more information or menu specials, find “Baked & Brewed Cafe” on Facebook or follow @bakedandbrewedcafe on Instagram.