Pizza, Bagels and ‘Brooklynized’ Water — Oh My!
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Any bagel connoisseur knows that the secret to a delicious New York City bagel is a highly-sought after ingredient: local tap water.
In the summer of 2009, Gothamist broke the story that a south Florida company, The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Company, designed a water filtration system with the goal of replicating the taste of New York City tap water. The result? The deliciously distinctive taste and feel of a homegrown bagel. Alfie Lipshultz, designer bagel maker, claimed, “By the time it gets past our systems, it’s Brooklyn water.” Gothamist now reports that the bagels have been such a hit in Florida (your grandma likes bagels, doesn’t she?) that another company, Mamma Mia’s Trattoria & Brick Oven Pizzeria, is using the same filtration system to make “authentic ‘New York Style’ pizza.”
Not so fast, Mamma Mia’s.
The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Company is suing the pizzeria, claiming that they stole their recipe for Brooklyn tap water. To complicate matters, Mamma Mia’s claims it bought the water filtration system (for $20,000!) from a third company, Famous New York Baking Water Corporation, founded by former employees of the bagel company, including the owner’s father-in-law. The pizzeria is countersuing, accusing Original Brooklyn Water Bagel of making false claims about patenting their method of filtration. What’s left to say but oy?
In other, Jewish carb-related news (because really, what else matters?), JTA reports that Mountain Bread Wraps won the 2010 Best in Show prize at Kosherfest, an annual trade show of the kosher food industry.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
