How a Hong Kong bagel wholesaler turned her shop into a New York-style deli with the ‘best bagels’ in the city – helped by an Italian-American chef
- When Rebecca Schrage wanted to turn Schragels Bagels into a ‘true New York deli’, her Italian-American chef friend Vinny Lauria shared his industry knowledge
- Up and running, the sit-down restaurant serves Reuben sandwiches, challah, latkes, and ‘outstanding’ bagels. Schrage says the process was ‘challenging’ but fun
Rebecca Schrage used to nag her friend, chef Vinny Lauria, to buy her Schragels bagels to serve at his restaurants. Although he never did, she got an even better outcome.
Lauria ended up giving Schrage free advice when she turned her bagel shop in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, into a sit-down restaurant with an expanded menu earlier this year.
“He is a good friend,” Schrage says. “He was one of the first chefs I met when I was starting out, transitioning from finance to bagels. We are both from the United States, from the same area. We just became friends and he’s been so supportive.
“When I needed some help with the restaurant, he was someone I consulted and got feedback from.”
Schrage, who switched to her Jewish grandparents’ profession of making bagels in 2014, and Lauria, head chef of Hong Kong Italian-American restaurants Fini’s and Frank’s, are both New Englanders. She is originally from Massachusetts, while Lauria is a native of New Hampshire.
After moving from Graham Street, in Hong Kong‘s Central neighbourhood, to a corner shop on Jervois Street in Sheung Wan, Schragels’ range of deli delights has extended beyond bagels.