New York-style bagels land in University City at Bagels and Bliss

Mary Andino | Jul 10, 2025 |

The project comes from co-owners Giti Fredman and William Goldmeier. Growing up in New Jersey, Fredman cherished the true NYC-style water bagels she’d have every day for lunch. When she moved to the Midwest, with no other way to get her bagel fix, she started making them at home. She was running baking classes and events through her company, Just Bake It, and started selling bagels on the side. After she ran the numbers, it was clear that investing in bagels was the move. Goldmeier, who worked at St. Louis institution Kohn’s Deli, was the perfect person to partner with.

When it comes to making a good bagel, according to Fredman, it’s not about the ingredients, it’s about the technique. “An authentic bagel ferments overnight, minimum 16 hours, ideally 24 hours,” Fredman says. The bagels are boiled for less than a minute in a large kettle and then baked for around 15 minutes for the perfect crackly crust and chewy texture. Bagels and Bliss has all the classic varieties: cinnamon raisin, everything, blueberry and sesame, plus some more experimental ones, like a za’atar bagel, which incorporates the traditional Middle Eastern spice blend into the dough. The shop, of course, had to offer St. Louis’ culinary contribution to the bagel world: tzitzel, a bagel coated in cornmeal and caraway. Far from bagel snobs, Fredman and Goldmeier say you can order your bagel whichever way you like. Toppings range from mashed avocado to peanut butter and jelly to even pizza bagels. The shop makes its whitefish, egg and tuna salads fresh in house.