Bob Climo embodies the best qualities of a small business owner/operator. He is passionate about the products he and his team produce, and he lives his community-inspired values from both behind the bagel/deli counter and through supporting gatherings of all kinds via sponsorships and fundraising events. A spirit of generosity and of an everyday kind of celebration is palpable when you enter the brightly lit shop.
KATY SPARKS
When I first arrived in Great Barrington from New York City five years ago, all I heard was how fabulous your bagels are, so it’s great to be sitting down with you to learn some of your secrets!
BOB CLIMO
Yes, the former owners, Marvin and Judy Lieberman, came up with this great concept to bring bagels to Great Barrington, and I was very fortunate to work with them for about eight years before I bought the business 11 years ago. All together, that means we will be celebrating our 30th anniversary for the business this coming February.
SPARKS
Do you have any big plans for this impressive milestone?
CLIMO
We’re working on some ideas! We’re rebranding our logo to remind people that we offer more than just bagels. We do a great deli here with specials like avocado toast with balsamic, tomato, and feta, and we have great specialty fish coming up from the city like sturgeon, sable, and nova lox that I hand slice myself.
SPARKS
Was working with Marvin and Judy your first job in the food business?
CLIMO
No, I ‘d been in food before. I worked at Canyon Ranch as a demo chef, and I also worked at the Cleveland Clinic working with their nutritionists to help teach healthy cooking and healthy eating.
SPARKS
How does that experience at Canyon Ranch influence what you offer on your menus?
CLIMO
I’m glad you asked that. One of the things I believe is that deli food can be clean, use local ingredients, and support local farmers, so we make sure we minimize processed foods by making everything here in house to order.
SPARKS
Now let’s get to the star of the show: the bagels. It’s always been part of the lore of New York City bagels that they are so great because of the city water. What do you say to that?
CLIMO
You can definitely make great bagels up here too. We do it the old-fashioned way and follow those processes and use great ingredients.
SPARKS
So please walk us through that process.
CLIMO
We mix the dough each morning, then form them into the bagel shape and let them proof in a refrigerator overnight to develop their flavor. The following morning at 5 a.m., we turn on the kettle to boil the bagels. It’s like a big cauldron and when the bagels are ready, they float up to the surface where we scoop them out and “shock” them in cold water to stop the cooking process. After that, we place the bagels on bamboo and burlap-lined boards. The reason for the burlap is to help them cook evenly in the oven.
SPARKS
That is a cool technique, and thanks for sharing. What is your personal favorite bagel?
CLIMO
For me it’s either a sesame or salt bagel that has come right out of the oven. You don’t even need anything on it—I love the smell of the toasted sesame seeds when they are still warm.
SPARKS
What flavors sell the best, and are there any crazy flavors you come up with to spice things up?
CLIMO
For most people, their favorites are the “tornado” (everything bagel), sesame, and poppy. On the weekends, we do an asiago cheese and Jalepeno bagel, and we’re in the process of developing a French toast bagel. Playing around with adding eggs and cinnamon to the bagel dough.
SPARKS
What other innovations are you working on for future growth of the business?
CLIMO
Well, we already do a good amount of wholesale business locally to places like the Berkshire Food Co-op, area restaurants, and Canyon Ranch. I also do some business down in Litchfield County, Conn., at Provisions in the White Hart Tavern in Salisbury and at the Hotchkiss School, but I want to expand our wholesale business down in that region.
SPARKS
How did you start taking BerkShares?
CLIMO
I was on the board of BerkShares at one time, and I love the program and have always supported them. And I think the world of Susan (Witt). You can’t help but want to support her mission when you talk to her. And I want to help other community businesses thrive by keeping the capital in this area. A healthy business ecosystem helps all of us.
SPARKS
And how do you like to spend the BerkShares you take in?
CLIMO
I spend them at area restaurants and at Barrington Outfitters on Main Street. We just need every local business to take them.
SPARKS
Bob, is there anything I didn’t ask you about that you’d like the community to know?
CLIMO
We recently launched a new website, and that’s going well. We’re always updating ourselves, and we’re more than bagels. We also love to support our community with sponsorships and fundraising.
SPARKS
Important last question: What time do I need to get to the store to get one of those sesame bagels still warm from the oven?
CLIMO
Your best bet is right when we open our doors at 6:30 a.m. And we do all kinds of breakfast sandwiches with a free cup of coffee!
