Deanna & Jackie Halcrow of Emerald City Bagels: Reimagining Bagels in the South
Everyone has their yellow brick road moment. For Deanna and Jackie Halcrow, it started with a simple kitchen experiment in Atlanta, Georgia—a city not exactly famous for its chewy bagels. Deanna, with no formal culinary background, began “messing around” with bagel recipes, aiming for classic New York authenticity. It wasn’t long before her daughter Jackie joined in, bringing a culinary background and a hunger for a career change.
Deanna and Jackie joined Bagel Ambassador Sam Silverman on BagelFest’s Bagel Buzz Instagram Live series to discuss their journey bringing New York bagels to the South.
Origins
The mother-daughter duo quickly outgrew their home kitchen, moving recipes and passion into a shared workspace, selling hand-rolled bagels to local coffee shops and farmer’s markets. The response was immediate and enthusiastic. Refinement of their recipe led to the launch of their first brick and mortar East Atlanta shop in 2018—a leap powered by loyal customers, big dreams, and a bit of healthy trepidation. As Deanna charmingly put it, “We’re looking for a career path change that just happened to be, you know, synchronous to that. So bagels… they seemed like they were pretty good and something that we were passionate about.”
Bacon, Egg & Cheese Automats
If Atlanta bagels weren’t unique enough, Emerald City went a step further. An automat, in classic NYC lore, is a vending machine that dispenses food in coin-operated cubbies—a modern marvel from a bygone era. Jackie reminisced about her inspiration, a childhood memory of automats in St. Mark’s, dreaming for years of weaving this novelty into their own business. Their version? A bacon, egg, and cheese-specific automat. Hot bagel sandwiches always ready, always fresh, with a built-in timer for quality control.
Customers love snapping photos, but also come inside for customizations, proving Atlantans are eager for both novelty and tradition. “People… love to take photos of it. So it’s kind of doing half of its job there,” Jackie shared with a laugh.
A Delicious Culture Shock
Transitioning authentic New York bagels to the South wasn’t without hurdles or surprises. The Emerald City team’s signature is the “old world New York bagel”: smaller (four ounce), chewier, and cold-fermented for deeper flavor and that signature dense bite, the total opposite of airy, fluffy bread rings from commercial chains.
And while locals may initially have been perplexed by “chewiness” over “fluffiness,” the Halcrows stuck to their guns. “Chewy is the biggest compliment you can give a bagel,” Jackie insisted, cementing their commitment to tradition even as they earned new fans, many of whom had never experienced a “real” New York bagel.
Accolades & Community Connection
Emerald City Bagels didn’t stay a local secret for long. Both Bon Appétit and a loyal Atlanta audience recognized their impact, with national features driving attention and local regulars fueling growth. The leap from the original shop to a second location three miles away, along Atlanta’s BeltLine, came with its own learning curve. Even such a short distance brought a brand-new clientele—more tourists, different habits, and fresh logistical puzzles.
What surprised the Halcrows most was the outpouring of community support. “We have a great, loyal neighborhood… it’s just like the quintessential bagel shop,” Denna reflected, echoing their gratitude for both regulars and new customers discovering Emerald City.
The family dynamic is front and center. Deanna and Jackie worked out their professional kinks early. Jackie laughs about “transitioning” from calling her mom “Mom” in the kitchen to the more businesslike “Deanna.” And while the entire staff affectionately calls her “Mama Dee,” the respect and love at the heart of the business is palpable. “I get to work with the best person in the world,” Deanna said, drawing a smile and a tease from her daughter.
More than anything, Jackie is eager for community: “We always talked about how we wish… there was more of a connection with some of our other bagel people.” For Emerald City, as for Dorothy, there’s no place like home—but the magic comes from sharing it far and wide.
The Secret Ingredient is Heart
Emerald City Bagels proves that tradition, creativity, and a dash of courage can plant the seeds of new food cultures in unexpected places. Their story is a testament to finding your own Emerald City, where community, craft, and a chewy bagel await.
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