Southern Bagel Company
Bagels that are the “window to the soul” are made fresh daily. When COVID regulations pushed through, A Southern Bagel Company began greeting customers with a smile through the front porch window and customers are lining up from early morning to the afternoon.
Owners David and Anne Guille started making these New York-style bagels for the local Farmers Market in 2018, and on February 3, 2019, they opened shop on 19019 Pineville Road in Long Beach, Miss. Anne is a native to the Gulf Coast, born in Ocean Springs and grew up in Long Beach. David is from Long Island and worked at a bagel shop and Italian restaurant growing up as a teenager. “The owner of that bagel shop learned how to make bagels before there was electricity,” David mentioned as he explained how he learned to make thousands of bagels from scratch. Ingredients are handpicked and locally sourced. The flour for the dough is ground in Louisiana and rolled fresh every day. Since the grand opening, A Southern Bagel Company has satisfied customers with almost 100,000 bagels. “We make anywhere from 800-1000 bagels a week,” said David.
In preparation for Hurricane Zeta, the Guilles provided free bagels to the Long Beach Police Department. A 10 percent discount is provided for all military, law enforcement, first responders, and teachers. A Southern Bagel Company has already made its mark in the Long Beach community. When asked what they enjoyed the most about what they do, Anne Guille explained how much they enjoy connecting with the people, “We love getting to know the customers and remembering their orders. We have so many regular customers here, and it’s amazing!”
Brandon Poor, a regular at A Southern Bagel Company, orders the All American for breakfast or the Nola Muffuletta for lunch. “These are the most authentic you can get without going to New York,” said Poor.
Angel, Lorenzo, Sophia, and Genelle Montez of Long Beach are a family that frequents A Southern Bagel Company. “The bagels are really amazing, the owners are super friendly, and it’s also woman owned,” said Mrs. Montez. “We love the atmosphere and the decor, it’s a friendly place, and the kids love it here. They always remember our order and it’s a sweet little place,” said Mr. Montez.
Every holiday and season, this bagel shop will have even more baked goodies for the festivities. A tasteful list of these include: King Cakes for Mardi Gras, Marble Rye for St. Patrick’s Day, a plain rainbow bagel for the spring, pumpkin and apple pie bagels for the fall, cheesecakes, and black and white cookies for Christmas, and Challah (a traditional Jewish bread). To accompany these delicious selections, a warm pot of coffee can also be offered, with whole coffee beans ground and imported from Guatemala.
A Southern Bagel Company is open Fridays 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., and Mondays 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. “We will start the weekend with you, and finish the weekend with you,” said David Guille. Call the shop at 228-363-4461 for daily specials and follow them on social media at https://www.facebook.com/ASouthernBagelCo/. Stay tuned for Teacher Appreciation Week 2021 as A Southern Bagel Company will be providing school specials.
Nikki is a Multimedia Journalist for Seaside Shoutouts, which covers exciting stories about small business owners on the MS Gulf Coast. When she is not writing for Seaside Social News she designs websites and spends as much time as possible with her family and her dog.
