Beloved Meyerland bagel shop says goodbye to co-founder, welcomes new co-owner

People can’t resist bagels at New York Bagels & Coffee and The Bagel Shop & Bakery.



>>> Click through to see more on both restaurants. People can’t resist bagels at New York Bagels & Coffee and The Bagel Shop & Bakery.



>>> Click through to see more on both restaurants. Photo: Nathan Lindstrom, For The Chronicle Photo: Nathan Lindstrom, For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Beloved Meyerland bagel shop says goodbye to co-founder, welcomes new co-owner 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

Two beloved Meyerland eateries have a new co-owner.

The Bagel Shop & Bakery, and the adjacent New York Deli & Coffee said goodbye to co-founder Jay Kornhaber, who retired on Monday, the company announced in a press release.

Kornhaber and partner Ed Gavrila launched The Bagel Shop & Bakery (formerly known as New York Bagels & Coffee) in 1975 and the New York Deli & Coffee in 1981.

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Michael Saghian of Houston Catering Concepts now joins Garvila at the helm.

No stranger to the industry, Saghian started in the food business by working at his family's restaurant, Brisket BBQ in Bellaire.

Currently Saghian is an owner and operator at Houston Catering Concepts.

"Right now, we predominantly do corporate events. By partnering with Ed, we've added a New York deli component and residential catering," Saghian said. "We are already taking orders."

While you can still get your fill of the expected New York-style bagels and traditional Jewish deli at The Bagel Shop and New York Deli, you can also count on several new menu items and, eventually, more square footage added at both spaces, according to the release.

By late summer, The Bagel Shop will serve up a wider variety of baked goods, including rugelach and black and white cookies, while the New York Deli & Coffee will get a counter-style coffee bar with an espresso machine.

The Deli is already offering several new dishes including breakfast omelets.

"We have all the same items people have come to love over the last 40 years," Saghian said. "We're just getting more trendy. We want to increase the number of millennials coming in."

Saghian and Gavrila also hope to increase the deli's square footage as soon as possible in order to add more seating and shorten wait times in the often long line.

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Counter service is here to stay, though. "A lot of the charm of the place is seeing your neighbors and friends in the line," Gavrila told Chron.com.

Gavrila said he couldn't be more thrilled to have Saghian on-board. Saghian echoed the same sentiments.

"I've have been eating here since before I can remember, and Ed is like family to me. To keep this going with him is exciting," he said.

"We've become a fabric of the community," said Gavrila, who noted that he has served four generations of customers over the years. "Partnering with Michael is a win for us, and for everyone."

Marcy de Luna is a digital reporter specializing in social media, the famous, and food. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna and Facebook @MarcydeLuna. Read her stories on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | Marcy.deLuna@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message