IACP Inspires NYC Chefs to Reinvent Bagel + Lox

Chef Ryan Tate's gorgeous 'bagel + lox'

I'm involved with the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the world's largest culinary organization. This week, the 34th annual conference takes place in New York City. As part of the festivities, we challenged five top NYC chefs to welcome IACP members with a signature bagel + lox dish. The results were as inventive and playful as ever. 

The Contenders:

Russell Moss, Cafe 92YTribeca executive chef

Shanna Pacifico, Back Forty West chef

Matt Pomerantz, bagel expert and owner of Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish and Murray’s Bagels Chelsea

Mark Spangenthal, Kutsher’s Tribeca executive chef

Ryan Tate, former Savoy executive chef

The Results:

A classic from Zucker's

Most Authentic – Matt Pomerantz has been making bagels for more than 20 years, so it’s hard to mess with a classic. Fresh plain Zucker’s bagel, cream cheese, fine Scottish salmon, Lucky’s tomatoes, red onions and capers made for the perfect deli bite.

Most Inventive – Hands down, Moss’s warm potato pancake with house cured gravlax was the most unexpected culinary delight. The hearty pancake created the perfect bed for layers of caraway and coriander crusted salmon.  Topped with crispy capers and Swedish mustard dill sauce, the dish disappeared in seconds. 

Moss's house cured gravlax

The Work of Art – Tate’s deconstructed plate was almost too beautiful to eat, but my fellow judges and I devoured it nonetheless. A canvas of red cabbage gastrique artfully held a tender cube of milk poached lox, grilled cucumber, an everything bagel ‘cannoli,’ and fromage blanc.  Creative genius.

The Decadent Gut Buster – Spangenthal’s “Rascal” took the cake for pure indulgence. Fresh poppy seed bagel layered high with baked salmon salad, Nova Scotia salmon, tomatoes, onions, chive schmear, and crowned with a dollop of salmon roe. Served with fries! An outrageous Borscht Belt classic.

Spangenthal's guilty pleasure

Pacifico's classic bistro fare

The Classy Bistro – Pacifico’s dish oozed class. Smoked salmon, tossed with fresh greens, capers and preserved Meyer lemons, accompanied a toasted bagel topped with house made cottage cheese and one perfect, crispy poached egg. Clean flavors and elegant simplicity.

The Locations:

Back Forty West, 70 Prince St.

Café 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St.

Kutsher’s Tribeca, 186 Franklin St.

Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish, 146 Chambers St.

The conference is hosting a variety of foodie events open to the public, including the largest ever Book + Blog Festival, to meet your favorite culinary authors, on Sunday, April,1. Check the website for details and tickets.