New Yorker Rebecca Schrage came to Hong Kong for a high-paying finance job. In 2014, she left to create Schragels, Hong Kong’s answer to New York-style bagels
Rebecca Schrage survived the finance grind for a decade and a half before she hung up her heels for rosier fields, a record in an industry known for equating great salaries with great stress.
In a journey that took her from Wall Street, to Wellington, to Western District, Rebecca, like many New York transplants, missed one thing about emigrating to Hong Kong: the golden bagel.
Born to a Chinese mother and a Jewish father, Rebecca’s youth in New York was established and influenced by her bready Polish-Jewish heritage. Her grandfather Benjamin Schrage owned New York Jewish delis in the mid-1900s, delivering the boiled dough discs, often filled with cream cheese, lox, capers, and red onion, to thousands in the Big Apple.
The New Yorker found herself landing in Hong Kong with an American investment firm in 2009. She founded Schragels in 2014, her valiant endeavour to import New York’s finest creation to Hong Kong shores.
In a conversation at Schragels’ newest operation in Sheung Wan, the New York deli-inspired Schragels Delicatessen selling bagels, schmears, smoked meats, and “Jewish cocktails”, Rebecca recounts her deploration for Hong Kong’s lack of “good bagels” when she emigrated to her mother’s home base.
“In New Zealand, in the middle of nowhere with a small population, you could find amazing bagels! I transferred to Hong Kong and realised there were no good bagels, and the only decent ones you could find were frozen.”
Her detest for the state of bagels in Hong Kong spurred Rebecca into probing her father’s roots in New York delis and how to master creating a super bagel. For two years, Rebecca served Jewish, former New Yorker, and bagel-starved Hong Konger colleagues and friends her homemade creations – and it was much to the amazement of her peers that her bagels came out of her own oven.
“If you were to close your eyes and bite into my bagel, it would taste like you were in New York or whatever a proper bagel that you grew up with.”
Rebecca quit her finance job in 2014 to attend to building her bagel empire in Hong Kong. Rebecca and Schragels opened a food factory in Sheung Wan to accelerate bagel orders to her first tranche of hotel and corporate clients. She upgraded to a larger space in Wong Chuk Hang in 2019, including an outdoor area where smoking meats was possible.
“The first chef I brought bagels to was working with JW Marriott. We met in the JW coffee shop, and he tried the bagels. He asked, ‘Where did you get these?’ and I said, ‘I made them.’ He wondered why I would do that. Because there needs to be fresh bagels in the city, and he was hooked.”
In a former Schragels world, Rebecca claims that many hotels, restaurants, and grocers would stock frozen – not fresh – bagels to serve Hong Kong. Her bagel business soon expanded to hungry customers and compelled the bagel-maker to open a retail space in Central on Graham Street.
“We started with bagels, schmears, and lox platters with capers and onion for build-it-yourself bagels. Our first bagel was soon born after – an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, smoked salmon, and capers called The Loxy Lady.”
The grab-and-go and delivery space served Rebecca well and survived the wrath of COVID. “We were lucky that we didn’t have a sit-down place. We never shut down, and we continued our wholesale operations normally.”
Schragels sells bagels to city’super, Feather & Bone, Morty’s Delicatessen, The Peninsula Hong Kong, Rosewood Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Market Place, Grand Hyatt, and other F&B venues.
Hong Kong’s pandemic woes eased from mid-2022, and the steadiness of the retail market invigorated Rebecca’s dream to expand Schragels and open Schragels Delicatessen.
“My dream was always to have a place where people could sit down and enjoy the food. I wanted to expand our menu from just bagel sandwiches. We smoke our own meat and make fresh rye bread and challah.”
“We stock signature Jewish New York deli dishes and staples like matzo ball soup, pickled herring, the classic Reuben, but also a slight twist with the turkey Reuben. Our all-day breakfast is fresh and satisfying. Check out The Big Lebowski big breakfast and avocado toast served on an open-faced bagel.”
Opening officially in December 2022, regulars have formed, and crowds pack the Sheung Wan Jewish deli during lunchtime. Rebecca has expanded the menu to include Jewish-tinged cocktails like La Shaloma, Bubbie’s Bellini, and Aperol Schpritz, all-day breakfast items such as challah French toast and plates piled high with pastrami, eggs, latkes, and bagels, and new deli sandwiches such as the Reuben and patty melt.
Rebecca enters her 10th year creating bagels in Hong Kong in 2024. She’s grateful and lucky for her previous nine years in business and optimistic about her decade milestone. “The years have flown by. I can’t really believe it’s been nine years, but I’ve been lucky in terms of the different economies and challenges facing Hong Kong.”
“Clearly, the one thing that’s probably gotten me through the last nine years is that I really do love bagels a lot. I just love bagels. I could eat them every day.”
This new year brings Rebecca new partnerships and outlooks. Shipping begins to the Mandarin Oriental, Macau, for a month-long pop-up in January to serve the neighbouring SAR with fine bagels.
Her sandwiches will also be available for purchase at Oliver’s Delicatessen at LANDMARK. During Clockenflap’s December 2023 festival, Schragels catered to the VIPs chilling at the exclusive Tommy Hilfiger tent.
Rebecca wants to host regular Friday night parties at her Schragels Sheung Wan joint for Jews, ex-New Yorkers, and bagel lovers to enjoy the deli traditions. “I am looking at opportunities overseas as well. Depending on various markets, there’s still a need for bagels [in Asia].”
If you’re in the mood for Hong Kong’s best bagels, head to Schragels Deli in Sheung Wan for the classic bready bites or order online here for corporate catering, junks, birthday parties, and events.
