I heart New York Roma Bagel

As expats in Rome, you'd be surprised at some of the things that bring us immense joy. In a sense we are like soldiers at war, and the smallest touch of home brings tears of joy to our weary eyes. Let there be no mistake, one cannot even begin to compare living in Italy to being stationed in Afghanistan. Quite the contrary, if there is one country in the world where good food practically rains down from the heavens, that country is Italy.

That said, sometimes a gal just needs a good bagel with lox and cream cheese. Bagels used to be on my top ten list of things to eat when I would go “home” for a visit. Little by little, almost everything on my top ten list is now readily available in Italy, albeit at a hefty price. North Atlantic lobsters for example. At 28 Euro per kilo, you can eat imported lobsters from Canada or Maine. Knackering for a duncan hines cake? Take a walk to Castroni (a true haven for expats in Italy) and you will you find not just imported cake mix and brownies, but a whole slew of foreign goodies like pancake mix, maple syrup, bleu cheese dressing, quaker oats, coffemate coffee creamer, and loads of other guilty expat pleasures.

This year though one of the various social networks in Rome, I was introduced to an extraordinary woman who has launched a bagel business based in Rome. As a result I may never leave Rome again. Daria Howard and her company “New York – Roma Bagel” are turning out fresh bagels three times per week, and delivering to select restaurants, supermarkets, and individuals. Classic, sesame, cinnamon rasin, you name it she makes it.

Sadly, it has been a bagel free Christmas in Rome, as a part of the oven has broken and a new one needs to be shipped from the U.S.A. Rest assured, for the new year Daria and her team will be back in action!