Forge Baking Company Rolls Out Bagels and a Guest Chef Series

Jody Adams’ Mediterranean breakfast sandwich at Forge Baking Co. / Photo provided

Hungry Somerville commuters have always had the option of a bagel at sibling spots Bloc, Diesel, and Forge Baking Company, but now the cafés have their own chewy rounds on the menu. Forge-baked bagels debuted at all three spots this morning, and the mothership also has its own special to celebrate: A guest chef sandwich series.

Powerhouse Jody Adams (Trade, Porto, Saloniki) kicks things off with a Mediterranean breakfast sandwich ($8.50). One of the new bagels comes loaded with oven-roasted tomatoes and onions, cage-free eggs with feta and spinach, arugula, and a Greek yogurt sauce. The guest chef will change quarterly, with Myers + Chang maven Karen Akunowicz up next, and Lourdes Smith, on hiatus from Fiore di Nonno, creating something later this year.

Each guest chef will select a charity to donate 10 percent of sales from their Forge sandwich, says café co-owner Jennifer Park. Up first: Adams is giving back to the Greater Boston Food Bank.

The sandwich series is the brainchild of Forge production manager, Jess Brasil. The bagels, on the other hand, are the handiwork of head baker Julia Stimeck. For the past several years, the company has sourced OMG Bagels for their menus.

“We were very happy with our relationship with them, but now that we’re doing all our products in-house [at Forge], the natural next step to take to have full product ownership,” Park says.

Each café will carry plain, sesame, everything, and honey wheat bagels, plus a rotating fifth flavor. The naturally leavened bagels ferment over a four-day process that also includes boiling and baking. The restaurant group is also producing a range of house-made spreads, like chocolate hazelnut, maple butter, and cream cheeses in flavors like scallion, raspberry, beet, and smoked salmon.

Bloc, Diesel, and Forge will have bagels every day and varying spreads, but Park expects them to be popular. Rise and shine to get yours.

Bloc Cafe, 11 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville, 617-623-0000, blocsomerville.com.

Diesel Cafe, 257 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville, 617-629-8717, diesel-cafe.com.

Forge Baking Company, 626 Somerville Ave., Somerville, 617-764-5365, forgebakingco.com.

Forge Baking Co. bagels will also be available at Bloc and Diesel cafes. / (L) Forge production manager Jess Brasil and head baker Julia Stimeck. / Photos provided