By Vivian Willett
With a fresh coat of charcoal paint, the new weekends-only Burro Avenue business, A Bagel Co., serves New York-style bagels, sandwiches, and schmears in the building formerly home to Maggie’s Shaved Ice.
Alfredo and Nancy Montoya tell the Reader they’ve always felt like locals, even when living in El Paso. Their family has owned a cabin here for years, and this is where they want to call home.
It was on their first trip to New York that they found their passion. “We fell in love with bagels. Every trip after that, to a new place, we looked for good bagels and just couldn’t find the same quality found in a New York bagel,” Alfredo says.
Search for that Deli Dough
They tried to recreate the bagels they had fallen in love at home with but couldn’t figure out why the bagels in New York tasted significantly better.
After falling short, they went back to New York and did some research. Talking to several shop owners, they were told that it was the soft water. Not only that, but the bagels and recipes went back generations, and that was something they simply couldn’t recreate.
They knew they wanted to bring New York-style bagels to Cloudcroft. So, they overnight them in straight from New York.
“The biggest challenge is the logistics and making sure everything arrives on time for the weekend,” Alfredo says.
Even after making two trips to get what they need, the shop still sells out almost every weekend they’re open.
Family Biz
For now, the shop is only open on weekends.
Alfredo says he and Nancy both work full-time and that the bagel shop is their passion, not their livelihood. Like many other business owners here in Cloudcroft, they understand that there aren’t always busy days and that their full-time jobs need to stay in El Paso. But they do have big plans, they say.
Nancy says their sons Freddy and Mike help them every weekend they can while still going to school full-time.
“It truly is a family business.”
When it came to starting a business in Cloudcroft, they wanted something unique that wouldn’t compete with anyone else in town.
The Montoyas have been most surprised by the amount of support they’ve received—from New York to Cloudcroft.
Vivian Willett owns and operates Ray Media, Cloudcroft’s premier social media management company. She regularly contributes multimedia reports to the Cloudcroft Reader and Mountain Monthly, with recent stories including a look into the Sacramento Mountains Museum and Pioneer Village, the IRONMAN race in Ruidoso, and the New Mexico Rails-to-Trails Association Bigfoot Scavenger Hunt. She enjoys covering the people, places, and everyday moments that make the Sacramento Mountains home.
Cloudcroft Reader is proud to be supported in part by:
Ski Cloudcroft
The Southernmost ski area in New Mexico.Cloudcroft Therapeutic Massage
Maximizing Movement, Quality of Life ImprovementHigh Altitude
Your favorite little outdoor outfitter on Burro AvenueOff the Beaten Path
Eclectic gifts & original artworkFuture Real Estate
Raise your expectations.Cloudcroft Art Society
Located in Old Red Brick Schoolhouse: Holiday and Saturday art showsNoisy Water Winery
Family-owned winery crafting thoughtfully made wines from New Mexico grapes, inspired by mountain living.Be in the Mountains Yoga & Massage
A cozy space for yoga and massage therapy at the Village PlazaThe Stove and Spa Store
We offer a variety of services to ensure your hearth and spa dreams are met!The Lodge at Cloudcroft
Landmark Choice Among New Mexico ResortsCloudcroft Art Workshops
Enhance your artistry while enjoying the beauty and coolness of the mountains!Sacramento Camp & Conference Center
Come to the Mountain — Let God Refresh Your SoulLaughing Leaf Dispensary
Discover a world of wellness at Laughing LeafInstant Karma
Adventure Within: Transformative Yoga, Ayurvedic Wisdom, Nourishing Organics, Fair Trade BoutiqueBlushing Yucca Esthetics
✨ Book your glow-up today✨The Elk Shed
Purveyors of Southwest + Mountain Provisions, Goods & FineryThe PAC
Pickleball Addicts of Cloudcroft—Pickleball in the CloudsPeñasco Valley Telephone Cooperative
For all the ways you love to connectBre Hope Media
Professional photo and video services
And, readers like you. Will you support our work?