If New Yorkers are passionate about anything, it’s their bagel orders. Bagels are everywhere in the city, and there’s a reason for it. In the early 1960s, the first bagel-making machine was introduced, automating the once laborious and secretive process of crafting hand-rolled bagels. This allowed for billions of bagels to be mass produced and sold in grocery stores. But it is said that bagels made by hand create a stronger gluten structure, which leads to a light and chewy interior. Machine-made bagels, on the other hand, result in a dense, cakelike texture. Because of this difference, hand-rolled bagels are in high demand. And yet, bagel rolling is a dying profession.

Meet Celestino García. He’s one of the very few bagel rollers left in New York City who still crafts bagels by hand. On this episode of On the Job, Priya Krishna follows Celestino as he hustles to work in three different locations, rolling bagels while the city sleeps.

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