Colorado bagel shop wins ‘Schmear of the Year’ at national competition

Everyone knows that a good bagel only goes so far, the real star of the show is the schmear, and one Colorado bagel shop has their schmear game dialed in!

A single-location bagel shop in Colorado Springs beat out dozens of competitors to win “Schmear of the Year” at BagelFest West, one of the country’s premier bagel competitions, with a distinctly Colorado creation: Pueblo green chile cream cheese.

Bella’s Bagels, known for its “Mom-Made” New Jersey-style bagels, took home the award at the sold-out 2026 BagelFest West event held last weekend at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion in Los Angeles. The shop was the only Colorado establishment to win an award at the competition and one of just two winners from outside California, alongside Seattle’s Hey Bagel.

The winning schmear nods to a Southern Colorado staple — Pueblo green chiles — blended into cream cheese, a combination that judges found worthy of the top spot over entries from established bagel makers across the West Coast.

The competition drew more than 1,000 attendees and featured entries judged across eight categories by a panel of culinary experts, media figures and industry leaders. Entries were evaluated on flavor, texture, originality, technical execution and presentation.

The win adds to a growing list of accolades for Bella’s Bagels. The shop previously won Best Bagel at the Best of the Springs awards and was named one of Yelp’s Top 20 Best Local Food Businesses in the country in 2025.

The New York Times recently reported that demand for hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels “has suddenly exploded” nationwide, a trend that shops like Bella’s Bagels are riding well beyond the traditional East Coast bagel belt.