Photo: Carl Stevens (WBZ)
CHELSEA, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A bakery in Chelsea whose claim to fame is inventing the pizza bagel is still going strong after 85 years in business.
In 1938, Harry Katz opened Katz Bagel Bakery at 139 Park St. The bakery remains at that spot to this day, now run by Harry's son Richard, 80.
"I don't want to stay home," Richard told WBZ NewsRadio Wednesday. "Not because of my wife. I just get lazy. Over here, I got something to do. It’s not about money anymore, it’s about pleasing customers, and that’s what we try to do here."
According to the bakery, Harry Katz invented the pizza bagel in 1970 by flattening out a bagel and closing the hole, topping it with sauce and cheese, and baking it. The tasty combination has kept customers coming back for years.
"The best ever," Chelsea resident Reggie Wilkerson said. "I tell everybody, you gotta come here. I’ve been coming here, I’ve been eating here probably like about 50 years since I was a kid, and people come from everywhere."
WBZ's Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports.
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