Nick Morena and his brothers were born into the bagel business. Their father, Joe Morena, worked at and eventually became the owner of Saint-Viateur Bagel, a 24/7 mainstay of Montreal’s food scene for decades. From its original location in Montreal’s Mile End district, the Saint Viateur Bagel brand has spread throughout the city, with retail sales in various stores, and the opening of several successful Saint Viateur Bagel Café locations. In this far-ranging interview, Nick discusses the origins of the Montreal bagel, the challenges and rewards of working in a family businesses, and the challenges and rewards of running a commercial enterprise in Montreal.
As usual, you can listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link below, or on itunes, by searching for “The Grilled Podcast.”
Like to listen to podcasts while I drive. Can’t download and not hooked up to iTunes (don’t ask why!). Can’t find a link to download. Might be cause it is late… Suggestions?
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We’ll be looking into getting the podcasts onto Stitcher and Spotify ASAP
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My Great Grandfather Hymie Seligman founded this business and it was taken forward in 1957 by the Morena family to the great success that it is today, congratulations ! It was next to Schwartz’s in an ally on St.Laurent St.
for many years before it moved to St. Viateur St.
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I am proud of your great grandfather and all my Jewish compatriots for being the forerunners though!!!!
My parents owned two grocery stores Villeneuve and Esplanade Kramer and Waldman, though they came after the Holocaust and losing all their families. They were never afraid of hard work. These are different times.
There is still a lot of Antisemitism.
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