THOMASVILLE — John and Anna Carroll Gregory brought a piece of the Big Apple to the City of Roses.  

The pair opened Empire Bagel and Delicatessen, their ode to New York cuisine, on Dec. 12. 

The grand opening of the bagel business, located on West Jackson Street, was meet with high demand and excitement — demand so large, the restaurant ran out of bagels before the lunch rush and had to close early.  

“It was hectic,’ John said. “I didn’t think we were going to open like that.”    

Shortly before 7 a.m., around 10 eager customers waited outside the West Jackson eatery. 

“As soon as we let them in, they started ordering,” Anna said. 

A native New Yorker, John said each bagel is rolled by hand, which makes each one different. The imperfections in each bagel, John said, also sets each one apart. 

John rolls the “essential breakfast food,” and Anna Carroll works behind the counter. 

Bagel staples such as everything, onion, and cinnamon raisin are offered. Seasonal bagels, such as parmesan rosemary, are also available. 

“We do all types of spreads,” Anna said, also called “shmears.” 

The eatery features a range of spreads such as sea salt butter and classic cream cheese to asiago jalapeño and crunchy peanut butter and jelly. Like its bread counterpart, seasonal spreads also are offered. 

A delicatessen is “essentially a deli but where it’s interactive,” John said. 

From the moment a customer enters the restaurant, the pair said, each one is met with friendly conversation, right up until their food order is complete. The interaction with the customer matches the New York style-deli atmosphere, the Empire State native said. 

“That interaction with the customer is what we like,” John added. 

A delicatessen also features a variety of sandwiches, soups, among other dishes. 

Along with the interaction, bagel enthusiasts also get a first-hand view of how the bagels are rolled and made as the rolling station is next to the counter. 

Despite an over 900-mile stretch, Anna said a number of New England natives have stopped by the local eatery. 

“I feel like there was a need for it,” she said of the bagel business. 

John began his culinary career with his first job in a deli at 16. 

“I grew up in delis in New York and worked in them,” he said. 

A Thomasville native, Anna Carroll earned her undergraduate degree in New York after always wanting to live in the state. 

The two eventually crossed paths in New York. 

“We actually met working in the restaurant business together,” Anna said. 

After relocating to Thomasville, the pair considered opening a business. The two wanted to bring the New York food staple to Thomasville. 

The inside of the shop is a “scrapbook of different designs,” Anna said, boasting minimalist furniture and a giant print of the New York skyline. For inspiration on the shop’s design, the two visited other bagel shops during a trip back to New York. 

“It’s been a cool process putting it all together,” Anna said. “We wanted it feel like a bakery.” 

“It’s the food, it’s the experience,” John said of a typical New York deli. 

The downtown bagel shop’s name is indicative of the couple trading one “empire state” for another. 

“We thought that was very fitting for John and I,” Anna said. 

Reporter Jordan Barela can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1826.