Cherry City Bagels to debut fresh boiled bagels at Beehive Station

Bagel enthusiasts in Salem know that Oregon’s capital city is a ‘bagel desert,’  lacking artisanal options. 

On Saturday, a new food truck called Cherry City Bagels will debut to help fill that gap. 

Cherry City’s grand opening event goes from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Beehive Station Food Truck Pod on Southeast Fabry Road or until all the bagels are sold out. The event will include games, raffles and lots of fresh bagels and spreads all made locally in Salem. 

Cherry City will be open Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. They will be closed for the time being on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

The hands behind Cherry City Bagels’ perfectly formed creations is owner and bagel wizard James Stone who, at least since Cherry City’s’ soft opening in February, has pumped out the fresh bagels each morning from his food truck on 1510 Fabry Road S.E. 

Stone lives in Salem and got his start in the bagel world working at Puddletown Bagels in Portland for five years where he learned the ropes. He quickly grew tired of driving back and forth and decided to go out on his own. He also wanted to fill the bagel-sized hole in Salem’s heart which until recently never had locally made bagels. He came up with Cherry City Bagels to pay homage to Salem’s status as the Cherry City.

Stone makes all the classics including everything bagels, plain, sesame, sea salt, blueberry and cinnamon raisin. He also makes his own spreads like fire roasted pepper, scallion and his cherry flavored Cherry City Signature spread.

He said there’s just something about bagels that inspires him to wake up early and get to work,  but he can’t quite put his finger on it. 

“It is when I pull those hot bagels out of the oven, they are all just perfectly shaped, and just look beautiful. I get joy from it. I just do. It’s my pleasure center. I can’t explain why, but it definitely does,” Stone said. 

Stone said he gets curious new customers who are originally from the East Coast coming to buy his bagels which he said makes him feel pretty good. 

Sahndra Chase works with Stone focusing on public relations promoting Cherry City Bagels on social media, and helping out with customer service at the window. Her background as a videographer has proven valuable to the new business, and she is thrilled to be part of a new wave of local bagels in Salem. 

“It’s a bagel desert is what people have been saying,” Chase said. 

Chase said Stone starts making the bagels in the early morning and devotes a lot of his time to his passion for making bagels. The plan right now is to make the new food truck work, but expansion is not out of the question, Chase said. 

“He is passionate about the bagels and it shows through his work. And he is all about it. But this is his first venture and we are trying to launch it properly,” Chase said. “We put a lot of love into it too…We always try to have a good attitude and bring that forward. Because life is hard for people sometimes, and if we can give them a little bit of joy, that is what we need to do.”

Cherry City is Salem’s first and only food truck bagel place where people can get fresh locally made bagels, spreads and bagel sandwiches. 

Salem is fortunate to also have Best Coast Bagels which was launched in 2021 by Lauren Fuhrman-Burch who makes organic, vegan sourdough bagels in the traditional style from her home near Hopewell. Fuhrman-Burch sells her bagels online and at local grocery stores like Lifesource Natural Foods.

Chase said ever since Stone decided to bring his bagel making skills to Salem, his colleagues in Portland wish he would come back. 

“He is very very good at what he does,” Chase said of Stone. “When you put your passion into something it really shows. They really miss him up there.” 

Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.

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