Larry King’s bagel company

The former CNN talkshow host is returning to his Brooklyn roots with his stake in a New York-style bagel shop in Beverly Hills Since giving up his over-sized desk, microphone and braces after an incredible 25-year run, the retired CNN talkshow host Larry King now spends his mornings hanging out at a bagel cafe in an upmarket area of Los Angeles. Every morning, the sprightly 77-year-old broadcaster and his friends occupy a corner booth – which sometimes boasts a decorative microphone in his honour – while his driver waits patiently outside in his limo. King recently become a shareholder in The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co , and as he now owns 50% of its fifth franchise in Beverly Hills – bringing a slice of his birthplace, Brooklyn, to California – it literally pays him to eat and be seen here. “I said to myself, someday if I could have a beautiful, tall wife and my own bagel shop, life would be complete,” laughs King. “I couldn’t do any of this when I was at CNN, but now I have fewer restrictions.” His desire to expand his empire into his eighth decade might also have something to do with the way his family struggled financially after his father, a restaurant owner, died when he was only nine. “I romanticise it, but there were a lot of unhappy days in Brooklyn when I felt inferior to the friends around me because I didn’t have their money,” he recalls. Despite the fact he left New York in 1957, Brooklyn still holds a special place in King’s heart. Does owning part of this franchise transport him back to his roots? “In a way, yes,” he says. “I left Brooklyn, but it never left me – and in retrospect it was the world’s best upbringing. I had great friends, and a great sense of community. I also have a sense of loyalty that was ground into me in Brooklyn. That’s the number one attribute I still look for in people. My friends come in here, but you won’t get anything out of them. They don’t talk.” King knows exactly how he likes his bagels: “I was raised on lox, so I like the salty bagel, open with no butter, cream cheese and smoked salmon. I like them to scoop out the middle, so it’s not as fattening.” And having a stake in your own bagel company means you can get it just the way you like it. Larry King United States TV news CNN Television industry Baking recipes Food & drink Lisa Marks guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 12, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.