During the quiet walks back to the dumpster to throw out the day's leftovers behind his store on Main and Harlem, Lelton had a recurring thought: why waste good food when you can spread some love (and eight different flavors of cream cheese, for that matter) and brighten humanity? It was at that moment that Lelton felt the tug of the heavens on his heartstrings and seized the small but saintly mission that seemed to call upon him. World hunger one man cannot solve alone, but a bagel a day can at least light the way, he figured. So down the Elmwood strip he departed on his holy crusade to heal. Hungry? Take a bagel. Homeless? Take a bagel. Recently divorced? I can’t get you alimony, but I can sure deliver you my delicious concoction: the "jalapeno cheddar, asiago everywhere" bagel. And that was his attitude over the next few years as he continued doling out bagels to the neighborhoods of Buffalo. “Someone asked me, ‘Oh you work at a bakery? I said, ‘No, I just know a guy,'” he joked of his first time stepping onto the Metro with a bag of bagels by his side. He was soon thereafter dubbed “Bagel Jesus” at a frat party by a random partygoer. From there his popularity ignited. “Bouncers are starting to be okay with it, too. They’re like, 'Okay, that’s the guy with the bagels,'” he added. At the Bonnaroo Music festival last year he came prepared to feed the crowds. With what? Bagels, of course.
The tall and breezy bagel artisan with a mop full of goldilock-dipped dreads has undoubtedly cemented his reputation as one of Buffalo's most unusual and interesting locals by way of street fame. Bagels have been keeping his followers hungry for years, but soon, so will music. Lelton has an active role at Dead Trash Mob Records and in the production of the Nickel City Blend sessions with his brother, emcee and spoken word poet Tre Ochoa, and friend Ian Cochran, both of hip hop group The Greys. The self-proclaimed dabbling emcee admits he's not reluctant to rap a few bars, but that "writing and planning out an album is not my strong suit," which is why his team has his back in helping him produce his first album. It's a work in progress. So far, he's got the title down. It's called (what else?)Baked Goods, which will be released...whenever he feels like it. "I really give anyone a hard time who tries to make me act serious for 15 minutes," he offered self-deprecatingly. But Bagel Jesus can do what he wants. He's Mother Teresa status in the hood now for crying out loud, and that's just how a real breakfast saint rolls.
~Photo by J.K. Media
We're 'Dead' trash mob not 'death' : ) but eother way thanks for shedding light on our team : )
We're 'Dead' trash mob not 'death' : ) but eother way thanks for shedding light on our team : )
MY bad