This past weekend, I hosted a baby shower for a friend who, like me, is an East Coast transplant to Chicago. Because my friend and her husband are both from New York, we decided to make New York the theme of the shower. The menu? A classic bagel brunch, of course!

A bagel brunch is a relaxed and easy party to throw because you purchase most of the food and many of the items are served at room temperature. Everything else can be prepared ahead of time. All the host has to do is lay out a nice spread and let guests help themselves at their leisure. You may just get to enjoy your own party.

Farmers market flowers in a ceramic Mason jar vase

A bagel brunch was a perfect menu for a shower because the guests could catch up with the guest of honor, work on the group craft — decoupaging wooden baby hangers naturally — and eat on their own schedule.

The menu for the brunch was as follows:

• Bagels and lox with plain and scallion cream cheese and vegetable accompaniments
• Smoked whitefish salad
• Sweet noodle kugel
• Fruit Salad
• Rugelach
• Drinks: Fruit-infused water, juice and iced tea

Smoked whitefish salad

The day before the party, I made smoked whitefish salad from my Aunt Ann’s classic recipe. My Aunt Ann is a culinary professional, so trust me when I say that this is the best whitefish salad out there; Aunt Ann remembered that it was my brother’s childhood favorite.

I also made the noodle kugel the day before, from my friend Rowena’s yummy recipe, and baked it part of the way, so that I only had to finish baking it off on the morning of the brunch. In the hours before my guests arrived, I sent my kind husband out for bagels, sliced the vegetables to go with the lox, laid out the buffet and that was it.

Rugelach is a traditional Jewish cookie filled with jam or nuts.

Sliced veggies like cucumber, red onion, tomato and radish add crunch and color to the spread of bagels and lox.

This bagel brunch was honestly one of the easiest parties I have ever thrown and everyone enjoyed the spread. To add to the New York feel, I also set out dishes of kosher dill pickles and pickled green tomatoes — like you find in NYC delis — and sourced some adorable New York-themed cocktail napkins. The guest of honor liked the New York Mets napkins so much, she took the unused ones home to show her husband!

Make your own flavored cream cheese.

Here are my best tips for throwing your own bagel brunch:

• Buy the bagels on the day of the party. No cheating on this one! Fresh bagels are the best. I recommend a selection of plain, poppy, sesame, onion, garlic and everything. Avoid heretical varieties like chocolate chip or jalapeño. Seriously. These should not even be allowed.
• Make your own flavored cream cheese. It’s easy to do and so much tastier than store-bought. In your stand mixer or food processor, combine 16 oz. of softened plain cream with two tablespoons of milk and your favorite flavorings and mix until smooth. Think chopped scallion, finely chopped carrots, minced garlic or fresh herbs.
• Put out an array of accompaniments for the bagels and lox, including sliced tomato, red onion, cucumber, and radish, as well as capers and lemon. Estimate about a pound of lox for 8-10 people. If you can find it where you are, include another smoked fish such as sable or trout. Or, for a slightly less expensive option, try my family’s smoked whitefish salad recipe.
• To round out your brunch, I recommend fresh fruit and one hot dish, which can be a potato or noodle kugel or a baked egg dish, like a strata.
• Put everything out on a buffet table and let guests help themselves!

Smoked whitefish salad is delicious on crackers or a bagel.