Call Your Mother Deli arrives in Fort Collins

By ROBERT SIDES
The Ramspondents

Call Your Mother Deli brought its vibrant pink aura and bagels to Fort Collins with a grand opening on Oct. 27.

Opening day went so well that the deli broke a three-year sales record in just its first week. The chain learned from the other Colorado locations to help streamline the debut of Call Your Mother to Fort Collins.

“We've been in Colorado now for almost three years,” said Chris Bongiovanni, district manager for the Mountain View region of Call Your Mother deli. “To break a three-year record on our first week, it's pretty awesome. Our training program made it easy; we were in here for two weeks before we even opened the restaurant.”

Drawing from previous locations in Colorado, Call Your Mother planned for the increased demand during opening week. Despite this, opening week went largely without incident.

“They were really good at getting everything out fast, even though there was about 50 people in line going out of the building,” said Maya Segal, Call Your Mother customer.

Call Your Mother has maintained high patronage after its first week, thanks to word of mouth and social media. 

“One of my coworkers told me about it,” Segal said. “She was like ‘oh my God, did you hear there's a new bagel store opening up behind where we work?’ and I was like ‘that's so exciting.’”

Call Your Mother started in 2018 at a farmer’s market in Washington, D.C., by founders Andrew Dana and Daniela Moreira. Dana drew inspiration from his Jewish heritage when he was crafting his style of cooking. Moreira grew up cooking meals with her family in Argentina before working in some of the U.S.’ finest restaurants. The two founders combine their techniques to create Call Your Mother’s signature menu.

“Almost everything is made in-house; and if not, we source them from some super awesome partners like Z&Z, Logan’s Sausage, and Liberty Delights,” Call Your Mother’s website says.

Robert Sides is a second-year student at Colorado State University and a reporter for Rocky Mountain Student Media. He is also the treasurer of CSU’s student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

By ISABELLA HEMNESS
The Ramspondents

Applications are now open for Fort Collins residents interested in serving on one of the city’s boards and commissions. Applications are open through noon, Friday, Jan 9. 

Fort Collins has 23 boards and commissions focused on a variety of subjects, including housing, transportation, water, energy, human services and more. These are community member volunteers who advise City Council on issues related to different specific subject areas. Boards study information and make recommendations to City Council, while commissions have decisionmaking powers within their areas of expertise, such as building review or historic preservation.

Two- and four-year terms are available, depending on the board or commission, and members must reside within the Fort Collins Growth Management Area throughout their term.

Community members may apply for up to three boards or commissions (a separate application must be submitted for each). However, if accepted, the applicant will only be appointed to serve on one board or commission. 

After the applications are reviewed, candidates will be interviewed in February and, if appointed, will begin their term in April 2026. 

More information about the City’s boards and commissions and the recruitment process can be found at fcgov.com/boards.

Isabella Hemness is a student at Colorado State University, studying journalism and international studies. With journalism experience through classes such as Newswriting, Video Editing and Advanced Reporting and an interest in community engagement and factual storytelling, Isabella works to inform and entertain through her writing. As a member of the Ramspondents, Isabella seeks to inform the population of CSU, Fort Collins, and beyond with accuracy and creativity.