WRITTEN BY CHRIS RILEY
If you’re from the Detroit area and haven’t had a chance to make it to Poland yet, there’s still a way for you to experience flavor native to the land thanks to Erica Pietrzyk, Pierogi Queen and founder of Pietrzyk Pierogi.
The brand was officially launched in 2017 and has since been making amazing pierogi’s that would make even Poland proud. Offering a frozen packaged specialty food full of flavor and a selection big enough to satisfy anyone’s cravings.
FRESH BEGINNINGS
Pietrzyk Pierogi is a woman-owned brand that strives to create a space where employees can flourish and customers are fed with well-made nutrient dense products. They’re a business that employs, feeds, and supports the community they exist in, by creating ready-to-eat foods made with love, by people who love where they live and what they do. However, that wasn’t always the goal.
“I didn’t really start with the intention of it becoming what it has. It started as a way to feed friends.” – Erica Pietrzyk
Feeding friends quickly turned into something more. The brand started to build itself. And the same friends she once fed wanted to pitch in and help her do larger events. Now, they’re a brand with over 100 recipes in which they usually rotate throughout the year. Offering meat, vegetarian and even vegan options. And the best part? There are no added preservatives to any of their products.
ROLLING OUT THE DOUGH
Pietrzyk Pierogi can be located inside Gratiot Central Market in the same area as the Eastern Market. It’s a brick and mortar store that was once a Coney Island – which luckily for them worked with their color theme when they first moved in – and only took two years to completely transform.
There are only 14 staff members who occupy the 1000 sqft. place, however, they plan on expanding soon. They currently sell products in over 100 stores and family-owned boutique markets, and they source as many fresh ingredients as they can from local farmers. And if you are curious as to what their most popular products are we can tell you; The O-G, The Holy Gouda, The Becky, and the Spin Me Right.
But just because these are the most popular, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try the other mouth-watering recipes. They have a habit of coming in as early as 7am to start dough and filling prep. And by 10am the machines are humming and the dough is getting rolled out to make around 4,000 pierogi daily.
MADE WITH LOVE
But this brand isn’t just doing amazing things in the kitchen, they’re doing them outside the kitchen as well. They strive to serve as a model to other small businesses and demonstrate what investing in your community can look like. Once fully established, they even have the admirable goal to provide stability for employees, reliable partnerships to local vendors, and delicious healthy food to their neighbors.
They plan on partnering with local schools and organizations that support underserved populations; women returning to the workforce, adults with disabilities, and inner city aspiring culinary masters. They even plan to open itself to internship and training opportunities with local nonprofits. Because they know the only way to succeed is to elevate those who helped them along the way. And why their slogan is MAKE PIEROGI. EAT LOVE.
FIND PIETRZYK PIEROGI AT WOODWARD CORNER MARKET
So, next time you’re at Woodward Corner Market, be sure to check out the selection from Pietrzyk Pierogi and send your tastebuds to a distant land. Find out for yourself why every single review on Google is good.
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