Pierogies Plus, a Polish Tradition Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh has become famous for sports, bridges, movies, skyscrapers, and more notably, really good food. The tastes of the city are so varied that it would take a person months to sample everything due to the vast selection of homemade, ethnic and traditional favorites that have been handed down from generations of families that understand what great food really is.
Authentic food that takes us back is one of those things that we simply must have every once in awhile to supply our inner need for the things that comfort us, and pierogie’s made from scratch fills this particular human requirement. The simplicity of flour, eggs, onions and butter made into a pocket made for filling, surrounding a filling of creamy potatoes, sometimes blended with cheese, mushrooms, or other vegetables, speaks to our sense of taste and well being. They are a delicious treat, side dish or whole meal in itself, and they are one of the traditional food’s found in Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgher’s love their pierogie’s so much so that studies show that these little European packages of heaven are eaten eleven times more in the “Burgh” than anywhere else in the United States. Even Pittsburgh’s own Pirate’s baseball team holds a pierogie race during the bottom of the 5th inning at every Pirates home game. Professional pierogie maker, Helen Mannarino knows all about the taste of Pittsburgh and she definitely knows that includes pierogie’s. In fact she has made them a part of her life since helping her mother out in their kitchen in her native Poland. Luckily for the residents of the “Steel City”, Helen moved to Pittsburgh in 1974 and fell in love with the region. Missing her own food she took to cooking her Polish favorites which included pierogie’s. Helen’s friends and neighbors were so impressed by her cooking skills that they started requesting the Polish dough-pockets from her with non-stop orders flooding her home kitchen.
In 1991 Helen opened up Pierogies Plus in answer to the strong demand for them. It wasn’t long after opening their doors that celebrity chef, Bobby Flay from the Food Network heard about her heavenly creations and later featured Pierogies Plus on both Food Finds and FoodNation. The world was introduced to one of Pittsburgh’s best kept secrets, and they wanted to try them out. The request for these potato and cheese filled dough pockets have come from as far as Hawaii and Alaska. Californians have been known to request overnight shipments of the traditional pierogies from the south west part of Pennsylvania from the one and only woman who makes the traditional eastern European food of the Gods.
Location: Pierogies Plus is located at 342 Island Avenue, McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, just 5 miles from the heart of Pittsburgh. Phone: 412-331-2224
On the Menu: Traditional potato and cheese pierogie’s, hot sausage, cottage cheese & chives, ground beef, and potato & sauerkraut varieties. Pierogies Plus also makes stuffed cabbage, haluski, sampler platters, deli salads and homemade breads. Menu Guide & Prices: http://pierogiesplus.com/index.php/menu Walk-In or order by Phone: 866-455-6800
Sources:
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2000/04/17/story5.html
