About

I grew up like most kids, only able to eat a specific list of food that included Mac ‘n Cheese and PB&Js and scoffed at the likes of anything out of the ordinary (most namely Brussels sprouts, and I still feel the same way).

But one thing that I absolutely despised was pasties. Yes, I hated a bunch of meat, potatoes and vegetables wrapped up and thrown into a delicious crust. A pot pie… yet so much more.

Twice a year my family would drive through the Upper Peninsula en route to Wisconsin — where my parents were from and where their parents still lived.

It was a tradition to stop at the same pasty shop right after the Mackinac Bridge. A place we liked to call Zodiac’s (because that was the name of the general store right next door), but was really named ‘Taste of the Upper Peninsula.’

It was The Pasty Dad’s choice of course, as he was the driver. Not to mention he had lived in the U.P. a few years while going to school in Houghton. He must’ve known what he was talking about with pasties.

My earliest memories are of me throwing tantrums about the “disgusting” pasties and refusing to eat them because I hated them.

At times I was spoiled and we’d get something else or The Pasty Mom would make sandwiches. Most times, I was forced into eating pasties or nothing at all.

Yes, it sounds like torture.

But soon enough, pasties eventually became my favorite food. I don’t know when, it kind of happened overnight when my taste buds matured and I suddenly liked every food ever.

With that, brought the exact opposite situation. I would start requesting that we stop for pasties or I would throw a tantrum. Well, maybe not a tantrum since I was in high school at that point, but I was pissed. I needed PASTIES!

Luckily, that didn’t happen often and we almost always hit up Zodiac’s. One time our schedule was a little different and we were forced to eat lunch after the bridge. That lead to my introduction to Dobber’s.

I didn’t even know more pasty places existed through my childhood as I slept most of the car ride through the U.P. But now, there was a place that was better than Zodiac’s. All of the kids (me, The Pasty Bro and The Pasty Sis) assumed Zodiac’s was the best place because we always went there and figured The Pasty Dad knew best. However, we couldn’t have been further from the truth.

It’s not that Dobber’s was amazing, it was that it was something else. And instead of having to cake ketchup onto the extremely dry pasties from Zodiac’s, these ones had some moistness to them. Maybe my original feelings about Zodiac’s were right all along (although The Pasty Dad’s excuse is that Zodiac’s changed owners multiple times throughout the years). 

And with my introduction to Dobber’s came my curiosity for other pasty shops. Unfortunately, driving through the U.P. once or twice a year doesn’t allow for many opportunities. But with time, I slowly added to my list of pasty experiences.

And so… The Pasty Guy was created.

contact: thepastyguy@gmail.com
instagram: thepastyguy

52 thoughts on “About”

  1. Wonder if you had heard of The Pasty Shop on Main St in De Pere, WI? IMHO THE best in Wisconsin

  2. While in DePere head over to Madison. Right off the Square (Capital) on State street is a place called TeddyWedgers Another place to check out.
    You may also want to head west toward Mineral Point and Prarie Du Chien. Large Cornish mining populations in the past. so there should be good Pasty Hunting there.

  3. Try The Pasty Corner in Iron River.
    Concerning ketchup and pasties..The pasty is mainly made to be eaten by hand, so taste should be based on that. That being said, I use ketchup when eating from a plate..I think this comes from being a picky kid who used ketchup on everything (beef bourguignon)
    great reviews keep up the good work for the cause

    1. Thanks Bob, the Pasty Corner is on my list of places to check out! For my reviews, I eat all pasties by hand unless not possible, without ketchup or gravy. Gotta give them all a fair shot.

    2. This is the first pasty (store bought), that I’ve had that taste like my mother’s! Although someone was little heavy handed with the pepper shaker, thoroughly enjoyed it! If you enjoy chunks of meat instead a great hamburger, give this a try.

  4. May I recommend that you try the pasties from ‘The Cookie Jar’? It’s a small greek bakery located in Marquette. Very much a hole-in-the wall shop tucked out of sight, but it has some of the best pasties I’ve ever tasted. I never hear anyone talking about them which, in my opinion, is a shame. The shop closes at 5PM and the pasties are only made on Thursdays, but I assure you that it is well worth it. The crust is exquisite in looks, texture, and taste.

    By the way, your reviews are wonderfully entertaining and I had a blast reading them. Hope you’re having a nice day!

    1. Thanks for checking out the site Frankie! I will definitely add The Cookie Jar to my list and make sure to visit next time I’m in the area.

  5. TPG, awesome website! My wife brought Nylund’s pasty’s home from the store and I wanted to learn about them. One thing led to another, and viola! there I was on this site. I spent the last over an hour going through reviews. Not done yet!

    Unbelievable content! Outstanding writing, with the upper midwest point of view very obvious and appreciated. Clear pictures of the facilities and products. Wow, well done sir! It makes me want to drive North!

    Thanks for all your hard work. I appreciate it.

    1. Thanks for reading Randy! Always good to hear. If you have any favorites in Wisconsin, let me know. I’m making a trip to the south side soon.

  6. Krupp’s pasties from Krupp’s Mini-mart (on Route 26 in Twin Lakes, on the way to Houghton) are excellent.

  7. I just found your site after being somewhat disappointed in a pasty I purchased from the only place around me (Lansing) that I knew that has them – I bought them frozen at Horrock’s, who gets their deliveries from Uncle Peter’s. The last pasty I had came from Muldoons, and this Uncle Peter’s just doesn’t cut it when that’s what I had a hankering for!

    I thoroughly appreciate the effort and thoroughness of your reviews… of this whole site, really. Even a list of who ships! That’s a godsend for this Mid-Michigander!

    Thank you, and keep up the good work!

  8. A new shop has opened in Vestaburg, Mi called Legacy Hearth Artisan Market. Wonderful pasties with excellent service. Hope you will visit.

  10. Have you tried Col K’s Pasty Shop 1229 10th St, Menominee, MI? I am driving up that way this fall and I am looking for a good pasty shop in Menominee or Escanaba.

  11. Thoroughly enjoy your pastie rating TPG! Discovered your site after my last trip to Copper with my grandson this past September. However, on desperate advice from my brother we stopped in Calumet at Pat’s Foods and thoroughly enjoyed their pastie that the sell out of their fresh baked department deep in the back of the store. I thought they needed a rating from you one day. It’s possible that this food chain sells them at various other outlets. Anyway, keep up the great work and posting! Blessings!

    1. Thanks for reading, Eldon. If you say they are fresh baked out of the bakery, I believe you. I’ll have to look into this. I wonder if it’s only for that store or the rest of them and they have a certain recipe.

  13. Do you know who makes pasties with cubed steak rather than ground beef? I was told long ago that original pasties did not have ground meat. Any truth to that? Thanks.

  14. There were numerous lead mines in southwestern Wisconsin, in Mineral Point, Dodgeville, Linden, (as well as northern Illinois – Galena) etc., and many of the early settlers were Cornish miners, so pasties are pretty common fare in that area. There is a café in Mineral Point that serves a decent pasty, called the Red Rooster. While in Mineral Point I would also recommend a tour of the Pendarvis historical site, which has some of the cutest miners’ cottages that you can tour. Note that the version of pasty most common in this area does not include rutabaga or other vegetables – only potato, beef, and onion. Thanks for this web site!

    1. Thanks for reading and for the info! I have the Red Rooster on my list. It’s just far enough from my usual travels that I haven’t made it, but I think that may change this year.

  15. Have you have a chance to try “My Dad Nick’s Copper Country Pasty Factory” in Livonia? Quite possibly the longest and most awkward business name ever, but despite being 300 miles south of the upper peninsula it can definitely scratch the pasty itch.

    1. Haha yes, long name. I’ve known about it, but unfortunately it’s in a weird location and not the easiest for me to get to. I will get there someday.

  16. If you ever make your way to Kansas, check out The Flint Hills Shakespeare Festival in Saint Marys. My mom runs a hand pie/pasty booth called The Merry Pies of Windsor. She makes the traditional meat with beef and rutabaga , veggie with smoked gouda, plum (from our neighbor’s plum tree!), and apple. I don’t know if it’s truly authentic Renaissance food but it’s the perfect thing to eat while watching the play.

    1. Wow, selling pasties between Topeka and Manhattan? Incredible. Do people there know what pasties are or do they just attribute it to being Renaissance food? I used to live in KC, though I’m not sure when I’d be able to get to Saint Mary’s!

  17. Please try the pasties at Antonio’s on 205 Ash St, in Bergland. These are different from the ones at the Antonio’s in Iron Mountain.

  18. I saw that someone else mentioned Colonel K’s just north of the WI/MI border. I’ve stopped there many times on my way up to the UP. It’s either been them or Dobbers in Escanaba. I’d say the two are relatively comparable. One has better crust and the other has better filling. Can’t remember which is which. Avoid the “custard” at CK’s.

    Just found my local grocery store in southern WI just started to stock Nylund pastys, so I HAD to get one. Then I tried finding some meaningful comparison and found your website. Kinda bummed I might have blown a few bucks, but it’s still dinner for a day.

    Your website is pretty awesome and I look forward to checking out a few more places that I didn’t know about when I head north again this winter.

    1. Awesome. Thanks for stopping by Paul. I believe the Vollwerth pasties are making their way to more grocery stores and then the Sheboygan Pasty Co as well are in a lot of stores in Wisconsin. In case you’re looking for more southern WI dinner options!

  19. First I’d like to thank you for promoting all of these establishments. Its not easy making a go of it and we lose more and more small cafe’s and bakeries every year. For those that haven’t, please, I beg of you to stop in at any of these bakeries, you won’t be disappointed! As a long time resident of the Keweenaw, I must admit I find the list lacking when it doesn’t include the Suomi Restaraunt in Houghton (frozen pasties to go or eat in) and Krupps in Twin Lakes (frozen half baked or hot and fresh). Nor can we forget Connie’s Kitchen which is now Jen’s since Connie retired. There are a few here that I’ve never tried and will be sure to look out for them now.
    Never forget opinions are just like…well, let’s just say, everybody has one. Get out there and taste the deliciousness these shops put into their pasties, they’re a labor of love that will fill your belly a whole lot better than any chain fast-food joint ever could!

  20. Happily stumbled upon your site this morning as my brother and I are planning a roadtrip to Michigan in July to see the homes where our father (Three Rivers) and mother (Ishpeming) grew up. They met/married while attending Michigan State College (now University) and our family after several moves settled in Kansas City. For years my brother and I have made/served pasties for our family Christmas dinner in memory of our mother.

    Interestingly enough, early in MY marriage I spent 9 years in the Los Angeles area before returning to KC to be closer to family. Lo and behold there is a longstanding shop (established 1963) in Los Alamitos CA called Pasty Kitchen. We were regulars there and loved picking up some pasties to eat in the parking lot before Rams games in Anaheim (not exactly a mine but you get it). They apparently are very successful of late and are opening new locations around Orange County. Link to their website is attached.

    Now all we have to do is fit a couple of the spots on your trail into our trip itinerary!

    https://www.eatatpastykitchen.com/

    1. That’s awesome, thank you for the story. I actually have Pasty Kitchen on my list of places to visit, there are a few others in California, as well. I also used to live in KC and actually reviewed a pasty at a bakery there a few years ago, though I don’t believe they’re open anymore.

      Enjoy your trip!

  21. Choice Farm Market near me has pretty good pasties. Best I have found in my area so far. May want to check them out.

  23. Having recently moved to the UP after years of visiting for vacations, I was looking for reviews to start making trips and treks across this great area. A lot of the links are dead on the site, so wanted to let you know! I can see the rankings but the individual reviews do not seem accessible at the moment.

  26. I grew up in Kingsford, Mi and while I moved to LaCrosse, WI, my brother still resides in Iron Mountain. My father’s family immigrated from Cornwall and my mother whose family was French Canadian settled near Escanaba. My mom was taught how to make pasties form her Cornish mother in law and her sister. They were THE BEST. She sold them every Wednesday to my Dad’s co-workers at the mine. It was a modern open pit mine, so quite different from the earlier miners. Everyone raved about her pasties. She did not put rutabaga in them, but the crust was made of lard and was moist, crisp and just the right thickness. She used a fair amount of finely minced onion, flank steak, sliced potatoes with a good mix ratio and would add ground suet into them before sealing them. (so juicy…my moth is watering). She basted the crusts with butter when they first came out of the oven. Oh, How I miss those pasties. Try as I might, and with a recipe that is pretty bare bones, I cannot duplicate them. However, when visiting in Iron Mountain my brother always treats us to Prime Pasty King’s pasties. Not Mom’s, but our favorite take-out. You need to give it a try. Also, we have been to Mineral Point and tried the Red Rooster and were greatly disappointed. Soggy crust, dry meat and lacking flavor. If you ever hear of a good Pasty in Wisconsin, we’re up for it.

    1. Thanks for sharing, Connie! Great story.

      I went to Prime Pasty King (https://thepastyguy.com/portfolio/prime-pasty-king/) a few years ago. I’ve received an odd amount of positive reviews about them lately, so maybe I have to go again.

      I haven’t been to a ton of places in Wisconsin, but Sheboygan is the best I’ve had. Reynold’s is growing on me. There’s one in Madison that I need to get back to.

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