If you read my story, you’d know I travel to northern Wisconsin a couple times every year since that’s where my family is from. So, it was quite exciting to see the sign “Pasties” just a mile from where we usually stay in the summer.
Kula Ranch isn’t a pasty shop and doesn’t have any roots to the Upper Peninsula, but it has pasties, which is all I care about.
It’s run by Kim Simac, who decided to sell food like pizza and pasties to the public a little before 2025, and who also has a Riding Club that’s been in operation since 1997. In addition to opening this stand on the side of the road, she also makes pasties for events or for the local police and fire departments.
Given that it’s Eagle River, Wisconsin and a small hut on the side of US-45 where her ranch is, the preferred method to contact her about pasties was to text her. She has a Facebook page that provides changes to the menu and what’s already available, but I was only in town for a week so I had to text her to get the info.
In addition to frozen pasties that are almost always available, the shop has a variety of things that she either makes or that come from local artists.
I visited around July 4, so I figured her schedule was a little different than usual. She made beef pasties on a Thursday morning and I visited before they were in the hut available to the public. They came uncooked, so I threw them into the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, which did the trick.
Given that these were different than most I’ve had, they were a little harder to rate. They came in a small foil carton without a handle or the true look of a pasty.
Sometimes I’m harsh on places that have fake handles or no handles, but I can appreciate what Kim does with these. She doesn’t care. She makes her own pasties and despite the ranch being about 30 minutes from the Michigan border, she cares more about the overall taste than spending time crimping a crust.
The crust was still kind of thin and flimsy, and I didn’t try picking it up since it seemed like it would fall apart. I ate mine almost immediately out of the oven, while my uncle had half of one 30 minutes later and ate it with his hands. So, part of the reason mine may have been flimsy was that it was still piping hot.
Most importantly, these pasties tasted good. The taste of rosemary came in almost every bite, and I believe most of that seasoning was in the crust. Unlike most U.P. pasties, which she has called “too dry” in the past, these were closer to a pot pie, meat pie or even something similar to what you’d find in an empanada.
The potatoes, rutabaga and onions were diced, while the beef was shredded and mixed together with a type of gravy that gave everyone the sense of a pot pie.
These “pasties” were a little harder to rate because they were so different from almost everything else I’ve had, especially the pasties in Michigan. But despite those differences, I can recommend them. Getting them is a little difficult, but send her a text or message her on Facebook, and if you’re in the area, swoop on by.
Taste: 4.5 (out of 5)
Crust: 3 (out of 5)
Pasty Presentation: 2.5 (out of 5)
The Shop: 3 (out of 3)
Would I come back for Pasties?: 2 (out of 2)
Total Pasty Rating: 15 (of 20 points)
Reviewed Summer 2025
