Get Ready: U.P. Town to Host the ‘World’s First’ Pasty Olympics
The annual Pasty Fest returns to honor the unique cultural cuisine of the Upper Peninsula. It takes place in the village of Calumet within the Keweenaw Peninsula and is set to host the Pasty Olympics on August 19, scheduled from noon to 4 pm. According to the festival’s website, the new event is “probably a world’s first.”
Alongside the festival’s longstanding baking contest and pasty eating competition, this year’s festivities will introduce Olympic-style challenges that infuse a strongman-like essence into the Pasty Fest. These events are designed to pay homage to the history and heritage of pasties and Keweenaw’s copper mining legacy.
Among the fresh additions, the Pasty Relay presents teams with the task of racing against each other to craft a gigantic pasty. To achieve this, they employ pool noodles as rolling pins and utilize mops for applying an egg wash. Awards will be presented for the quickest completion time, the most visually appealing creation, and the most imaginative team costumes.
More pasty festivities
Simultaneously, participants in the newly introduced Pasty Pull will confront the challenge of channeling the sheer power of pasties as they try to haul a truck down a 100-foot track along one of Calumet’s historic streets in the shortest time possible.
A brand-new event at Pasty Fest is the Pasty Fest Art Prize competition, currently underway, showcasing twenty-four artistic works centered around pasties. The collection includes various artistic mediums, including paintings, mixed media compositions, crochet pieces, and even a miniature copper pasty sculpture. The artwork can be viewed in an online virtual gallery until August 18. People can also cast their votes for their favorite pieces.
When thinking about the Upper Peninsula, some people instantly think of its pasties. Dubbed the “pot pie without a pot,” pasties have solidified their status as a culinary hallmark of northern Michigan. These handheld pastries are known not only for their variety of flavors but also for their role in Michigan’s history.
According to Michigan Technological University, pasties originated in England as far back as 1150. Pasties made their way to the United States through Cornish miners who immigrated during the 1840s. Miners loved them because they were perfect for their long shifts. They were also easy to carry into the mines, kept them full, and stayed warm for up to ten hours.
Chess Pie, Neapolitan Pie + More: Why This MI Pie Shop Rules
Recently, 24/7 Wall St. put together a list of the best pie shop in every state. They gathered their data by consulting reviews and rankings on a wide range of websites, including Yelp, Taste of Home, Thrillist, Fodors, Food Network, Spoon University, Forbes, Delish, and The Daily Meal, as well as numerous local and regional sites.
They also gave more consideration to shops who specialize in pies. “While precedence was given to shops specializing in pies (often with “pie” in their name), in some cases bakeries with more general focus and occasionally places that are primarily cafés were included, if they were highly rated for their pies.”
The best pie shop in Michigan is in Detroit
If you’re looking for Michigan’s best pie, you should check out their top pick, Sister Pie. Specifically, recommended is the pie shop’s salted caramel pie. This isn’t the first time the pie shop has been recognized. Another publication, Food & Wine ranked the best breakfast spot in every state and Sister Pie led Michigan once again. They also highlighted the shop’s salted maple muffins as well as their cardamom tahini squash pie.
Many restaurants have things that make them unique. Some things that people enjoy about Sister Pie is their ties to the community, variety of menu items, their merch, and that they offer classes.
The pie shop started a Neighborhood Fund during the height of the pandemic. Customers offered to help pay for others’ groceries during the stay-at-home order. Now, they’re carrying it on to make sure their baked goods and grocery options remain accessible for all. And if you’re interested to learn how they do what they do, customers can sign up for baking classes.
Here are 5 Sister Pie items you should check out.
Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She's made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it.
She’s a true Michigander, born and raised. So, you can catch her camping or vacationing up north to exploring the downtown Detroit or maybe even catching a sports game. During her free time, Kayla enjoys watching movies, roller-skating, crafting, and music festivals. She and her husband together dip into many of the great things Michigan has to offer. Together they also like to travel.
A few hobbies of hers include wine and beer tastings, crafting, hiking, roller skating, movies, home improvement projects, gardening, and festivals. She’s always looking to take on more local events happening in the community.
She loves connecting with the community. When writing, Kayla covers topics including lifestyle, pop culture, trending stories, hacks, and urban culture.
