A tasty family tradition

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This article was published 04/01/2016 (3753 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rob Naleway has an impressive perogy pedigree.

Naleway, 38, is the owner of Perogy Planet, a popular new perogy place located at 1411 Main St. He’s also the owner of Naleway Catering, a business he inherited from his dad Bob Naleway, who got into the perogy profession by way of his late mother, Anne Naleway.

“My grandma started in 1942. She had a restaurant in the Sutherland Hotel. Anne’s Grill it was called,” said Rob, who went to River East Collegiate.

“From there, catering began, so eventually they stopped having a restaurant and only did catering. When my dad was growing up, he saw all these ladies making perogies and thought ‘Hey, maybe there’s a market to sell these’ and he got perogies into the supermarkets (via Naleway Foods Ltd.).

“Dad retired in 1996 (selling the last of his shares in Naleway Foods in 2014), but he saved the catering company for either me or my sister. My sister went on to become an interior designer so I’m like, ‘I guess this will be an easy thing to do.’ Damn, if I only knew then.”

Rob said business has been booming since opening Perogy Planet in the fall. Customers aren’t only coming in for the classic cheddar cheese and potato, sauerkraut, or cottage cheese perogies either.

In addition to traditional perogies, Perogy Planet offers an abundance of alternatives, including cheeseburger, Philly cheese steak, pepperoni pizza, buffalo chicken, and Rob’s current favourite, sweet potato rosemary.

Rob said most people appreciate the permutations, and he’s selling out every day, but a few perogy purists have protested online.

“Fair enough, but at one point in time the biggest idiot on Earth was the guy who thought the world was round,” Rob said.

“It’s a way of keeping our company relevant. When you have a catering company for 70 years, what do you do to stay relevant?”

Rob said his dad loves Perogy Planet’s different takes on the perogy.

“He went through something similar,” Rob said. “When he got perogies into grocery stores, people would be annoyed with him, like ‘You can’t mass produce perogies. You shouldn’t be selling perogies. Grandmas make them.’”

As for Rob’s grandma, he thinks Anne would appreciate what Perogy Planet is doing.

“I think she’d be excited that we’re staying relevant,” Rob says. “I think she’d be pretty happy that what she started is still going, keeping her family going and giving us a job and money.”

In fact, business is so good, Rob said he’s seriously considering setting up a second shop in St. Vital. Also, he said Perogy Planet will continue to come up with different perogy flavours.

However, one thing will never change.

“The dough is always the same. My grandma’s recipe,” Rob said.

Perogy Planet will hold its grand opening on Sat., Jan. 9. Perogy guru Hunky Bill will be in attendance.

jared.story@canstarnews.com

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