Mobile pierogi shop opens storefront

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This article was published 11/02/2022 (1518 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pierogi makers Lorraine and David Pfeffer once considered renting a U-Haul to transport their goods from the city to the Interlake. Sales were booming. Instead, the couple secured three freezers in the back of their truck, packed them tight, and stacked the cab full with as many coolers as they could manage.

The delivery contained over 450 dozen pierogies — in cheddar alone.

“We sell out almost every time we go out there,” Lorraine said.

The couple sells its handmade food under the name West End Pierogies. The name (and spelling) itself is a condensed mission statement — a bid — to bring Ukrainian cuisine to a part of the city not as known for the flavours as, say, the North End or Transcona.

The business opened a bricks-and-mortar shop at 833 Cavalier Dr. on Feb. 8. Having a home base is a welcome change for the couple. However, the Pfeffers plan to continue delivering to a laundry list of communities outside the city, from St. Francois-Xavier to Elie to Gimli.

“It’s been overwhelming. Everyone’s been so amazing,” Lorraine said.

Lorraine and David started making pierogies, professionally at least, in rented-out commercial kitchens. While searching for a permanent place to cook, Monika Panos, the owner of Charleswood’s Taverna Rodos Restaurant & Lounge offered up her kitchen.

So, Lorraine and David swooped in on Sundays or when the eatery closed for the night — sometimes prepping the dumplings until the early morning hours.

“She’s been a good mentor with an unbelievable heart,” Lorraine said. “She is a complete business leader. She really believed in what we were doing and pretty much helped us get to this point.”

Panos’ generosity gave West End Pierogies the time it needed to buy and renovate its own space.

The new storefront will stock nine types of pierogies to start (they recommend calling ahead for specific product inquiries or large orders). Customers can anticipate the classics, like potato and cheddar or sauerkraut, and some signature creations like mushroom and fresh dill, or blueberry. West End Pierogies also makes pyrizhky, cabbage rolls, and soups.

All menu items are made in-house by Lorraine and David.

“People always say ‘It’s just like my baba used to make,’” David said. “It makes you feel good. You’re doing something right if it brings back a memory from their childhood.”

The couple plans to carry on the tradition of homemade Winnipeg pierogies — a practice Lorraine absorbed from her Baba Bodnaruk, around a farm table. Lorraine was pinching before the age of 12.

“The old-fashioned way is being lost, and that’s basically what we pride ourselves on, that we do everything the old-fashioned way … It is harder, it does take longer, but it pays off,” Lorraine said.

A list of West End Pierogies’ upcoming delivery dates is available on its website. To place an order or to inquire about stock, call 204-416-6665. The store is open Tuesday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.