Metro-Detroit pastry shop adds unique flavor to ‘Fat Tuesday’
These Boston cream-flavored paczkis are proving to be irresistible to customers of Luca Pastry.
Fat Tuesday paczkis never tasted so good thanks to Luca Pastry, a metro-Detroit chain of pastry shops that offers a deep menu of the traditional days-before-Lent Polish treat.
If you’re thinking out of the box this Fat Tuesday (Feb. 21) — custard, cherry and apple have been paczki staples for decades — Luca may be your go-to place.
While the shops — with locations in Canton, Livonia, Ann Arbor and Plymouth — may not offer as many flavors as Baskin Robbins does ice cream, their creative offerings are refreshing and irresistible.
“Each of our locations offer their own flavors of paczkis,” explained Ben, a manager at the Canton location. “Members of our team of employees offer recommendations on new flavors. It’s definitely a case of everybody working together.”
Unique flavors make the day
Ben said that some of the unique flavors that have proven to be popular among customers are the cannoli, Boston cream and Bavarian — along with, of course, the standard custard and fruit flavors.
“Our Plymouth store offered a cheesecake flavor that has been popular,” Ben said. “People really seem to like our wide variety of flavors.”
Paczki Day is celebrated annually the Thursday before Lent, according to NationalToday.com — however, the people far and wide often wait until Fat Tuesday to splurge on the sugary pastries that combines glossy doughs with a delicious filling, the website confirmed.
Paczki Day has been celebrated in Poland since the Middle Ages, NationalToday.com reported.
“To most Polish Americans, Paczki Day means making a ton of Paczki and binge-eating them in the company of family and friends,” the site adds. “This day is celebrated before Lent. Since Lent is a time of sacrifice, paczki were created to use up a household’s supplies of things that the family wouldn’t be able to eat during Lenten fasting. This included lard, sugar, eggs and more. It was basically a day for people to fill up on all the goodness they’d have to give up for the next month.”
It’s hard to say whether a Boston cream-flavored paczki would have gone over well in the Middle Ages, but it’s most assuredly pleasing metro-Detroiters’ tastebuds these days — thanks in large part to the efforts of Luca Pastry.
