MARQUETTE, Mich (WZMQ) – The U.P. is full of traditions like dog sledding, ski jumping, and even snowshoeing in mounds of snow. Another tasty tradition that has been around for a while is the art of the pasty. The tradition of making pasties hasn’t traveled far with Lawry’s Pasty shop. In Marquette, Lawry’s is the longest-running family-owned Pasty Shop in the U.S. and relative Adora Lawry has now taken up the role of the shop manager. “It’s been in the family since I think this is its 77th year”, said Lawry.
Lawry’s opened in 1946 over in Ishpeming, bringing fresh warm pasties and other family-cooked meals for the U.P. to enjoy. Adora said that when her grandma started making them, she would set up a stand outside the mines and have fresh pasty’s made for all the miners. Starting as a teenager, Adora said the early routine hasn’t changed.
The earlier they start the baking, the earlier the fresh pasties can be ready. Adora noted that there’s nothing wrong with the traditional pasty, but that the important step to perfect, is the meat. “We grab our meat, and our meat is cut and ground in-house every day, we try to locally source our meat and potatoes and as many ingredients as we can. We use half beef which is a fattier cut and gives it all the flavor and then we use steak”, continued Lawry.
Instead of chopping the vegetables into the meat, they grind their meat with the vegetables, mixing everything by hand. Lawry emphasized that this can accent a lot of the flavoring and create a better bake. “We’re gonna take it and break it up a little bit then we add our seasoning blend”, said Lawry.
Just over a pound of flavor town enters the dough, and is baked at 350 degrees. Out the oven presents a Classic Lawry’s Pasty, fresh every day, just as Adora remembers.
Click here for more information on their menu and the history of “Lawry’s Pasty Shop”
