Nashville: Upstate Pierogi Co.
Welcome to the south ya’ll! Today we are venturing into new territory, in more ways than one. This is the furthest south I’ve ever bought/eaten pierogi (love seeing these dumplings take over the U.S.). This is also my first review of a Farmer’s Market pierogi.
The Farmer’s Market is the perfect way to introduce pierogi into a new area. Its low risk and gives you the opportunity to test things out, rotate and try out new/different flavors, and reach a big audience. People flock to farmers markets because they want locally made goods and they want something they can’t get at a grocery store or local chain restaurant. Thats how I found myself at the Richmond Park Farmers Market in Nashville over Memorial Day weekend.
Without further delay, let me introduce you to Nashville’s Upstate Pierogi Co.
Upstate Pierogi Co. sells frozen pierogi by the dozen. The fillings vary each week. When I was in town, they were offering potato and cheese, Italian sausage, pepper and onions, and potato, cabbage and mushroom. Each week their offerings rotate, though they typically always include the traditional potato and cheese option. Other fun/unique fillings they have offered in the past include: Nashville Hot Chicken (because, duh, its Nashville!), Double Pepperoni Pizza, Hatch Green Chile Chicken, Potato, Rosemary, and Caramelized Onion, Jalapeño Popper, and Elote (which I’m really intrigued by, I’ll have to come back for these).
Even though Upstate Pierogi Co. is based in Nashville, it has its roots firmly planted in the Pierogi Pocket of the U.S. You may have guessed it from the company’s name, chef/owner Derek hails from Upstate, NY and grew up eating pierogi! Trust me, he knows what he’s doing.
Here is what I ate:
Italian Sausage, Peppers, and Onions Pierogi: To review this one, I called in the help of an Italian-American, who also claims traditional Italian sausage and peppers are one of his favorite food. He gave the pierogi an A+.
“These are phenomenal, I’d eat them all day if I could. The sausage is exactly as it should be. The spices and texture are great. Top notch.”
We pan fried the pierogi with butter (per the packages instructions) and ate them with some marinara dipping sauce, which as you can imagine, paired quite well. As stated above, these pierogi were excellent. Who knew this Italian staple would fuse so well with pierogi? We highly recommend.
Potato and Cheese Pierogi: This is a delicious classic potato and cheese pierogi. Tastes like home. The filling is a mix of potato and cream cheese, which makes it extra creamy and rich. All of the pierogi are a good size and generously filled. I think this pierogi would get a thumbs up for anyone’s Polish grandma.
