Get Ready: U.P. Town to Host the ‘World’s First’ Pasty Olympics

The annual Pasty Fest returns to honor the unique cultural cuisine of the Upper Peninsula. It takes place in the village of Calumet within the Keweenaw Peninsula and is set to host the Pasty Olympics on August 19, scheduled from noon to 4 pm. According to the festival's website, the new event is "probably a world’s first."

Alongside the festival's longstanding baking contest and pasty eating competition, this year's festivities will introduce Olympic-style challenges that infuse a strongman-like essence into the Pasty Fest. These events are designed to pay homage to the history and heritage of pasties and Keweenaw's copper mining legacy.

Among the fresh additions, the Pasty Relay presents teams with the task of racing against each other to craft a gigantic pasty. To achieve this, they employ pool noodles as rolling pins and utilize mops for applying an egg wash. Awards will be presented for the quickest completion time, the most visually appealing creation, and the most imaginative team costumes.

Simultaneously, participants in the newly introduced Pasty Pull will confront the challenge of channeling the sheer power of pasties as they try to haul a truck down a 100-foot track along one of Calumet's historic streets in the shortest time possible.

A brand-new event at Pasty Fest is the Pasty Fest Art Prize competition, currently underway, showcasing twenty-four artistic works centered around pasties. The collection includes various artistic mediums, including paintings, mixed media compositions, crochet pieces, and even a miniature copper pasty sculpture. The artwork can be viewed in an online virtual gallery until August 18. People can also cast their votes for their favorite pieces.

When thinking about the Upper Peninsula, some people instantly think of its pasties. Dubbed the "pot pie without a pot," pasties have solidified their status as a culinary hallmark of northern Michigan. These handheld pastries are known not only for their variety of flavors but also for their role in Michigan's history.

According to Michigan Technological University, pasties originated in England as far back as 1150. Pasties made their way to the United States through Cornish miners who immigrated during the 1840s. Miners loved them because they were perfect for their long shifts. They were also easy to carry into the mines, kept them full, and stayed warm for up to ten hours.

Recently, 24/7 Wall St. put together a list of the best pie shop in every state. They gathered their data by consulting reviews and rankings on a wide range of websites, including Yelp, Taste of Home, Thrillist, Fodors, Food Network, Spoon University, Forbes, Delish, and The Daily Meal, as well as numerous local and regional sites.

They also gave more consideration to shops who specialize in pies. "While precedence was given to shops specializing in pies (often with "pie" in their name), in some cases bakeries with more general focus and occasionally places that are primarily cafés were included, if they were highly rated for their pies."

If you're looking for Michigan’s best pie, you should check out their top pick, Sister Pie. Specifically, recommended is the pie shop’s salted caramel pie. This isn't the first time the pie shop has been recognized. Another publication, Food & Wine ranked the best breakfast spot in every state and Sister Pie led Michigan once again. They also highlighted the shop's salted maple muffins as well as their cardamom tahini squash pie.

Many restaurants have things that make them unique. Some things that people enjoy about Sister Pie is their ties to the community, variety of menu items, their merch, and that they offer classes.

The pie shop started a Neighborhood Fund during the height of the pandemic. Customers offered to help pay for others' groceries during the stay-at-home order. Now, they’re carrying it on to make sure their baked goods and grocery options remain accessible for all. And if you're interested to learn how they do what they do, customers can sign up for baking classes.

Sister Pie offers seasonal items such as muffins, scones, and buns. They switch it up often, so you're in for a surprise with every visit.

You can snag yourself a slice or the entire pie when it comes to the Ricotta Rice Pudding Pie. However, this option is only available in store on Fridays and Saturdays according to their site.

All of their menu items are available in the shop on a first come, first served basis. They do offer pre-orders that can be placed online by visiting their site.

It looks like a bowl of purple liquid but it's way more than that. It's Sister Pie's Beet soup. Someone commented on their Instagram and said "This was amazing!!! My fave soup so far!" This could be your next favorite soup.

In addition to Sister Pie's seasonal items, they have permanent menu treats like their "Spranola" or the Sister Pie Granola and the Egg-on-top Gallette.

The Neapolitan pie is an all-butter crust, ruby chocolate ganache, chocolate pudding-mousse-type filling, and a pile of whipped cream. On Pi-Day they sold out of this flavor according to their Instagram. They are available for pre-order. If you want to give this pie a try, you may want to plan ahead.