Vendor Spotlight: Yashkas Pierogies

For many years Marc Twarowski’s grandmother (or Babcia in Polish) sold her homemade pierogies to family and friends in Southern Poland, and she continued to do so after immigrating to Canada. Marc and his wife Krystal had both worked in the hospitality industry for over 25 years, and when COVID hit they wanted to brainstorm a business idea they could try. “We said why don’t we sell pierogies, because this is something that we kind of have with our family,” said Marc. “It’s all family recipes and things we share with people, but now we can make it official and with actual branding behind it.”

Yashkas Pierogies then officially began in 2021 after Marc and Krystal moved to St. Thomas from London, and the business name and recipes all came from Babcia Yashka. “It’s basically a tribute to her, and that’s where the name comes from,” Marc said with a proud smile. “We try to keep that tradition of the Eastern European world and their food culture, to bring it here and give us a chance to showcase it to the next generation.” All of their pierogies use Babcia Yashka’s recipes, and they are made by hand from scratch in small batches by Marc, Krystal, and Marc’s mother. “Every now and again we get a couple family friends that come in to help out if we need, but the three of us are getting really fast at it!” Laughed Marc. “We are getting really really good at the whole process and we’ve kind of gotten it down to a science, but the company is really just the three of us doing it; it is very much strictly a family thing.” 

All of their Polish pierogies are handcrafted from scratch right here in St. Thomas, which was an important aspect to Marc and Krystal in terms of keeping the company local. The pierogies are also made only using Ontario grown potatoes; something which Marc says is “non-negotiable” for them. “If it is not Ontario grown potatoes, it’s not going into our pierogies,” said Marc. They also use local ingredients when they can, and they like to partner with local companies and farmers. One of their current limited-time pierogies uses potato and local cottage cheese from Belmont’s Misty Glen Creamery (and another amazing vendor at the Horton Farmers’ Market). In addition to the Misty Glen Creamery pierogies, Yashkas other limited-time flavour is their cheddar maple bacon pierogies. Their three main staples currently are cheddar potato, cheddar and bacon, and cream cheese and potato. Yashkas Pierogies are currently carried in six retail locations, and they also have a wholesale partnership with Fanshawe College in London. 

“We’re just trying to elevate the pierogi game and elevate the quality of the product, and really take that traditional recipe to everyone’s tables,” explained Marc. They have put in a lot of science, research, and meticulous attention to detail to ensure the products follow Babcia Yashkas recipes and don’t compromise on quality. Marc stressed the importance behind creating a quality product for other families, especially because the product is linked to their family name and recipes. “We are not just throwing something together,” Marc emphasized. “It is important to everyone in our circle because I feel they’ve all given us the thumbs up on it. We want to be a family company within the city, and we want to be able to bring quality food to other families' tables and allow them to experience that too.” 

Moving to St. Thomas from London and starting a new business was not an easy feat, but Marc has been consistently blown away by the community support that St. Thomas has given Yashkas. They first began as a vendor at the Horton Farmers’ Market in 2023, making their official debut, and they haven’t looked back since. “The way the community has embraced our business, they basically lifted it up,” Marc explained. “We want to be a Horton Market success story, because they are the ones that gave us a big start to have an actual spot within the city, and the community has just been great.” In addition to the community support, Marc loves the history and atmosphere that the Horton Market provides to the city, the vendors, and the community. “It’s a nice go-to spot for all things local, and to be in the community, meet new people and make new connections, it is a very unique spot for that,” said Marc. He also points out the historic connection between the Market and Yashkas; with both businesses pulling in their histories and working to continue their traditions.

Marc and Krystal are also proud to be involved with local fundraising. When they first moved to St. Thomas with their young son who was born during the COVID pandemic, they worked to find a place where he could socialize with other children. They ended up finding the St. Thomas Co-Op Nursery School and their son began to go a few days a week and was able to socialize with other children. “That in turn led us to be able to do a fundraiser with them, and bring some funds into their school and their community,” Marc said. “Having that ability to do that fundraiser with them also helped get things into motion for us.” ​

Yashkas Pierogies is extremely thankful for all of the community support St. Thomas has shown them, and they hope that they will be able to represent the community well for years to come. Marc aspires to leave Yashkas Pierogies to his children, to continue the generational recipes and knowledge alongside the business, and to be a continuous part of the St. Thomas community. “We said let’s take a chance on St. Thomas, and St. Thomas took a chance on us,” Marc fondly said with a smile. “It has been great ever since, and we don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.” 

Paige Palmer, EDC Summer Marketing Support

Paige is happy to be joining the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation as their 2024 Summer Marketing Assistant. She is completing her undergraduate degree this summer with a double major in Media and Communications Studies and Thanatology at Western University and King’s University College. She is excited to help to promote local vendors and businesses this summer, and is looking forward to trying all the delicious and unique produce and products at the Horton Farmers’ Market this summer! Outside of work and school she loves spending time learning about nature, animals, and gardening.