Hand-pinched perogies pile up at Heritage Bakery and Deli
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The Heritage Bakery and Deli is home to hand-pinched perogies, smoked sausage and a host of European delights, all made on-site every morning.
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Mike Callander, manager of the bakery, takes a phone order early in the morning while preparing to thin out the dough of the perogies.
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Callander carefully adds oil to the perogie dough mixture to keep it from crumbling.
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As early as 5 a.m. every morning, Ella Gach peels potatoes in solitude. She later uses the potatoes in the filling of the bakery's famous perogies.
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Casey Filipek picks up an order from the bakery at 9 a.m., shortly after the doors were opened for the day.
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Casey Filipek picks up an order from the bakery as Debra Hall and Mike Callander joke about how the bakery is still open on the coldest of days.
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Debra Hall and Ella Gach sit down for a long six hours of perogie pinching.
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Callander presses the dough with a custom roller that cuts circles, which he then passes on to Hall and Gach.
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Hall and Gach begin pinching perogies at 9 a.m. and often continue until 2 p.m. in order to keep up with the demand.
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Callander stretches the perogie dough after it has been pressed through a special machine and prepares to feed it back into its metal jaws to thin the dough even more.
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After the perogie pressing is complete, Callander flattens the dough and prepares to cut it into circles.
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Though most mornings are perogie-filled, a multitude of items from smoked sausage to egg cakes are cooked for dine-in and take-out orders.
The Heritage Bakery and Deli is home to hand-pinched perogies, smoked sausage and a host of European delights, all made on-site every morning.
Mike Callander, manager of the bakery, takes a phone order early in the morning while preparing to thin out the dough of the perogies.
Callander carefully adds oil to the perogie dough mixture to keep it from crumbling.
As early as 5 a.m. every morning, Ella Gach peels potatoes in solitude. She later uses the potatoes in the filling of the bakery's famous perogies.
Casey Filipek picks up an order from the bakery at 9 a.m., shortly after the doors were opened for the day.
Casey Filipek picks up an order from the bakery as Debra Hall and Mike Callander joke about how the bakery is still open on the coldest of days.
Debra Hall and Ella Gach sit down for a long six hours of perogie pinching.
Callander presses the dough with a custom roller that cuts circles, which he then passes on to Hall and Gach.
Hall and Gach begin pinching perogies at 9 a.m. and often continue until 2 p.m. in order to keep up with the demand.
Callander stretches the perogie dough after it has been pressed through a special machine and prepares to feed it back into its metal jaws to thin the dough even more.
After the perogie pressing is complete, Callander flattens the dough and prepares to cut it into circles.
Though most mornings are perogie-filled, a multitude of items from smoked sausage to egg cakes are cooked for dine-in and take-out orders.
Inside look at how the staff prepares for the day
The Heritage Bakery and Deli has been around since 1985 cooking up hand make perogies, fresh smoked sausage and delicious delights for Calgarians to enjoy. As early as 5 o'clock every morning, the staff arrives to peel potatoes and craft up the filling for their famous perogies — a process that sometimes takes them all day to finish.
The team produces hundreds of perogies daily; some heading off to private functions and large deliveries, others head straight to the freezer for customers to pick up and enjoy. Here's a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of the bakery in the early hours of the morning before the doors open for the day.
The Heritage Bakery and Deli is located at 1912 37th Street S.W.
Photos by Matthew Hayhurst