COVID-19 expected to take big bite out of Paczki Day

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For Blak’s Bakery owner Valerie Blak-Gill, Paczki Day on the eve of Ash Wednesday isn’t business — it’s personal.

Every year, dozens of relatives descend on the family-owned city bakery — now in it’s 103rd year — to help push out tens of thousands of the tasty treats before the start of Lent, but COVID-19 will sap some of the joy out of this year’s Paczki Day.

“You hear about families getting together at weddings and funerals, but for my family we get together for Paczki Day,” Blak-Gill, said.

“We normally bring in another 30 people on top of the 24 we have on our payroll, most being family members. They come from as far away as Toronto and Michigan.

“It’s our family reunion and we all catch up with each. It’s really disappointing that won’t be happening this year.”

The depth of the disappointment can be measured in the importance of the Windsor institution within the family. Started by Blak-Gill’s grandfather in 1918, working in the bakery has been a rite of passage in the family.

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Blak-Gill’s daughter Julie is a fourth-generation manager of the bakery and her nephew Adam, another fourth-generation family member, recently took over the head baker’s position.

The family affair approach to business extends to their many long-time customers.

“One of the members of our staff, I served his great-grandfather, grandfather and then his father and now he works for us,” Blak-Gill said.

“Our customers are very loyal and we’re grateful.”

While largely a cultural treat in the region’s Polish community for decades, Blak-Gill said Paczki’s popularity took off in the 1980s when Detroit radio host J.P. McCarthy began to sing the treat’s praises on his nationally syndicated radio show.

The tradition has swept up everyone with a sweet tooth to the point the bakery normally has two lines, one for pre-orders and one for walk-ins, and about 50 people crammed into the shop at 1022 Langlois Ave. at any given time.

“I don’t know what to expect (Tuesday) between COVID and the snow,” Blak-Gill said.

“With only four people in at a time, I’ll miss the social atmosphere of the people talking with each other.”

Normally, the bakery would sell about 35,000 Paczkis.

Blak-Gill said they started making Paczkis last Thursday, for the traditional Polish version of the day and have continued through the weekend.

Sales for Thursday through Saturday were actually ahead of last year’s pace.

“We’re expecting to sell about half of what we normally do,” Blak-Gill said.

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“Paczki Day is an important day for the business. Last year, it fell before COVID came, so what we did on the day helped carry us through the rest of the year.

“Not sure how the rest of the year will go this time.”

Blak-Gill said there are no pre-orders this year. There’ll be one line and four people allowed in the store at a time.

Boxes will be available in six- or 12-packs.

The bakery offers pre-packaged variety packs of prune/plum, strawberry, custard, raspberry, blueberry, lemon, and spice apple.

The Polish variety pack has prune while the Canadian pack substitutes strawberry for prune. Nutella/custard is also available on its own.

The shop will open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and remain open until 4 p.m.

dwaddell@postmedia.com

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