Lehto's Pasties was started in 1947 by Mr. Lehto after he served in WWII and was honorably discharged from the army in 1946. It is one of the Original Famous Pasty Shops located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Lehto's is still family owned and operated to this very day by Mr. & Mrs. Lehto daughter Katherine.
--from Upper Peninsula Now website
The shop isn't very large. It is quite literally a road-side stop with no place inside to eat.
The company apparently had a website in the past, but there is nothing relevant at the site today. I did find a news article from 2006 via the above website that gave a bit more background about the family.
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| Inside of shop |
Friends and family gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of Katherine Lehto of St. Ignace at Mackinac Straits Hospital Long Term Care Unit Thursday, August 17, 2006.
Mrs. Lehto, with her husband John Lehto, pioneered the Lehto's Pasties business on US-2 near St. Ignace 58 years ago.
Mrs. Lehto has been a hard worker for all of her life, said her daughter, Katherine Lehto Babcock, and has two children, Michael Lehto and Mrs. Babcock, both of St. Ignace, seven grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
After a 20-year career on the state ferry boats before establishing the pasty business, Mr. Lehto died in 1996. Lehto's Pasties, known to locals and U.P. visitors for many years, is still family owned by Mrs. Babcock.
--from The St. Ignace News, August 24, 2006
I also found out after talking to my parents that we have a family connection with the shop. Mike Lehto, the son of the founder rented a room from my grandparents while he was in college.
I did find something interesting though, my parents went by the area recently. Lehto's was closed for the day when they went by, but they stopped at another place and the owner told them that Lehto's had been sold at some point. So it might not be a family place any more, but they still had good food.
You might be wondering what a pasty is. It is a rather delicious meal. I've been told that they first came to Michigan via emigrants from Wales who had first used them as a handy meal that could be taken into a mine.
What is a PASTY?
Pronounced Pass-Tee
A pasty is a meal for one person. Our pasties consist of top grade chopped sirloin, potatoes, onion and a small portion of rutabaga (for flavor). They are wrapped in a delicate pastry and baked in our ovens daily.
They are ideal to take with you and are easily eaten, held in your hand. We also have them frozen, and they make a very quick meal in a matter of minutes...
Lehto's takes GREAT PRIDE in their pasty and would like to introduce this delightful "meal-in-one" to you if you've never tried one--OR if you've had an inferior one and didn't care for it.
--from Lehto's Pasties sign
I really enjoyed the meal--and so did Amy. I had to eat it authentically though. The proper topping for a pasty is ketchup, also known as Yooper Gravy. Residents of the Upper Peninsula (or the UP) are sometimes known as Yoopers.
~Matt
