PARMA, Ohio — It's the quiet before the "sugar" storm here on ridge road.
In just a few days, the line will start forming around 3 am, before the shop even opens. And it won't stop until all the paczkis at Rudy's Strudel & Bakery are gone!
"We are about to get crazy busy, but it's fun. It's a big party," said Rudy's owner Lidia Trempe.
The Fat Tuesday treat originated in Poland, developed in the 1600s to use up many of the rich ingredients commonly given up during Lent back then.
"So we got rid of all of our jellies, jams, all the things that we are going to give up for the 6 weeks of Lent. And this was the way to get it out in like the tastiest way possible," Trempe explained.
This year's event is even bigger as Rudy's celebrates 75 years in business, on Fat Tuesday.
To get into some of the excitement, Trempe and her team gave Payton Domschke a master's class in paczki making.
The first stop, making the dough with baker Caron Von Carlowitz.
"The way I do mine, I use starter, which is a flour water fermenting mixture, which really gives it a wonderful flavor," he shared.
Von Carlowitz has been doing this for nearly 20 years and says he makes little tweaks now and then, still aspiring to make the perfect recipe even better.
The dough is fried for three minutes, at 360 degrees. No timer, but Von Carlowitz's eyes know when they are done.
Cooling time is a minimum of one hour before the paczkis move to the next step in their assembly: filling.
There are about 35 different flavors, both sweet and savory, making paczki's an option for every meal!
And of course, supervising it all, Eugenia "Mama" Polatajko, who purchased the bakery in the late '70s, running it until daughter Lidia took over.
"I came to America in 1965, without a penny in my pocket and without knowing a word of English. I still don't carry pennies in my pocket. I have a coin purse for that," Polatajko said with a laugh.
In 2022, 78,000 paczkis were sold on Fat Tuesday. Lidia and Mama expect that number to top 80,000 for their anniversary celebration.
A big, day-long party filled with much laughter and even maybe.... a few tears.
"I always get weepy. I mean 75 years to be part of the fabric of Cleveland, that's just an honor. A privilege," said Trempe.
Rudy's opens at 5 a.m. on Tuesday. Trempe has created an all-day celebration with a DJ to kick off the day, switching to polka music around 10 a.m.
There will be food trucks. You can get hungry standing around waiting for paczki!
Schnitz ale house will be selling Rudy's Paczki Pale ale too. Customers can play cornhole while standing in line. And a birthday celebration wouldn't be complete -- without birthday cake too!
Custard paczki is always the best seller. And the old-world flavors of rose petal, poppy seed and apricot are mainstays.
This year you can try a few new flavors like: Schnitz Ale House Black Forest, Banter Maple Bacon or keep it sweet with Rudy's birthday paczki pop.