Williamsville, N.Y. (WBEN) - While many are accustomed to calling the annual tradition of Mardi Gras, "Fat Tuesday", in Western New York, it's more so celebrated as "Pączki Day" - a Polish twist to Mardi Gras, marking the start of Lent and allowing people one last chance to indulge before Ash Wednesday hits.
For those who may not be familiar with pączkis, they are a Polish doughnut that's rich and deep fried, and traditionally filled with a fruit filling like black raspberry or lemon, or even a Bavarian cream. This delicacy served every Fat Tuesday is often glazed or covered with powdered sugar.
With Western New York having very strong Polish ties, bakeries across the region are well-prepared for the chaos that Pączki Day brings.
"Oh, we love Pączki Day. We are ready for it. They're delicious," said Christy Worthington, manager of Paula's Donuts at their Transit Road location in Williamsville.
Worthington says a number of bakers on staff have been busy over the last couple of days prepping for a busy Pączki Day, with some arriving to work as early as 1 a.m. to make the flavorful Polish delicacies, and others sticking around until 9 p.m.
"Normally, it takes us about three hours to make a batch of regular donuts. Pączkis, it takes a little bit longer because we add so much extra ingredients," Worthington explained with WBEN. "They are cut thicker, they proof longer, they fry longer, and just measuring out all the extra eggs and vanilla and sugar. Plus, don't forget, they're extra stuffed, so we have a lot that break in the process."
Along with National Donut Day and Christmas Eve, Worthington says Pączki Day is one of the busiest days of the year at Paula's Donuts. That means it's all hand on deck in the days leading up to Fat Tuesday.
"Everybody knows not to request off. Anybody that we can have on, we call old employees and we're like, 'Help!' Anything helps at this point, but it's all hands on deck, because we want to get people in-and-out quickly," she said.
How many pączkis are expected to be sold and/or distributed this Pączki Day?
"We actually don't wholesale them to anybody but Dash's. So between us and all the Dash's locations - they're actually going to start selling them [Monday night], that's why we have some now, because we've had to make them because they actually start selling them - thousands," Worthington answered. "And don't forget, they're all hand-cut, hand-filled. It's a process."
While Worthington knows part of the fun of Pączki Day is standing in line and being excited to order pączkis, she understands the community doesn't want to wait too long.
"That's why we do an order ahead [option] for six or more. We used to do them for as many as people wanted, but to pack 100 single pączkis, and then have to look through 100 orders to find the name, it's a lot faster for people just to walk in, grab a couple and walk out. So we do for six or more," Worthington noted.
And once Pączki Day is over, Paula's Donuts gets to work on fastnachts for the Lenten season.
"People always get excited, because it's two days in-a-row where they [get] donuts that we don't make very often," Worthington said.
While several bakeries across the region are serving up pączkis on Fat Tuesday, what is it about Paula's Donuts' pączkis that stand out among the rest? Worthington says it's all in the company's slogan.
"They're made with love," she said. "I mean, we say it, but we actually do love them. And we actually love making them. And my mother, Paula, and my grandfather is first generation here from Poland. He was always very proud of our pączkis as well. That's a compliment in and of itself."
Which flavored pączkis are often a customer favorite at Paula's?
"The black raspberry, by far, is the most popular, but I'll tell you what: The lemon is so underrated. I don't know why that doesn't fly out of here. That's the one I always grab first," Worthington said.
While Tuesday is expected to be a busy day at Paula's Donuts, with people flocking to get their pączkis, Worthington is asking folks to pack your patience for everyone working hard behind the scenes.
"We have two hands. Everything is handmade, hand-cut, hand-mixed. We're going as fast as we can, we're trying to do the best we can while keeping quality, because you don't want to cut corners," she noted.
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