Polish-American Food: Stanley’s Market in North Toledo

Thursday, August 16, 2012

(Part of the research I'm doing for the Center's series on foodways traditions in northwest Ohio...)

I spent a delightful Thursday at Stanley’s Market in North Toledo in what used to be a neighborhood with thriving businesses run by and catering to the Polish community there. Most of the Polish immigrants came to Toledo in the early 1900s to work in the auto industry and settled in two neighborhoods, Lagrinka (which turned into LaGrange Street) and Kuschwantz. Both neighborhoods centered on a catholic church (St. Hedwig’s) and were essentially villages where people spoke Polish to one another, purchased familiar foods, and enjoyed a familiar cultural and social life. As the immigrants settled in and became established, though, they began moving to suburbs where their children could become Americanized and attend better schools. Some of the old businesses remained, and families frequently returned to them to purchase items for holidays, family reunions, and for “old time’s sake.”

Stanley’s Market began in 1932 as a kielbasa stand by a Ukranian immigrant (national borders at the time were somewhat vague and cultures and languages were frequently shared). In 1935, he bought the building where the Market is today and became known for his homemade sausage (kielbasa). He sold the business after “the war” (WWII) to a Polish family who still runs it today.

Joe, the son, is a friendly and hospitable businessman and promoter of Polish culture. The market still features his renowned kielbasa along with pierogi, sauerkraut, hot dog sauce, horse radish, bakery breads, and other Polish items (sweet and sour cabbage, stuffed cabbage rolls, potato pancakes). A special shelf stocks Polish beers and liquors, and the walls are decorated with Polish items, including a blackboard with the Polish word for the week. T-shirts with Stanley’s Market inscribed on them and mugs with Polish writing are also offered. Obviously, Polish pride is taken for granted!

Other items are included that reflect the changing neighborhood—southern “soul” food items like catfish nuggets, corn bread mixes, batter for frying chicken or pork chops. Also, some of the Polish food has been “up-dated.” Marjoram is the featured herb in the kielbasa, but with the growing popularity of spicy dishes and chilis, Hungarian paprika has been added to make a hot version. The sausages are also smoked, and these are frequently sold as snacks to be eaten on the spot. (or in the car on the way home…)

Several customers stopped to chat with us as we videotaped the store. One said that he was 73 years old and had been shopping there longer than Joe had run the place. A woman had run out of bread and had to come shopping a day earlier than her usual weekly shopping day. Another woman said she remembered her mother calling the “pigs-in-a-blanket”or cabbage rolls glomka in Polish. She said she always came to Stanley’s to buy them. Others said they came here for the kielbasa and pierogi. It was the last store left in the area that made those items.

The surroundings of the store suggested it’s lone status as a hold-out of the old neighborhood. Boarded up windows and abandoned buildings spoke of the disappearance of the old Polish community, whether through aging or suburban-flight. Even the beautiful old churches were dwindling in their use and were closing their congregations. Joe and other customers wistfully mused that children don’t appreciate the old ways but that it’s also the nature of progress and moving on. Maybe, though, the future can include not only recognition and celebration of the Polish heritage but also see some of that heritage as vital and useful to living today. That’s easy to imagine at a venue like Stanley’s Market, where the food speaks volumes about ethnicity and is also very, very tasty.

For more information about Stanley’s Market, see http://stanleysmarket.com.

An excellent resource for information on the Polish in Toledo is the Toledo Polish Genealogical Society, http://tpgs02.org/history.htm.

Stanley’s Market is being featured in our educational documentary video series on Northwest Ohio Foodways Traditions. See www.foodandculture.org.