Jeff Leslie had always enjoyed the homemade pierogies he got from the Sunrise Diner in Jim Thorpe, but hasn’t been able to find something that matches up since the diner closed around a decade ago. When Leslie heard that Robyn Plesniarski’s babci (Polish for grandmother) made homemade pierogies, he knew he wanted to learn how and carry on the family tradition.

“Too often today things are lost from generation to generation.” Leslie said, “This was a perfect opportunity to pass something on that has been part of the family for generations to the next generations so it can be carried on.”The Jim Thorpe couple had everything set up for Lotti Plesniarski when she came to teach the next three generations the process of mixing, kneading, rolling, stuffing and cooking the potato-stuffed dough pockets. Robyn had laid out different-sized scoops, dough cutters, cutting dies and other kitchen gadgets for the pierogi project.Lotti got right down to business, dumping a pile of flour onto the marble countertop, cracking a few eggs and mixing by hand. She continued mixing the dough, adding water until it was the proper consistency. The dough was cut into a workable size and flattened out with a rolling pin. Once rolled, it was time to build the pierogies.When Robyn asked her babci which gadget she wanted to use to scoop the filling, she responded, “Do you have a plain spoon?” The gadgets got moved to the side and the pierogi building began.Robyn’s parents, Rosemary and Daniel, as well as her twin 9-year-olds, Luke and Alex, were also on hand for the tradition, all lending a hand.Rosemary handled the cutting and manned the stove, tending to four pots of boiling water and a pan of onions to top the pierogies.Daniel worked with the twins, helping them get the hang of stuffing, folding and pinching.Robyn’s aunt, Laura Melber, showed Leslie the process from the beginning. Melber’s dough mixture varied slightly from her mother’s, using milk instead of water, and adding some sour cream. It seemed fitting to use a different dough since Leslie’s potato mixture was also different from the matriarch’s. It’s a process with no one correct recipe.After a six-minute bath in boiling water and tossing in some sauteed onions it was time for the moment of truth … the tasting.The homemade pierogies brought back memories for Leslie of sitting at the Sunrise Diner enjoying a couple of orders.