Pierogi pinchers back in action at Guardian Angels fish fry

Pierogi pinchers from Guardian Angels Parish in Harrison united to prep potato-filled “pockets of love” just in time for the Lenten fish fry season.

Making the handmade dough stuffed with spuds and cheese had been a tradition at several of the churches within Guardian Angels, which was forced to close five of its seven worship sites in 2022.

“It’s a marker for our new parish to bring together the old and new,” said Justine Long-Meyers, a longtime member of the now-shuttered St. Ladislaus in the Natrona section of Harrison. The pierogies are made following the recipe of her grandmother, Stella Corbett.

Guardian Angels is hosting drive-thru fish fries from 4 to 7 p.m. Fridays through April 7. For sale are deep-fried cod dinners for $12, as well as baked options for those watching their waists.

At the first event on Friday, people happily waited in a line that stretched from the parking lot behind the parish down Broadview Boulevard to Montana Avenue.

Pierogies are among the many sides offered. The cost is three for $5.

Volunteers made 326 dozen. And they sold out not only of pierogies, but of everything.

“It’s always been popular,” said Lisa Jones of Brackenridge, who said she had been waiting between 15 and 20 minutes before reaching the head of the line. “My husband and son love it. I get haluski and pierogies.”

Billie Poston of the Natrona Heights neighborhood of Harrison said good fish isn’t the only reason she comes.

“Usually, I see people I don’t normally see,” she said.

The parish moved to a drive-thru during the covid-19 pandemic. Members considered having dine-in again, the Rev. John Lendvai said, but decided to stick with the drive-thru because it works.

“We think it’s worth the wait,” he said. “Everything is fresh and homemade pierogies. People don’t usually complain about the wait.”

Maureen Wood of Tarentum was among scores of volunteers preparing food in the basement kitchen. She was placing freshly fried fish on rolls and wrapping them in foil.

“I like the way it brings everybody together from the different churches,” she said. “It’s a good Lenten thing to do.”

Lendvai said the pierogies seemed to be a good draw.

Long-Meyers can remember pinching pierogies at her grandmother’s knee when she was a youngster. It’s a tradition she carried on with her children, and to this day it continues in the kitchen during Christmastime turning out dozens of the carb-loaded treats.

At Lendvai’s urging, Long-Meyers spearheaded the pierogi comeback and offered her grandmother’s time-tested recipe for the fundraiser.

The bulk recipe turned out 20 dozen at a time after labor-intensive sessions that lasted four to five hours each.

A crew of about 25 volunteers assembled for the mass production line over several weeks. They peeled hundreds of potatoes and rolled enough dough to practically stretch the length of a football field.

They were given helpful hints from cooks at St. Vladimir in Arnold and St. Mary of Czestochowa in New Kensington, both of which are titans in the pierogi-making process.

Tom Babinsack, Guardian Angels’ business manager, said it’s a blessing when something as small as a pierogi can unite people from across the region.

“There was enthusiasm from people across all seven of the (former parish churches),” he said. “People really want to bring back the old traditions. … It was so nice to see so many people come together. Even though the parish merged in 2020, we couldn’t do much together because of covid. We’re starting to blossom now.”

Long-Meyers said the ethnic pride that stood out to her as a child at St. Lad’s was evident again when the group came together to make pierogies.

“I think all the ladies from St. Lad’s, especially my grandmother, would be very proud,” she said.