If you want to see the perfect marriage of Ukrainian and North American culture, head to Saskatoon, which boasts potentially the world's only drive-thru perogy restaurant.
At Baba's Homestyle Perogies, a largely Ukrainian kitchen staff hand-churns out as many as 10,000 perogies, 120 litres of borscht and 3,000 cabbage rolls every day, according to Canadian Geographic.
The family-owned business is basically a Saskatoon institution, popular with locals as well as tourists.
"It's part of Saskatchewan culture," owner Rob Engel told the magazine. He took over the business in 2006, but Baba's has been cranking out perogies for nearly 40 years.
Happy National Perogy Day! (yesterday). I grabbed a drive-thru meal at Baba's Homestyle Perogies in #YXE#ExploreSaskpic.twitter.com/JbjoD64tVw
— Saskatchewanderer (@SkWanderer) October 9, 2015
While Baba's sells a variety of hot meals in store and for delivery, Engel told the Food Network his favourite is the Super Combo — five perogies, two cabbage rolls and one smokie, served with ground bacon, chives and sour cream.
One of the kitchen staff, Oksana Plesovskykh, moved to Canada from Ukraine with her husband and daughter in 2007 and told CBC News that she had never made perogies before she started working there.
Not only can customers drive up to the restaurant's window, but they can also take bags of frozen perogies home. And that has made the company a partner for a lot of charitable and community organizations looking to raise money, from preschools and Air Cadets to Irish dancing groups.
The Ukrainian women at Baba's Homestyle Perogies in #yxe showing me how it's done! #pinching#local#omnomnompic.twitter.com/S39p5bnSIy
— Victoria Dinh (@vicdinh) December 7, 2016
But while the perogies are beloved, Engel told CBC News that their recipe is nothing special.
"Our recipes are not that different than anybody's own baba would make in their own kitchen."
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