Polish treats abound at Polska Chata

by Sheila LIVADAS, Democrat & Chronicle

WHAT:: Polska Chata European Delicatessen
WHERE:: 32 Vinedale Ave, Rochester, NY 14622
PHONE:: (585) 266-4480
PRICE RANGE:: $1.99 for a jar of apple horseradish to %5.99 for a pound of boczek mysliwski (hunter's bacon). $1.19 for a Polish greeting card.
COMFORT:: Handicapped-accessible. Credit cards accepted. Ukrainian and Polish take-out.

Nestled between a Chinese bakery and a pizzeria on East Ridge Road, Polska Chata European Delicatessen often has customers hovering at the door before opening time - a remarkable accomplishment for a business just five weeks young.

We think there's a big demand for this in Irondequoit. People (here) came from the Old Country, and they might not be that young anymore to make pierogies, said owner Margaret GORNIAK, a bank appraiser who moved to Rochester in 1980.

And we bring in top-quality products, and we've tasted them all, added co-owner Joseph POTOCKI, referring to the duo's tour of Chicago and New York City, where they searched primarily for Polish meats, cheeses and baked goods to stock their coolers.

Newcomers will find deli products ranging from the familiar to the novel. The selection of frozen sweet and savory pierogies is considerable, as is the variety of frozen blintzes ($3.99 to $5.99 a package). Intriguing items found in the deli case include blood sausage known as kiszka ($4.99 a pound) and galabki, large dumplings stuffed with rice, meat and cabbage ($3.99 a pound).

Heavenly baked goods also abound, including sekacz, a towering, shortbread-like treat that must be cut horizontally in order to enjoy its sweet, buttery flavor ($10.99). Apple cake, chocolate layer cake, and poppy-seed pastries resembling jelly rolls (various prices) are also at hand.

Other highlights include hefty blocks of farmer's cheese ($3.99 a pound), sesame-cream fudge ($2.65 a bag), raspberry-wild rose syrup ($4.99), black currant jam ($2.99), beet puree ($2.99), and a dozen types of preserved herring (various prices).

By June 1, Gorniak and Potocki will begin offering from-scratch take-out prepared in the on-site kitchen by a local Ukrainian woman whose identity they prefer to keep under wraps until her debut. The chef is charged with focusing on affordable lunches and dinners that champion the depth of Polish and Ukrainian fare.

In the next few weeks, Potocki also hopes to hang a wooden sign that sums up the business philosophy.

In Polish, this sign says, Our customers are the most expensive thing in our store, Potocki explained. We're here for them.