Keep Your Wallet Fat on Fat Tuesday: Frugal Families

Patch readers can celebrate Fat Tuesday and save some dough.

Mardi Gras, also known as Paczki Day, is next week, March 8th. Don't wait to order your traditional Polish pastries. Enjoi! Bake Shop, Cafe & Catering on Rt. 6 in Channahon makes the very best.

Exclusively to Patch readers, if you mention this story when you call, Enjoi will give you a baker's dozen for the price of 12.

It is hard to live in Chicagoland and not know what a packzi is. It resembles a bismark or filled doughnut, but the dough is entirely different, according to Enjoi Owner Joi Walker.

The traditional way to serve them is rolled in powered sugar. Enjoi also offers a glazed, a powdered sugar and a chocolate or vanilla frosted version.

"We encourage preorders," she said. "Every bakery runs out of them. It's first come first serve."

Last year, Enjoi made 2,000 paczkis. However, now the bakery also has a second location in Morris on the corner of Liberty and Main. This year, they are expecting to make as many as 4,000 she said.

"Most people usually get at least a dozen," she said. "We have companies that may order a hundred and just give them to employees."

One of the reasons why Enjoi's paczkis are the best is the amount of filling. Most bakeries just pipe in a small amount. Enjoi slices the pastry open and completely fills it.

"That's what people are going to want where it's dripping down the sides," Walker explained. "We have many return customers."

The paczkis, pronounced pohnch-ki, are $1.25 each in the following flavors: apricot, blueberry, cherry, chocolate custard, vanilla custard, dutch apple, butter cream, whipped cream, raspberry, poppyseed, plain, lemon, cream cheese and strawberry. Also, the traditional prune or fresh strawberry with cream cheese are $1.50 each.

Kolackys

The other Polish pastry that Enjoi will have only for Fat Tuesday is the prune kolacky. There are smaller, filled with fruit and covered with glaze. All year round, the bakery has these in other flavors including apricot, blueberry, cherry, cream cheese, strawberry cream cheese, and raspberry. Kolackys are $1.05 each.

Daily specials

Frugal families can also take advantage of the $5 specials any day of the week. These change from day to day. These specials are printed on the board inside the bakery.

Enjoi is owned by Joi and her son, Kellen. They took the last two letters from his name and combined it with hers to name the store. The Channahon location has been open for three years. The Morris location opened last August. To place an order, or for more information about menu items or the daily specials, call 815-467-7533.

Don't forget to mention Patch.com for a free paczki with every dozen.