PETOSKEY — Mike and Holly Kotz have been making more than 30 varieties of pierogi and other Polish dishes for about five years at Lost Village Pierogi.
Mike said they have been wanting to introduce Cuban food to their menu, because of his family background.
"I'm Polish and Cuban," he said. "My mom was from Cuba."
Growing up, he said, he had the "best culinary education." His grandmothers taught him to make Polish and Cuban food.
This summer, they launched several new items on their food truck "The Polished Cuban Grill" and recently at their restaurant. Mike said they make a few "banditos," or flatbread sandwiches that can include pork, chicken or just vegetables.
"The pork and chicken are cooked in a mojo marinade," he said. "It's citrus based. It has a lot of garlic, salt and pepper."
The meats are slow cooked and everything is topped with pico de gallo, Mike said. The pork flatbread comes with smoked black beans and corn, a Cuban barbecue sauce and sour cream. The chicken sandwich features pickle, a house-made garlic sauce and cilantro-lime sour cream.
The Cuban side also include a Cuban pork tamale pierogi plate and loaded fries, which Mike said have "a little bit of a kick."
"Cuban is Spanish," he explained. "Many people think it's spicy, but this is not spicy; it's seasoned."
Besides the Cuban menu, Lost Village Pierogi recently added items to the Polish side: smoked pretzel bites, cinnamon apple churro pierogi and "The Falcon Feast" — a combo plate of kielbasa and sauerkraut, a stuffed cabbage roll and a choice of three pierogi.
Holly said her favorite is the chicken bandito because of the garlic and pickle, though she usually eats their Cuban pork with rice.
Though adding to the menu was a challenge at first, Holly said she is glad they can showcase Mike's heritage and cater to customers.
"It's a huge value added for Lost Village because there's so many more things for people to choose from," she said.
Lost Village Pierogi is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m,. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Mike said they sometimes need to close so they can take the food truck to area festivals and events.
For more information and updated hours, visit lostvillagepierogi.com or call 231-622-8016.
[Originally published online and in print Aug. 5, 2023]
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