We were lucky to catch up with Max Glassman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Max thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I believe the reason behind why I started Pierogi Papi is centered around two key thoughts. Bringing Polish cuisine to a wider audience and discovering my own culture through cooking recipes of my grandma’s that I didn’t get to cook with her while she was still around.

Polish cuisine is often forgotten about in the gigantic cityscape that Chicago is. With so many beautiful cultures mingling within the food scene of the Windy City it’s surprising that Polish food doesn’t typically get the spotlight it deserves. Especially from young millennials like myself. I wanted to show that this “old world” fare didn’t have to just be appreciated by the old guard of Chicago, but also everyone else in between as well!

Within that experience I’ve also been able to learn more about my culture and the cuisine that represents it!
Asking my father about old recipes of my Busia Rose’s has dug up old stories of my dad cooking with his mother; an experience that drives the passion behind Pierogi Papi.

Max, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Pierogi Papi is a Pop-Up started from 13 years cooking experience in kitchens and a desire to see what I could achieve with that experience and passion. I’ve always had a desire to create whether it was drawing as a kid or building legos.
When I was introduced to cooking, it took that desire to create to a whole other level. Getting to see something go from a scribble on a notepad to a full menu item pushed me to have ideas that weren’t just confined to paper but ideas that could one day hopefully fit on a plate that I was pushing out of the hot window.
After working almost every job you can within a restaurant I wanted to create for myself. That’s where Pierogi Papi began. And now we continue to create and try to represent Avondale as best we can!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Oddly enough, word of mouth. When I see a new face come to the pop up I’ll ask how did they find out about us; three times out of five it’s a friend of someone who has supported us in the past. In a day and age where social media influencers and moguls steer the flow, it’s nice to know that word of mouth still has power.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pierogi Papi itself is a pivot. I was getting burnt out from the industry sadly and doing the pop up was a space where I was able to still find joy in cooking.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: pierogipapichi

Image Credits

Tony Fisher