Community Spotlight: The Pasty Project

Since 1995, The Pasty Project at St. Joseph’s in Crosby has filled the stomachs of local families. The idea came from three members in the Council of Catholic Women who organized a group to bake 890 pasties over six weeks. Today, however, the Pasty Project has developed into more making 700 pasties a week.

Starting at the end of September, the pasty marathon assembles for a length of five weeks creating these traditional treats.

The manner and shape of the pasty came about as the perfect size to be packed in the lunchbox of men who were going to work in the mines. And since then, the process has developed into a mass production of assembly lines.

Tuesday morning is prep day. Volunteers gather to slice, dice, peel, mix and prepare the ingredients for the orders that week. Then Wednesday is baking day. Working from about 7 AM until about 3PM they gather to finish the orders that go out later that day.

With their ovens holding ten pans of ten pasties each and baking for an hour, 700 has been the maximum amount they can make a week, but that hasn’t stopped them from offering other food items.

And since last year when they started offering gravy, they have sold up to 190 containers each week. But at the end of October it’s time for this group to say goodbye and until next year.