Pastry Road Trip: Amazing Hungarian Pastries From the Back of a Volvo in Grand Rapids, MI
Thursday, October 1, 2009 
Pop Quiz! You're in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Where do you get delicious Hungarian Pastries?
Answer: The back of a Volvo. Naturally. Or should I say, természetesen.
Joking aside though, it's not junk in the trunk of Grand Rapids-based pastrymaker Julianna Mechtler's car: it's a bounty of delicious pastries like walnut, poppy seed and apricot-walnut pastry rolls, cheesy Danish, and various pies and breads. And for 20 years, she's been unloading this deliciousness from the back of her car to a table at the Fulton Street Farmers Market.
Clearly she's been doing something right for all these years: Cake Gumshoes Matthew and Wendy, who first directed me to this Hungarian phenomenon in Grand rapids, state that they "have dreams about" the sour cherry danish, pictured top.
Foodie cartoons? Delicious pastries? It's all enough to make you feel pretty Hungary.
To buy Julianna Mechtler's pastries, visit the Fulton Street Farmers Market, 1145 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, MI 49503, 616) 454-4118 (Hours of Operation: 8:00am - 4:00pm Tuesdays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays May through) Christmas; for more information, visit fultonstreetmarket.org.
michigan, pastry road trip
Reader Comments (5)
You have some great road trips! I emailed this one to my sister who lives near there. Looks delicious!
Oh cool, I used to live there when I was a kid. The only standout foodstuff I remember is the sizzling rice soup and the elephant ears at the Tulip Festival.
This reminds me of the woman who stands at the bank counter and sells THE best oatmeal raisin cookies out of a basket. I bought a dozen with every intention of splitting them with my mom and MIL. Yeh, that never happened.
This pastry looks really interesting. I bet they were delicious!
Yes! I will definitely have to try this bakery out! I live in Grand Rapids & nearly fell off of my chair when I saw you mention GR!