The Pasty Legacy
The Pasty originated in Cornwall, England from the mining towns in the area with the earliest version of the pasty dating back to the late 13th century. This concept eventually spread across the British Isles from Northern England to areas such as Ireland and Scotland. This is a miner’s food made by the mothers, wives, daughters, and some bakers for the miners to take down and have lunch while working in the hard rock mines. When the Pasty Sellers, mothers, wives, and daughters would arrive at the mine shafts, they would scream “Oggy Oggy Oggy” and the miners would respond by shouting “Oi Oi Oi” to signal that it was lunch time. This has taken shape in modern times in sporting events, mainly soccer, where the fans on one side of the arena would shout “Oggy Oggy Oggy”, while fans on the other side would respond to the chants, shouting “Oi Oi Oi”. The original product had a braid for the miners to hold onto while working so they would not touch the edible products with the chemicals on their hands from the hard rock mining since there were no gloves back in the day. Their hard hats had a light on it, fueled with oil so they could see, which made the hat warm. This allowed for the perfect heating device that the miners would warm their pasties before lunch. As the story goes, they would throw the last bite down the mine shaft to “feed the ghost” as a superstition for the mine to not cave in on them while working.
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As the mines dried up, and the US borders opened, they migrated to northern Michigan and brought the product with them. This is where the founder of The Pasty Kitchen, Bob, took inspiration for the modernization of this concept. Bob then moved to Los Alamitos and opened the first store in 1963, changing the way the pasty was folded to create the modern pasty, a simpler food that could be eaten in your hands by removing the braid and excess bread that was no longer needed, while slowly developing the brand over time in Southern California.
The store was sold to Doug Gilbert, a former employee of Bob, who bought it in 1980, has kept the original tradition alive by making everything the exact same way. The current owner, Michael Richards, has decided to simplify the process through the introduction of a fresh and delicious food commissary to make the lives of the employees easier without compromising the quality of the pasty. The idea is to keep the show alive while spreading the concept to new parts of the country who have never heard of the pasty.
Since its opening in 1963 in Los Alamitos California, the Pasty Kitchen has been known to have the best pasty in town. Each pasty is baked to perfection using secret spice recipe combined with the premier chicken and beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and our freshly baked dough. With our unique recipe and delicious flavor customers are calling us one of the best restaurants in town and perfect for any occasion.
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