One Of Michigan’s Best Pasty Shops Has Quietly Closed

Once a nominee for Best Pasty in Michigan by USA Today, the owners of this "Up North" favorite have seemingly retired. Here's what we know so far:

Longtime Mackinaw Area Pasty Favorite Quietly Closes

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A Northern Michigan Tradition Ends - Hunt's Mackinaw Pastie & Cookie Co. Closed

However you spell it, pastie or pasty, these steak and rutabaga-filled handheld pies are a Michigan staple. Inspired by the traditional Cornish pasty, our local lore tells us the pasty was a staple of the copper miners in Michigan's cold and unforgiving Upper Peninsula.

Today the tradition has grown and pasties are easily found here across the Lower Peninsula, but if you want Michigan's best pasties you have to go straight "up north" to the source.

A traditional stop for many Michigan families on their way to the U.P. or those simply visiting Mackinaw City, Hunt's Mackinaw Pastie & Cookie Co. since 1983.

Now, visitors are noticing both the family's St. Ignace and Mackinaw City locations are eerily quiet. A post from the Mackinac area-focused Facebook page, MightyMac.org, first alerted me to the closure:

Folks are disappointed to learn that Hunt's Mackinaw Pastie & Cookie Co. in St. Ignace and Mackinaw City quietly closed. Google and TripAdvisor don't even know it closed. The St. Ignace location...has a for sale sign and rumor is that the Mackinaw City location already sold. -- MightyMac.org via Facebook

I hope the Hunts enjoy their well-deserved retirement. As for the restaurant, we'll be watching to see what happens next.