(air whoosh) - I'm Jake, and this is the Chardon Polka Band.

(tuba tooting) Since I was 16, polka music has been my job.

And at that job, I get into some pretty crazy stuff.

There's Mitch, Mike, Brian and Bob.

You never know what we're gonna do, or who we might run into.

But, we're gonna share it all with you on "The World According to Polka."

(tuba tooting) (air whoosh) (wheels skidding off) Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, where are we today?

Have I've expired and gone to some kind of polka heaven?

No.

In fact, I'm very much alive.

And I'm in a bakery today with my good friend, Lidia.

Lidia is an amazing gal.

We met out on the polka road- - Absolutely.

- Many years ago, been together ever since.

But tell me what is this bakery, specifically?

- So, we are Rudy's Strudel Bakery in the part of Polish Village.

In beautiful Parma, Ohio!

- I love it, I love it.

Now, where did this bakery get its start?

How long has it been here?

- 76 years.

- What?!

- I know!

I'm aging well.

- Yes, you are.

- Thanks.

- But it wasn't you 76 years ago?

- No, it was started, Rudy and Anne Belohlavek, who are immigrants from Austria and Hungry, and they started on the west side of Cleveland, 44th and Storer.

- Okay.

- Yeah, so then my parents bought the bakery the year I was born.

- Aw!

- So, my bed was behind the oven.

One of my first memories in life was making kolachki.

So like, true-blood.

- Oh!

I love it.

So, you've got that lifetime experience.

What are we making today?

- It is all about the P-word my friends.

It is paczki, paczki, paczki!

Paczki is what I call a perfect package of "Pre", pre being the main word, Lenten fun.

- Okay.

- We had to get rid of all our jellies, our jams, all the dairy, the eggs, so we're not tempted for six weeks.

- [Jake] You gotta get ridiculous of all that good stuff.

- [Lydia] They gotta go.

- That's a little bit about what paczki is.

What about what it's not?

You don't- - It is not...

I have to, I already know where we’re going - You take this personally.

- [Lidia] It is not a donut!

- [Jake] Paczki is not a donut.

In fact, it's more decadent, and delicious- - [Lidia] Absolutely.

- [Jake] Than a donut- - [Lidia] For sure.

Quadruple the eggs, the butter, the filling.

(screen monster goggling) - Before I get started to try to make some of these, we're gonna also get y'all started with a classic polka to go with this classic polka food.

(polka music begins) ("Polish Girlfriend" by Chardon Polka Band) (polka band music continues) ♪ I've got a Polish girlfriend ♪ She looks a lot like you ♪ She's kind of nice, she's got lovely blue eyes ♪ ♪ I love her and she loves me, too ♪ ♪ I like to call her Baby ♪ She’d liked to marry me ♪ It won’t be long now ♪ My Polish girlfriend together we will be ♪ ♪ Oh, yes we will ♪ It won’t be long now ♪ My Polish girlfriend, together we will be ♪ (polka music continues) (Jake shouting out) (polka music continues) ♪ I've got a Polish girlfriend ♪ She looks a lot like you ♪ She's kind of nice, she's got lovely blue eyes ♪ ♪ I love her and she loves me, too ♪ ♪ I like to call her Baby ♪ She liked to take my name ♪ It won’t be long now, my Polish girlfriend ♪ ♪ Our names will the same, oh yeah, they will ♪ ♪ It won’t be long now, my Polish girlfriend ♪ ♪ Our names will be the same (polka music closes) (audience applauding and cheering) - That was the Chardon Polka Band playing us some polka.

And now, I'm gonna go in the back and try to make some paczki.

But remind us, why are we making them?

Because there's a special day that's about to happen.

- It's Paczki Day!

- I love it.

Now, what happens here?

- [Lidia] We open at 5 a.m. - [Jake] What?

(clock chiming) - [Lidia] Lines start about 2 a.m., 3 a.m. in chairs, absolutely.

- [Jake] What?

There are people out there at 3 a.m.?

- [Lidia] Oh in snow, rain.

It doesn't matter.

- I can't believe it, it sounds like an incredible time.

And paczki is the reason for the season.

- Absolutely.

- And, I'm gonna go and try to make some of these things.

(tuba music) - All right, so we're onto our first step in making paczki today.

And I am here with my buddy, Caron.

He's gonna show us how to make the dough.

How long have you've been making dough?

- Oh, my God, 50 years.

- Woo!

(Caron chuckling) - So, we are here with the dough master.

(Caron chuckling) All right, how do we do it?

- So I got butter, I got some yeast, I got sugar in here, some vanilla.

We're gonna put that in there.

Okay, and over here I got some buttermilk.

And so, this dough is extremely rich.

(milk pouring) And here we have starter, which is just flour and water that's been fermenting for a few days, so it gives it a tremendous flavor.

- We like fermentation.

- [Caron] Put that in there.

And we're just pouring in the egg yolks here.

- Now this thing we're pouring everything into, it looks like some sort of giant, industrial, like concrete machine.

- It's a 140 quart mixer.

What we got here is about 80 quarts.

- [Jake] Okay.

- And this does the job.

It mixes about 150 of dough.

That will make 150 dozen.

And then we can put the water in, too.

- [Jake] I love it.

- And, we mix it.

- Okay.

(mixer humming) - [Caron] So, this will mix for about 10 minutes.

And then, we're gonna let it rest for about an hour.

- [Jake] After the dough rests for an hour, we get to use a machine called a "Rounder."

And this is when we see the dough start to take that paczki shape.

(tuba music) (kneading dough) Push the dough on the plate.

- Okay.

All right, I get it, I gotta get in there.

- Yeah, there you - (chuckling) All right, perfect.

- Then what do I do with it?

- Then we put it in the machine.

And this machine will cut it into 36 equal pieces and round them up into 36 little balls.

But like hard rolls and different kind of rolls, it'll make, too.

(hitting lever) - Oh, wow!

(machine rustling) (machine shaking) - And...got most of them.

But there you go.

- Check that out.

So that's gonna, that's gonna grow into a paczki?

- Yep, yep.

It more than doubles in size.

They get pretty big.

So now- - Okay.

- The screen goes on this holder here.

And into the fryer.

- [Jake] Oh man, you can hear them go.

- [Caron] Oh yeah.

- [Jake] It didn't look hot.

- [Caron] It takes a few seconds, but then they start to get up and running.

Make that neat little hissy sound.

(chuckling) They'll fry about, a little less than two minutes per side.

So after about two minutes, we're gonna flip 'em, and they fry the rest of the way.

- [Jake] Look at that, look at them bob up and down there.

(Caron chuckling) It's like their own little swimming pool.

- [Caron] Yeah.

- [Jake] I don't know about you, but I love to watch this dough fry to its golden perfection.

- And that's it.

Let them drain there a little bit.

And then, they'll go into the filling room.

- [Jake] All right.

(Caron chuckling) - Well Caron, this has been awesome.

I have had a phenomenal time learning about these things, and learning about the dough with you.

So, thanks for helping us out, man.

- Excellent, all right.

Glad to be there, thanks so much.

(upbeat polka music) - Good stuff is happening.

We're making paczki today on the show.

But, we're also making music.

So, here's another song from the Chardon Polka Band.

(band begins playing) ("Tic Toc Polka" by The Chardon Polka Band.)

(opening band music) ♪ Tic tic tic toc holds the clock on the wall ♪ ♪ As we’re dancing the evening away ♪ ♪ Tic tic tic toc goes my heart with the clock ♪ ♪ Keeping time while the music is played ♪ ♪ Tic tic tic toc is the rhythm it makes ♪ ♪ And I know it won't make you feel blue, woo ♪ ♪ Tic tic tic toc goes my heart with the clock ♪ ♪ 'Cause it knows that I'm dancing with you ♪ (polka band music continues) (polka band music continues) (polka band music continues) (polka band music continues) ♪ Tic tic tic toc goes the clock on the wall ♪ ♪ As we're dancing the evening away ♪ ♪ Hey, hey ♪ Tic tic tic toc goes my heart with the clock ♪ ♪ Keeping time while the music is played ♪ ♪ Woo, hey ♪ Tic tic tic toc is the rhythm it makes ♪ ♪ And I know it won't make you feel blue ♪ ♪ Woo-oo ♪ Tic tic tic toc goes my heart with clock ♪ ♪ Because it knows that I'm dancing with you ♪ (music closes out) (audience applauding and cheering) - All right, friends and neighbors.

Now I'm here with my new best friend...Jill!

- Yes.

(chuckling) Jill!

And you are in charge of the stuffing?

- The filling, yep, mm-hm.

- The filling, the filling.

I would like to know if you had the option of having a pet that was either an alligator with no teeth, or a porcupine with no needles, which one of those pets would you rather have?

- Oh my goodness, maybe the porcupine.

- [Jake] Really?

- Maybe, yeah.

- It's just gonna look strange, though.

- Probably, that's good.

- Yeah, okay.

- It's all good, it's all good.

(chuckling) - At least now we know each other.

- All right.

- We know where we stand.

I'm an alligator guy.

- Okay.

- Alligator, no teeth.

But, 'cause it still would be intimidating.

- True, very true.

- All right, now this looks like an intimidating job to me.

You have how many paczki are in this room?

- [Jill] Oh my gosh, thousands.

(laughing) - [Jake] And they...look at them.

They're like filling them up, bam, bam, bam, bam.

- Yeah this is...they're already cooled down.

They're off the rack, we put them in the boxes.

You go through and you make the holes.

- You just poke them with a stick?

- [Jill] Yeah, we're gonna prepare it for the filling bag.

And I got a filling bag here.

This is our rose petal raspberry mix.

So we start here.

I'm just gonna go right into the hole that we just made with our poker.

We're gonna slide all the way into the bottom.

Give a tight squeeze.

I'm gonna hold it here at the top, so it doesn't come out of the bottom, and just give a little bit of squeeze down there.

And as you see it, it will slowly expand.

And, we'll pull it up as we're going.

- Oh, wow!

- And now it's full.

You can take out- - Oh my goodness, that's a- - And you can feel a good weight to it, nice and heavy.

- All right, we're gonna- - Versus a hollow, empty one.

- Okay.

(Jill chuckling) This is a science.

- It is.

- And, an art.

- It takes a lot of practice.

You wanna give it a try?

- You know what?

You said it takes - Yep.

- a lot of practice.

(Jill chuckling) - [Jill] Just slide it right in there, don't be afraid.

- [Jake] Okay.

- [Jill] Okay.

- [Jake] Oh, there you go.

- [Jill] There you go.

- Like milking a cow.

- Yeah, and watch it expand.

- [Jake] I mean, this is a real art.

- [Jill] Absolutely.

- [Jake] This isn't something you get at a factory.

- [Jill] No, you don't want mass-produced.

You want a customized art.

Everybody takes a lot of training to get their practice in.

- You know, it's like music.

You wouldn't...you know.

You don't design music at a factory, you make it.

- Exactly.

- You want that individual experience.

- [Jill] Yes.

- [Jake] Do you care if I try another one?

- No, you can finish the whole box.

We have a lot to finish today.

(chuckling) - [Jake] I don't think you have time for me to finish this whole box.

Oh yeah, I think that one's good.

- All right, you got it mastered?

- Yeah, tell me that's a perfect.

- Oh no, that's great.

- That's perfect paczki?

- That's nice and heavy, very heavy, perfect.

- You gonna frame that?

- Absolutely.

- You can take these home, if you want.

(Jill laughing) - Is that your way of saying you don't wanna sell these to customers?

(Jill laughing) - Yeah, I'm gonna give you your- - Yep- - Your, your- - Set it down.

- Device back.

Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- I really appreciate it, Jill.

This is phenomenal.

Y'all are doing some of the most important work in Cleveland at this time of year.

(Jill laughing) This is it, this is where the magic happens, folks.

(polka band music) Ladies and gentlemen, you are watching "The World According to Polka."

And today, we're making paczki, here at Rudy's Strudel in Parma, Ohio.

Now, paczki are a Polish dessert.

And you find them a lot around the pre-Lenten season.

But if we're gonna have Polish food, we wanna have Polish music.

Which is why we brought in a couple of ringers.

Because Polish music really isn't my thing.

But it's y'all's thing.

- Yes, it is.

- I've got two good friends here.

I got...hold on, hold on.

I got one good friend here, Paul Hupalowsky.

And then we have Kenny- - Yes.

- Who I've also known for many, many years.

And y'all are gonna help us out with some Polish music, right?

- Yes.

- Absolutely, Polish polkas.

- All right, let me get the accordion and we'll jam.

(polka music begins) (polka music continues) - Woo hoo!

(polka music continues) - Ah-ha!

(singing in Polish) Pukaj Jasiu W okienieczko (singing in Polish) Pukaj Jasiu dzwi ♪ Johnny knocking on the window ♪ ♪ Knocking on my door (singing in Polish) Moja mila najmilejsza (singing in Polish) Prosze otworz mi ♪ Saying, "Please open up, my honey" ♪ ♪ Open up once more (singing in Polish) Otworz mila nie badz taka (singing in Polish) Mam cos dla ciebie ♪ Open honey ♪ Don't be like that, got something for you ♪ (singing in Polish) Piekny sliczne pieszczoneczek (singing in Polish) Ozeniemy sie ♪ Sparkling ring with big white diamond ♪ ♪ And my love for you (polka band music continues) - Beautiful.

- That was.

That was something else, guys.

Thank you for, thank you for enjoying this experience with me.

- My pleasure.

- I take back everything I've...

Almost everything I've ever said about this guy- - In front of my face.

- Maybe you are a friend, after all.

(all chuckling) - All right, ladies and gentlemen, when we see y'all again, the audience here, Rudy's Strudel is gonna be Paczki Day.

It's gonna be crazy, it's gonna be fun.

It's gonna be exciting.

Now guys, woo!

Before I wrap up today, can you guys jam?

Jam on one more?

- [Paul] One more, we can do that.

- All right, lets do it.

("Cavalier Polka" played by Paul Hupalowsky and Kenny Rybka) (singing in Polish) Hej, hej, kawalerowie (singing in a Polish) Nie zawracaycie - Woo hoo!

(singing in Polish) Dziewczynie glowe (singing in Polish) glowe, glowe, Hej hej (singing in Polish) kawalerowie (singing in Polish) Nie zawracaycie (singing in Polish) Dziewczynie glowe (Paul singing in Polish) Kolo mego miasteczka (Paul singing in Polish) Stalamloda dziewczyna (Paul singing in Polish) Ej piekna byla (Paul singing in Polish) Piekna jak laleczka (Paul singing in Polish) Ale byla za mloda (Paul singing in Polish) Ej piekna byla - [Jake] Neither paczki or Paczki Day are exclusive to Ohio.

(Polish singing continues) Folks all over the place get into this decadent dough.

And, we're gonna hear from a few of them now.

- I love paczkis and I get mine at Grebe's in Wausau, Wisconsin.

- I love paczkis because they have this rich, brioche-like dough, and it's really nice and chewy.

And the gooey filling that's inside is so yummy.

And my favorite flavors are custard, plum and lemon.

I love paczkis so much so, that in 2022 when Grebe's had their first ever Paczki-Eating Competition, I entered and I won!

Yes, I'm the Paczki Queen.

- Hi, I'm Allyson, and I'm the owner of Fatty's Bakery in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Originally, I'm from Cleveland, Ohio.

My mother is Polish, my grandparents were Polish, my mom's cousins had a polka band.

And, I make paczkis.

Why?

Because paczkis are in my blood.

So every year, Fat Tuesday, I bring the paczki to our local Las Vegans.

They come in, we reminiscence.

We talk about where they're from.

We kind of bond over our Eastern European heritage.

And that, like the paczki, is pretty special.

(polka band music ends) (group applauding) (Lidia laughing) - That's a nice touch.

(group applauding) We're about to join the Paczki Day celebration here at Rudy's.

But first, another song from the Chardon Polka Band.

(polka band begins playing) ("I'm Into Something Good" played by Chardon Polka Band) (band playing polka music) ♪ Woke up this morning and feeling fine ♪ ♪ Well, there's someone special on my mind ♪ ♪ Last night I met a new girl out in the neighborhood ♪ ♪ Something tells me I'm into something good ♪ ♪ She's the kind of girl who would not be shy ♪ ♪ And I can tell I'm her kind of guy ♪ ♪ Well, she danced close to me like I hoped she would ♪ ♪ Something tells me I'm into something good ♪ ♪ We only danced for a minute or two ♪ ♪ But then she stuck close to me the whole night through ♪ ♪ Could I be falling in love?

♪ She's everything I've been dreaming of ♪ (tuba solo) ♪ I walked her home and she held my hand ♪ ♪ I knew it couldn't be just a one night stand ♪ ♪ So, I asked to see her next week ♪ ♪ She told me I could ♪ Something tells me I'm into something good ♪ (polka band playing highlighting saxophone) (polka band playing highlighting guitar) ♪ Walked home, she held my hand ♪ ♪ I knew it couldn't be just a one-night-stand ♪ ♪ So, I asked to see her next week ♪ ♪ She told me I could ♪ Something tells me I'm into something good ♪ ♪ Something tells me I'm into something good ♪ ♪ Something tells me I'm into something good ♪ (polka band closes) (audience applauding) - The sun isn't even out yet, but we are.

It's Paczki Day!

Oh my goodness, bright-eyed and busy-tailed.

I'm here with my- - My time, bushy-tailed Connie Zavatsky!

- Connie, how long have you've been here?

- Oh man, it's been about an hour and a half.

Yeah?

(both chuckling) - Yeah, yeah.

- So, you got here, what?

Five in the morning?

- 5:30.

- What do you got here, brother.

- I got a whole bunch of paczki here.

I'm taking these to work, we're gonna have a good time.

- Have a great day.

(Connie yelping call-out) - [Jake] Woo-hoo!

(Connie yelping call-out) (Connie laughing) - Folks are lined up out the door for some of that paczki goodness here today.

Ladies and gentlemen.

It's not just about the food.

It's about the tradition, the community.

It's about the love.

I'm here with Molly, Miss Dyngus Day 2023.

Polka royalty in the house here at Rudy's today.

Why are we here?

- We're here for Paczki Day, of course.

- What is Paczki Day?

- Paczki Day is Fat Tuesday.

It's the day before lent.

It's a day of celebration and fun.

You're getting everything in, all the fats and sugars before lent starts.

And you're cutting them out.

But, I won't tell if you eat another paczki tomorrow.

(Jake laughing) In bakeries like this all across the country, today lines are out the door.

The excitement is palpible.

All right, we're in the heat of it.

How's it going here?

- It is going great.

We are efficient, we are on top of everything.

Our paczkis are going out the door full of flavor!

(people cheering) - Music, dancing, months of preparation.

And folks lining up outside their favorite bakery in the middle of the night.

You might call that weird, we call it polka.

What do you think this day means for humankind?

- This day means joy, community, and good food.

For me it's special, it makes me think of my family and my friends, who I introduce paczki to all the time, if they had never heard about it.

They never know how to pronounce it.

They look at it, they don't know what it says.

But to me, it just means having a good time coming together.

Places like Rudy's and other bakeries across Northeast Ohio that have this delicacy.

- Reflecting on today's episode... Perhaps the fascination with paczki does not come from what's inside them.

Rather, what's inside of all of us.

(polka band begins) ("Joy To The World" by Chardon Polka Band) ♪ Joy to the world ♪ All the boys and girls ♪ Joy to the fishes in the deep, blue sea ♪ ♪ Joy to you and me ♪ Now, Jeremiah was a bullfrog ♪ Was a good friend of mine ♪ I never understood a single word that he said ♪ ♪ But, helped him drink his wine ♪ ♪ He always had mighty fine wine ♪ ♪ I'm singing joy to the world ♪ All the boys and girls, yeah ♪ Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea ♪ ♪ Joy to you and me Sing this.

(polka band music continues) ♪ Now, if I was the king of the world ♪ ♪ I'd tell you what I would do ♪ I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war ♪ ♪ And make sweet love to you ♪ I said, I'd make sweet love to you ♪ ♪ Singing joy to the world ♪ All the boys and girls, yeah ♪ Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea ♪ ♪ Joy to you and me ♪ Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea ♪ ♪ Joy to you and me (polka band music fades) (group applauding) - If they weren't rich enough already, let's cover them in honey and sugar.

(sugar sifting)