U.P.er’s Diner

U.P.er’s Diner – Coming Soon – December 15

1015 Commercial Street.

Another new restaurant is coming to Commercial Street!

Yippee! Or should I say Yoopee … I mean, Yooper?

OK, this takes some explaining …

Think Michigan. Think Upper Peninsula.

U.P.ers (or Yoopers) are what they call people who live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Apparently Yoopers make and eat pastys (pronounced with a short a). This dish consists of a pastry crust with meat and potatoes baked inside. Pastys originated in Cornwall, England.

On December 15, George and Diane Wells will open the restaurant in the former Wheat State Pizza building (the old S’ghetti’s building.)

Diane is from the Upper Peninsula, and the Wells’ have lived in Emporia for some time now, but visit Michigan every year.

“I worked for Modine for 32 years and they closed,” George told me, “so that has given me a chance to do this.”

Diane and their daughter, Wanda, will do most of the cooking; George will do the smokin’ – he’ll make the ribs and the brisket.

They’ll serve the pastys and things like homemade chicken and noodles and hot beef sandwiches. And mashed potatoes. Real mashed potatoes, George said. (Once he said real mashed potatoes, I started drooling.) He said that everything will be homemade – fresh, not frozen.

It’ll be another three weeks till they’re open. Stay tuned… I’ll give you a heads-up in mid-December.