Jun 24 2007
Trenary Toast
Kathy and I were driving down M-52 between Chelsea and Manchester yesterday when nature called. Luckily, a gas station mercifully appeared at the intersection of Pleasant Lake Rd. and M-52.
The station is owned by the Wacker family and it has been in business for 75 years. They serve as something of a general store for the area nearby. They also sell stone statuary. Interestingly, they were the fifth gas station to start selling biodiesel in the whole nation when it first became available. They supply places like the City of Ann Arbor.
The station also stocks a very strange assortment of goods inside. I’ve purchased smoked fish from the U.P. at the gas station before. And during this stop, I picked up a bag of Trenary Toast, just for kicks.
If you don’t know, Trenary Toast is made by the fine folks in Trenary, MI. It is not an extraordinary concept. A combination of cinnamon, sugar and bread is toasted into a treat widely loved across the vast expanses of the U.P. The bread is packed into air-tight brown paper bags and shipped to exotic locales like Marquette, Ishpeming, Baraga and Escanaba.
How on earth this particular bag ended up on the troll-side of the bridge is beyond me, but there it was on the countertop. I can’t say that the stuff is really good. In fact, it kind of rubs the inside of your mouth raw. But I had to buy a bag because of the toast’s mythical power.
G.E. Wacker 75th anniversary article in the Manchester Enterprise (motto: “To go where no newspaper has gone before.” - No joke.):
http://www.manchesterenterprise.com/stories/062107/loc_20070621005.shtml
Here’s the home page of the Trenary Home Bakery:
I disagree ENTIRELY with your line “I can’t say that the stuff is really good. In fact, it kind of rubs the inside of your mouth raw.” I believe (and have since I was a little kid) that Trenary Toast is one of the few God-like foods around! Might I suggest NOT eating it plain? It is best with margarine spread (I can’t believe it’s not butter) on top. I LOVE the stuff with some margarine! Only problem is, because we’re “down south” of where it’s usually sold, I can’t seem to ever find it. My parents bring it home maybe once a year from a little shop they go to that makes pasties and perogies fresh.
Travis!
I may have to give it a second try. I read on the web site that lots of people like to dip it in coffee. Maybe that’s the way to go. Otherwise, I’ll just use them as doorstops around the house:)
Mike