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A meat-and-potato legacy

By R. R. Branstrom 6 min read

ESCANABA -- The traditional culinary icon of the region, transformed into a new format, has changed the game. The Pizzasty, first invented by Marv Szukalowski in 2012 and manufactured by DeBacker’s Dairy since 2026, is now offered by a number of area businesses.

The Pizzasty is a round, cheese-topped food that at first glance looks like a pizza. And it is, in a way, but without traditional pizza ingredients. There’s no marinara; instead, beef gravy is spread upon the crust, followed by potatoes, ground beef, onions and carrots — the same stuff that goes in a pasty. Plus a bit of a three-cheese blend from Wisconsin melted on top.

According to Szukalowski, he had been on a long drive when he stopped for a pasty in Iron River during a blizzard. As he tells it, while finishing his pasty, he looked out the window and could see something through the blowing snow: the light of a sign for Little Caesar’s Hot-N-Ready, which planted an idea in his head to combine two beloved foods.

Once back home in front of a computer, Szukalowski did a bunch of internet searches with a few different variations on keywords to see if anyone already produced a pasty pizza, meat-and-potato pizza, or something similar. He couldn’t find anything.

One hypothesis is because those toppings wouldn’t taste good on a traditional pizza pie with red sauce. The Pizzasty that Szukaloski began making would not use pizza sauce, he decided early on --

“Because everything with marinara tastes like pizza,” Szukalowski said. “And the cool thing is: no acid reflux because your gravy now replaces your your marinara sauce.”

He acknowledged the existence of pizza pasties, which are pizza ingredients inside a pasty shape. The Pizzasty is sort of the opposite.

In order for the ingredients to cook properly, the potatoes and carrots had to be shredded, Szukalowski noted. Otherwise, if he had tried to cook cubed potatoes on top of a pizza, the cheese would burn before the potatoes cooked.

In August of 2013, “Marv’s Pizzasty” kicked off in a big way with a food trailer at the Upper Peninsula State Fair. It surprised some to see the food take off, but Szukalowski was confident he was making a great product. And he sold it well, too -- the following year, he won an award: “Most Congenial and Helpful Concessions” at the 2014 State Fair.

The creation was only a fair food for those two years. It also traveled to the Steam and Gas Engine Show and the National Trappers’ Convention.

Afterwards, Marv began assembling Pizzasties to be sold frozen from his friend’s sub shop. D&M Subs sold the packaged item at their establishment for some time.

However, those involved found out that for the Pizzasty to reach a larger market, it would have to go through a different process and receive approval and a barcode from the USDA.

The Pizzasty faded from the public eye for a while as other things took priority in Szukalowski’s life -- family, business, etc.

But family and friends continued to encourage him to pursue a path to widely market the culinary creation. A couple years ago, Marv dove back into the endeavor.

The creator had figured out the recipe; he just needed a manufacturer and distributor.

One potential partner was Dina Mia Kitchens in Iron River, and Marv communicated with owner Jeff Ofsdahl for a while. Ultimately, however, Pizzasty production in addition to the existing operations at the Iron County business didn’t quite wok.

More recently, Szukalowski, who lives in Kipling, went to DeBacker Dairy, a longstanding business whose owners he had known for a while.

Tracy DeBacker said her first exposure to the Pizzasty had been at the fair over a decade ago. She liked it so much she brought a piece home for her husband, Terry, to try.

“So when he came to us, we were already aware,” Tracy shared. “It was a no-brainer for us. …Most (manufacturers) won’t take on a new product unless it’s gonna make, you know, thousands of pieces. And for us, that’s not how that’s not how we run. We’re small. We try and do everything local.”

Once Szukalowski shared his recipe and showed the DeBacker team how to assemble the Pizzasty, it was smooth sailing.

At first, this spring, the product was sold just from the farm store in Dagget while awaiting USDA approval. When that came through, the Pizzasty was given a barcode and was ready for market distribution.

Elmer’s County Market and Sav-Mor in Escanaba, Pat’s Foods in Gladstone, and Blade’s Bait and Tackle in Kipling all carry the new product. But as Tracy pointed out, DeBacker items are sold in stores in Marquette, Menominee, Ishpeming and beyond; to add the Pizzasty to their lineup, DeBacker Family Dairy is just a phone call away.

“I am happy to see that he's got it in the market,” said Dina Mia Kitchens Owner Jeff Ofsdahl. “(Marv) is a great guy and a true entrepreneur.”

With a bake time of 20 minutes from frozen, the Pizzasty is a quick-and-easy dinner people don’t need to feel guilty about, Szukalowski said. It’s not junk food.

“From freezer to table, you can give your family a meat and potatoes meal. …The carrots still have a little bit of crisp to it. Moms love it because there’s almost a full cup of carrots,” he said. “And again, the bread crust versus the pasty crust. Pasties are awesome, except there’s a lot of lard and butter in the crust, which makes it unhealthier.”

Therefore, he reasoned, the Pizzasty is healthier than either pizza or a pasty. Plus, it smells delicious while cooking, and “when it bakes, the potatoes grab the gravy and it puffs it up.”

A proud moment for Szukalowski and the brand came when Jack’s Restaurant in Rapid River recently chose to start selling the Pizzasty. The addition is a cherished endorsement.

“I brought it to Jack’s for one reason -- to have them try it,” Szukalowski said. “Bobbi (Ryan) and that team is great over there, and I love to bring it somewhere that knows food.”

He’ll soon be giving others the opportunity to try the Pizzasty before buying it blind. Demonstrations at Pat’s Foods on Oct. 16 and at Elmer’s on Nov. 13 will give people the opportunity to try free samples.

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