Tastemakers Rick Coates 6/29/09 Cousin Jenny’s Cornish Pasties Cornish pasties were developed in Cornwall, England as a hearty meal for tin miners. They were easy to carry and easy to eat. When the tin mines stopped producing, the Cornish people migrated to Canada and the Upper Peninsula to mine copper and iron ore and they brought their Cornish pasties recipes with them. Jerliyn DeBoer brought the tradition with her to Traverse City when she moved from the Upper Peninsula and opened Cousin Jenny’s on May 26, 1984 on Front Street (where Good Harbor Coffee is today). After 25 years, she has sold 1.8 million of the popular homemade pasties and has employed 150 mostly college and high school students. Her secret to success: “Making everything fresh. I arrive every morning at 3 a.m. to make the pastry dough from scratch,” said DeBoer. “I also have listened to my customers over the years and given them what they wanted.”
The Blue Pelican Inn Flies High By Nancy Krcek Allen 6/29/090
Chris Corbett needed something to do, so he opened a restaurant in Central Lake in 2003. When the five-year-old Blue Pelican burned down on July 29, 2008, Corbett didn’t miss a beat. He and his wife Merrie restored the restaurant, added a new sunroom and kitchen, and changed its name to The Blue Pelican Room.
