Wichita diners have easy access to all kinds of dumplings that originated in other countries: Chinese wontons. Indian samosas. Korean mandu. Spanish empanadas. Japanese gyoza.

But until recently, Wichita would have been hard pressed to find Polish pierogi — traditional dumplings stuffed with potatoes and cheese that are a staple in Polish homes.

Back in September, when the summer season had already wound down at the Saturday-morning Old Town Farm & Art Market in Wichita, Caroline Brzuszek-Egan and her husband, Matt Egan, became tenants and launched their new business — Polka Pierogi.

Caroline was born in Poland but moved to New York City when she was 3, and she met her husband when both were living there. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the couple decided to relocate to Kansas — Matt grew up in El Dorado — and they had a baby in November of 2022.

But Caroline started to miss the Polish food she grew up eating and that she could find so easily in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood — a Polish enclave overflowing with Polish cuisine, especially pierogi.

“Pierogi is something you learn how to do when you’re in a Polish household,” Caroline said. “We make them for Christmas, for Easter and for special occasions. That’s just something you grow up watching your mom and aunts and grandma and cousins make.”

Caroline decided she’d like to share pierogi with Wichita, and the couple decided to start a business. They found a commercial kitchen where Caroline could prepare the dumplings, and they rented space in the center of the farmers market, next to the other vendors who serve ready-to-eat items. Each week until the market closed in December, Caroline would bring her pierogi, and when the market reopened for the season two weeks ago, she relaunched the business, selling out before 11 a.m.

Caroline pan fries the pierogi, which are made in advance with homemade dough stuffed with different fillings. Matt, the extrovert in the couple, takes orders from customers.

Every now and then, traditional potato-and-cheese pierogi are on the menu, but Caroline also has come up with fillings she feels will appeal more to an American palate: chipotle chicken, potato with feta and garlic, or a pizza-themed pierogi stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella and kielbasa bits. She also makes sweet pierogi: strawberry with chocolate hazelnut sauce or apple with homemade caramel sauce. Blueberry pierogi are also a crowd favorite, Caroline said. One order contains three pierogi. The flavors switch from week to week.

Caroline said she wasn’t sure if Kansas would embrace her Polish fare, but the reception at the market has been “surprisingly very positive.” She’s already developed a following of loyal customers who come back week after week.

“I really did not expect so many people to be like, ‘Oh, I love pierogi. I always wished there was somewhere that made them fresh.’”

The couple plans to be at the market most every Saturday through the rest of the season, Caroline said. The only reason they’d miss it is if they have trouble finding care for their 16-month-old daughter. People can find out which flavors they’ll be offering on their social media channels: Polka Pierogi on Facebook and polka_pierogi on Instagram.

Though she’s satisfied with the market for now, Caroline said, she does have a bigger dream for her pierogi business. Eventually, she’d like to start a brick-and-mortar “Pierogarnia” — a shop that just serves pierogi all day. People would be able to stop in to order the dumplings on the go or grab a dozen and take them home.

“That would be my dream,” she said.

The Old Town Farm & Art Market is open Saturdays through Dec. 21. It’s at First and Mosley, and the hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - 2:10 p.m. Update: Severe storms are still expected later this evening and into the night for parts of the state.

Storms could begin between the Hays to Dodge City corridor around 7-9 p.m. and move to the northeast after developing.

There will be a threat of a tornado or two once the activity gets underway, but that should be confined to the late evening across central and western Kansas.

Although south central Kansas and the I-135 corridor will have a chance for storms well after midnight, it seems less favorable for tornadoes and more likely for some quarter-size hail and wind gusts to around 60.

It is a mild Monday morning with wake-up temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Later today will follow suit as highs climb into the lower to middle 80s, or 15 degrees above average for middle April.

As a potent storm system moves across Kansas today, shower and storm chances will begin to climb, and some will be severe. Isolated storms after 7 pm should become more numerous after midnight and last into Tuesday morning. The strongest storms will be capable of producing large hail up to the size of tennis balls, and wind gusts up to 75 mph. While anyone east of a Hays to Greensburg line may see severe weather tonight, the best odds are over north-central Kansas.

Warm and gusty winds will remain in place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Highs in the lower 80s tomorrow will be followed by a warm Wednesday in the upper 70s alongside west/southwest winds between 20 and 40 mph.

A powerful cold front will sweep across Kansas on Thursday. While a few showers and/or storms are possible, the bigger story will be the dramatic temp drop with expected high temperatures in the 50s and 60s on Friday and Saturday.

Today: Becoming mostly cloudy, windy, and warm. Wind: SE/S 20-30; gusty. High: 83.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, storms possible after 1 a.m. Wind: S 20-30; gusty. Low: 60.

Tomorrow: Partly cloudy and windy. Wind: SW/W 20-35; gusty. High: 81.

Wed: Low: 52. High: 77. Mostly sunny.

Thu: Low: 53. High: 74. Mostly cloudy and breezy.

Fri: Low: 43. High: 64. Mostly cloudy, cooler.

Sat: Low: 40. High: 58. Morning rain, otherwise cloudy and cool.

Sun: Low: 37. High: 62. Partly cloudy.

Copyright 2024 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email [email protected]

MONDAY AM UPDATE:

Another warm day on the way with wind picking back up for all of KAKEland. The vast majority of the day, Monday, will be dry with storms not expected until late in the day and into the overnight. Ingredients will be such, that storms could easily turn severe with large hail, high wind and even tornadoes possible! See the timing of today's storms in the post below:

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Wind will be out of the south today across much of KAKEland and that will be enhancing the moisture across North and South Central Kansas. That moisture will help fuel the late day storms.

At this time, it appears that the storms will fire up along a dry line in the vicinity of US-283. the big question is, when will they fire up? If the storms manage to break the late afternoon cap, they could rapidly turn severe. The most likely threats will be large hail stones, possibly larger than eggs, about 2"! In addition to hail, high wind gusts over 60mph and tornadoes possible.

If storms do not fire up in the afternoon, they will likely develop during the overnight hours as the area of low pressure slides east and atmospheric forcing increases. These storms could still pack a punch into the overnight and into very early Tuesday morning.

Much of the storm activity is expected late, while many may be sleeping. It is important to have a way of receiving alerts should they be necessary while you are sleeping. The KAKE First Alert Weather App and a NOAA Weather Radio are great resources for times like this.

Stay tuned for details as the forecast evolves. We’ll keep you up to date with our Interactive Radar and LIVE weather coverage. Get those features and more on the free First Alert Weather App. With the app you can track storms in your area, stream the latest forecast videos and live severe weather coverage, and set customized alerts to keep you and your family informed and safe.

In the event of severe weather, click here to follow KAKE First Alert Storm Trackers in the field.

SUNDAY AM UPDATE:

After a weekend full of summer warmth in the 80s and 90s, our focus now turns to the potential for strong to severe storms on Monday. Posts about this severe threat have been circulating around on social media for days now, but these posts were made far outside of our window of accuracy. We are now within that window, where weather models are starting to agree and fine tune the details regarding our Monday severe threat. Here are our thoughts as of this morning.

Temperatures are expected to be on the warm side again tomorrow with highs topping out in the 80s for most. Warmer air can hold more water, and moisture is a key ingredient for strong storms. Dew point temperatures are great to look at when it comes to observing how much moisture is present in the atmosphere. The higher the number, the more moisture in the atmosphere. Whenever this number gets to 60°, it starts to feel humid and sticky out. This is exactly what we are expecting Monday PM, thus we will have enough moisture for thunderstorms to develop.

Instability and lift are the other key ingredients which we will have present tomorrow. Due to the level of unstable instability in the atmosphere tomorrow, we are expecting large hail to be one of the primary threats. The potential for a few tornadoes is also looking pretty likely so PLEASE stay weather aware tomorrow. Wind gusts will likely exceed 65 mph within these storms if they turn severe, too.

In terms of timing, storms are expected to fire up Monday evening. Most will likely not develop until after sunset and will continue to linger into the overnight hours. This is a BIG concern because a large portion of these storms will take place when many people are sleeping. Please have several ways to receive alerts and do NOT rely on outdoor tornado sirens. They are meant to warn people who are outdoors, and not people indoors. A weather radio is a great option and our KAKE First Alert Weather App is very useful. It will notify you of alerts and will give you an audible warning if you leave your volume on while sleeping.

Please continue to check back here for more updates as we fine tune the forecast.

Meteorologist Brittany Foster

@BrittFosterWx

[email protected]

Nurses at two Ascension Via Christi hospitals in Wichita worked their first day with a union contract Tuesday. They say it only happened after the recent threat of a third strike was slid under the doors of managers who wouldn’t meet with them face-to-face.

“I believe that Ascension really drug their feet and I think their goal in that was to discourage us nurses and it did not. It just made us stronger, made us push harder and they realized at one point that we were not letting up,” said Marvin Ruckle, a registered nurse in the St. Joseph neonatal intensive care unit and member of the bargaining team.

Lisa Watson, a registered nurse in the medical ICU at St. Francis and member of the bargaining team, laughed when asked why it took more than a year to hash out a contract.

“The nurses were ready a long time ago,” Watson said. “I think this process could have been shortened greatly if administration had done more than the minimum of meeting once a month to be considered in good bargaining. Our two strikes is what pushed Ascension to get this done. They did not want a third strike. This is what got them to the bargaining table to be serious about making improvements to our patient care.”

An Ascension spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

St. Joseph nurses voted in March 2023, a few months after St. Francis voted, in favor of joining the National Nurses Organizing Commission, an affiliate of the National Nurses United.

Nurses said it wanted to improve working conditions for them and safety for their patients.

The two hospitals have roughly 1,000 nurses.

Among the union member nurses, 96% percent at St. Francis and all of them at St. Joseph voted Sunday and Monday to the ratified contract, which started Tuesday and runs through April 2026.

The vote followed meetings last Tuesday and Wednesday between the bargaining teams at both hospitals and administrators, who had not met with nurses from both hospitals at the same time up until that point, Ruckle said.

“That was a huge, huge turn of events for us,” he said.

Those negotiations only happened after nurses threatened a third strike a few weeks before that, nurses said.

A National Nurses United spokesperson said the contract would be available to the public once it had been through a “fine-toothed combing and getting it to a printer to make copies for all the nurses,” which could take up to a couple months.

But here are the highlights that nurses said are in the contract:

Increased pay: Every nurse will see a pay increase and the average will be just over 14% over two years; some nurses will receive over 50%. Watson said this will help with retaining and attracting new nurses. Kansas has more than 20,000 active licenses than the number of nurses practicing in Kansas, according to the most-recently available statistics.

“We have raised the bar through all the hospitals throughout Wichita and our surrounding areas,” said Shelly Rader, a registered nurse at St. Francis’ emergency room who is on the bargaining team. “So we believe with us raising the bar, this is going to incentive the nurses to come to the hospital, to want to work, because they will be under the understand that with this contract, they will be able to have a voice.”

Accountability to nurses: The establishment of two committees that will get reports from Ascension, showing things like nursing staffing levels and whether cameras in the parking lot are working.

“Now they have to provide that to us,” Watson said. “We’re going to see that big picture and they are going to have to provide us stuff they never provided us before, which is great because we can hold them accountable now.”

Staffing ratios: There will also now be specific ratios of patients to nurses in units throughout the hospitals. Those ratios, nurses said, were standards Ascension reported but didn’t adhere too.

Those ratios include: 2-to-1 patients to nurses in the ICU, 5-to-1 in medical surgical unit and 4-to-1 in the emergency room.

Rader said the ratio at St. Francis emergency room was close to 11-to-1 on Monday night.

The higher levels, nurses say, are dangerous for them and for patients.

Restrictions on floating nurses: Nurses said before the contract, Ascension would rotate nurses specialized in one unit to ones they had no experience in. That practice is restricted in the new contract. Nurses can be floated to another unit that is comparable to the one they are usually assigned. Nurses said the old practice was dangerous for themselves and patients.

Nurses said there are still things they want to see changed, but the contract is a step in the right direction.

“This is what the nurses wanted ... we went to the bargaining table with every single nurse, every single department in mind,” Watson said. “We know that it’s not perfect, and we know there’s a lot of places for improvements, but this is the first contract and we can only move up from here.”

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June 27, 2023 11:50 AM