4 & 20 Pasty Company - Sarasota

Maranda and I like to try all the little ethnic places around us. When we were on Spring Break we had some time to do this. We stopped at 4 & 20 Pasty Company.
Meat pies are popular in many countries and each having their own version of fillings and crusts. I first came across them when I was working on Mackinac Islands as a teenager. Of course very big in the Upper peninsula and northern Michigan. Introduced in the United States by Cornish miners who immigrated in the 1800's hoping to earn a good living in newly developing mines. Then continued on by the Finns and Swedes each adding their own touch to the pie. The shape and construct of the pasty made it not only portable, but if it should get cold, it would be relatively easy to warm up. In the mine, this was often done by putting the pasty on a shovel and holding it over a head-lamp candle. In the workplace, as pasty wasn't eaten with a fork; it was eaten end to end, held upright to keep the juices in.

We were greeted by the owner Richard Posner. He is a true foodie and is excited to talk about his business and good food. 4 & 20 was created and is run by Richard and his wife Barbara.

He was kind enough to pose for the photo. They offer a few selections of warm and ready to eat pie, and sausage rolls, along with some dessert pies. Most of them come frozen with complete instructions on how to heat them up and enjoy! You can order what you want to pick up, they do a lot of deliveries, and ship too!
I got the chicken Tikka Masala, and Maranda went with the Jamaican pie, the small one.

They have limited amount of seating, and a few tables out front. Most of it is for deliveries, or shipped. When he promotes his business he said he's not quite sure what category it really fits in. He has a few English canned goods, and a large freezer with his whole selection of pies. We got to talking what is the best Indian restaurant in town, and different curry blends, which led to all the good spices that I enjoy. He said his wife does most of the cooking and we were invited in the back.
His wife was joking about not giving out the the recipes! He showed me all their spices and a little how it's all done. I didn't want to intrude too much on them. They were all so nice, but she wouldn't turn for the camera (she said she didn'thave any lipstick on) hehe! I told them that I was going to post it on my blog. Maybe I'll go back for some baking lessons!
It was a beautiful day so we took ours home to enjoyed out by the pool. Maranda ate hers too quickly before I could get a picture of it.
We're off to see what goodies we can find today!