The Pierogi Place offers Russian dumplings, piroshkies in Woodburn

Pierogi, pelmeni and piroshky are just some of what you can find at The Pierogi Place, now open in Woodburn's Metropolis Marketplace and Venue. The humble stall serves up hundreds of dumplings a day, both fresh and frozen.

Mother and daughter owner duo Sally and Kayleen Kolmogoroff have been running The Pierogi Place for over a year. Their goal is to preserve and share their culture by serving Eastern European foods. Despite the large Slavic population that lives around Woodburn, few places serve any of the cuisine. They hope to inspire others and see more places open and serve other foods too.

The two said it took a few years to get a space, as there was uncertainty about the future of restaurants during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kayleen said she inquired about their current spot in 2020, but it wasn't available. They got the call the spot was available in early 2023 and soft opened a month and a half later.

Kayleen said her mom is the "dumpling genius," as she can hand wrap hundreds of pierogies or pelmeni in an hour. Sally said some people even refer to her as "the pierogi lady."

If you don't see anyone at the front of the stall during open hours, don't worry - they're just in their back area folding dumplings. Between the mother and daughter duo, they also have other family members come in to help. Regularly, it's Sally, Kayleen and Marfa Efimoff (Sally's sister) doing a different step throughout the dumpling making process. From making the dough, rolling it out to be filled or filling and folding dumplings, the operation is extremely efficient.

Pierogi and pelmeni, what's the difference?

As the food stall name suggests, it is the place for pierogi, also called vareniki. The name pierogi is used by those from Poland, Slovakia and others in the western side of the region, while vareniki is used by those in Russia or eastern side.

Pierogies and pelmeni are similar, as they're both types of dumplings, but have different shapes and fillings.

Sally said the moon-shaped ones are pierogi, while the closed ones are pelmeni. Pierogies are potato dumplings (or have similar vegetarian filling) while pelmeni is served with various fillings like beef, chicken and more. An order of pierogi at the food stall starts at $11 and toppings can be added for additional charges. Pelmeni are $15 an order and are boiled, but can be pan seared for an additional dollar.

With the range of fillings and toppings, there are options for vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters, Kayleen said.

Besides dumplings, there is also piroshky, borscht, blini (crepes), house made pastries and even a fusion taco.

Borscht is a beef stew with root vegetables, available for purchase in two sizes. Blini, or crepes, are filled with whipped cream and have a sweet sauce on top. The Oregon berry crepe is one of Kayleen's favorite items on the menu, she said. The housemade pastry selection is made on a rotating basis. For the widest variety, come in early as they quickly sell out, Kayleen said.

The fusion taco, known on the menu as the "Oofda Taco" is an homage to their time living in the Midwest. She said using lepyoshka, an Uzbek fry bread, and heaping on taco toppings would leave the customer in awe of how large (and delicious) the taco is. She said it can be made vegan or vegetarian upon request.

If you're looking to take a taste of The Pierogi Place home, the food stall offers one pound bags of various pierogi, pelmeni, cabbage rolls and farmer's cheese vareniki in the freezer case. Serving cabbage rolls fresh at the food stall was too laborious for the setup they have, Kayleen said, but they still wanted to offer it. Those and other dumpling fillings not offered fresh at the food stall is the upside of getting a frozen bag, she said.

"People still come in surprised we're here, not knowing we're here and seeing what we're offering," Kayleen said. "We hope to get better known in the community and people to try our food."

For more from The Pierogi Place, check out the website, pierogiplacewoodburn.com .

Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m., Monday to Friday; 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Saturday

Address: 347 N Front St., Woodburn

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com and follow her on X @ catchuptoemily.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: The Pierogi Place offers Russian dumplings, piroshkies in Woodburn