Fat Tuesday is approaching. It marks the day before the Lenten season, a period of 40 days of fasting that is observed by some Christian denominations. Fat Tuesday is the final day that observers can gorge themselves with goodies before the tempting trek of denial begins. 

The paczki is a legendary Polish donut known for filling that last desire for mouthwatering sweets that will be taking the backseat in the fasting experience. It is rich in eggs, butter, and deep-fried. It can be stuffed with various fillings and can range from 400-700 calories. 

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Back a few years ago, Townsquare Media held a paczki eating contest at Sweetwaters Donut Mill, on Sprinkle Road in Kalamazoo. It was a competition matching the eating skills of the air staff representing five of their local stations. 

Stephanie Bishop (WRKR), Heather McGregor (WKFR), John Mason (104.9 The Edge), and myself (WBCK) were challenged as to how many paczkis we could consume within 5 minutes.  

Surprisingly, it was Stephanie who forced me to cram the remaining ½ of my final 3rd paczki into my mouth to take the title. It was amazing that such a wisp of a woman could put away so many of those deep-fried calorie bombs. My winning prize was a dozen paczkis. Fortunately, my son was on hand to take them from my sight. 

The Battle Creek/Kalamazoo area has five bakeries that offer deep-fried paczkis, fresh from the kettle. They are guaranteed to get the humble Lenten food refugee through at least a third of the fasting journey. 

Here are five legendary bakeries that are known for creating authentic paczkis that are only seen once a year.

Five Best Places To Buy Paczki’s In Kalamazoo And Battle Creek

The Battle Creek/Kalamazoo area has five bakeries that offer deep-fried paczki's, fresh from the kettle. They are guaranteed to get the humble Lenten food refugee through at least a third of the fasting journey.