Dzien Dobry! Lauren Gorney, ?10 owner of popular hand pinched pierogi busines
Polish heritage is deeply ingrained in Northeast Pennsylvania. In fact, Luzerne County is the only county in the United States where an abundance of residents have Polish ancestry. Lauren Gorney, a local entrepreneur and owner of NEPA'rogi in Nanticoke, embodies this heritage. Following the loss of her grandmother in 2017, she and her brother took a trip to Poland that inspired her to open a shop dedicated to hand-pinched pierogi.

Gorney, a 2010 Journalism graduate of Luzerne County Community College, opened her hand-pinched pierogi shop in 2020. Before the idea of pierogi even existed, Gorney's family were grocers, and that experience led her to her first entrepreneurial job.

"I grew up with my grandparents in that house where the store was," she recalls. "I would have a dog treat baking business one day, and I'd be selling Wegmans candy to kids the next. I always had an entrepreneurial spirit which was why after the trip to Poland, I came home and started writing a business plan for a Polish food business".

Raised in Glen Lyon, educated on Kosciuszko Street (named after the Polish War Hero, Thaddeus Kosciuszko) and a graduate of LCCC, she was able to build a career in a 5-mile radius and defied the "leave town" advice.

"Growing up, everyone told me that I had to leave town to become something," she recalls. "Maybe one day, I'll have a second home or relocate in my retirement. But I've been able to build a fulfilling life in my hometown".

Gorney always knew she was going to attend LCCC. Her parents, who attended and met at LCCC in the 80's, set the foundation for higher education in her family.

"My parents went for an associate's degree and certification and because in the 80's they were able to do that, they raised children that had the opportunity to at least start where they started," she explains. "So LCCC set the foundation in the 80's for higher education in my family and the expectations. And because of the affordability, it was a no-brainer to at least start there".

Gorney credits the Communication Arts faculty for her connections made through her internships that opened doors.

"I built my connections through intercollegiate leadership and internship opportunities through the communications department with Ed Ackerman and Andy Petonak," she says. "The professors and the staff helped me to get an internship at 98.5 KRZ, Froggy 101, and an internship with John Yudichak, who was in the House of Representatives at the time. They saw potential in me, and they were generous enough to introduce me to their network and it took off from there".

Gorney chose communications after finding it a natural fit. She now thrives on having interpersonal interactions with her customers every day.

"People called me Julie from "The Love Boat" when I was little and I didn't know what it meant for the longest time, but I like getting to know people and, in this business, I get to do this with customers every day," she explains. "Then they share their stories which fuels me to keep going on the days I'm very tired because the food that we make isn't just food, it's a taste of home".

Gorney is not only an LCCC alum, but she is also a current business professor at the college. She values the unique

perspective gained from both her student and teacher experiences.

"I never thought I'd be teaching college," she says with a chuckle. "I love that I've had the unique opportunity to be a student in the alumni side of things, in fundraising, administration and now, as an adjunct instructor is like the full higher ed experience".

In May, Gorney is traveling back to Poland and of course, she plans to learn how to make an authentic Polish hand-pinched pierogi but knows she must be humble.

"We're going to attend a farm-to-table pierogi pinching class", she says. "I'm probably going to get shown up. I'm going to be very humble because it's near the hometown of my ancestors. It's in the region, so I'm there to learn".

Can she speak Polish?

"I do speak Polish and I'm learning more," she explains. "I can speak it and read it, but I don't understand it. I used to be able to sing the Polish national anthem when I was a little girl. I was taught it as a party trick, but I don't remember it", she says with a chuckle.

A piece of baking equipment sits in her office, but it requires a unique form of repair. "It comes from Warsaw", she says. "They won't speak to me virtually; they want me to come in. So, while we're in Warsaw, I'll be getting it repaired".

Reflecting on her LCCC experience, Gorney emphasizes the significant influence the college had on her professional development.

"Because LCCC was able to provide both the foundational education I needed in media and communications, plus tasking me with the challenges to grow outside of my comfort zone and interview people, plus the newer technology where we were headed, it was a perfectly packaged education that I could take wherever my next step would be".