A Taste of England in the Desert
A Taste of England in the Desert
Ash Freyer
Located in the midst of Downtown Flagstaff at 26 S San Francisco Street, there is a place called Cornish Pasty Co. It is a British 
restaurant that originally was created in Tempe by British born Dean Tomas, who moved to Tempe in 2005. He wanted to open a British restaurant to bring a taste of his home, Cornwall England, to the desert of Arizona. Cornish Pasty Co was opened in January of 2005, the original location was just a small restaurant, but over time it became more successful. Dean Tomas opened more locations all across Arizona, including one in Flagstaff, which was opened in May of 2017.
Cornish Pasty Co serves a variety of traditional Cornish pasties, there are over 40 different menu items, including, traditional pasties made of meat and veggies, as well as more modern vegetarian and vegan options that are modern takes on the original pasties. A pasty is a baked pasty with a crimped edge that has a savory filling, kind of like a savory version of a turnover. One of the pasties is a vegetarian cottage pie pasty, it is a take on the classic cottage pie pasty turned vegetarian. It contains peas, carrots, plant-based meat, cheese, mashed potatoes, and onions in a nicely crisped crust with a braided pattern. The braided pattern around the pasty actually came from the original Cornwall Pasties. Cornwall used to be a mining town, and Pasties came from the wives of miners who made them durable food to eat, the braided part of the crust was used so that miners could hold the pasties even with their dirty hands that were contaminated with arsenic.
Someone that had never tried Cornish Pasty Co, decided to get a vegetarian pasty and a bowl of authentic potato leek soup said, “I think I found a new favorite in this town,” showing that even locals who have lived in Flagstaff their whole lives can find new favorite places
to eat. Cornish Pasty Co has started becoming a favorite amongst locals. The prices for Cornish Pasty are high, but customers are reported as saying, “the food is worth all the money I spent.” The staff at Cornish Pasty Co are incredibly friendly and upbeat, they are also very helpful and make the vibe of the restaurant very cozy and welcoming.
Overall, Cornish Pasty Co is a great place if you want to try amazing, authentic, British and Cornwall food in Flagstaff. Its food is incredible and worth every penny, and the atmosphere alone is worth stopping by to take a look at. If you like authentic food, British pub atmosphere and friendly staff, consider giving Cornish Pasty Co a try.