TENA AND DEAN ANDERSON of Iron Mountain took over as new owners of Jean Kay’s Pasties shop May 16. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Don’t worry, nothing is changing about Jean Kay’s Pasties shop except the owners.

Tena and Dean Anderson of Iron Mountain recently purchased the store at 204 E. B St. in Iron Mountain, but Tena Anderson said everything will stay exactly the same.

“A lot of different people came in saying, ‘Don’t you dare change the recipe’ and we didn’t,” she said.

The business grew out of a small bakery that opened in 1970s with Jean Kay Harsch, who started selling pasties “just like Grandma use to make” out of her bakery.

Steve and Janice Beauchamp purchased the pasty business in the ’80s and sold it to Laurie and Guy Michaud in 2007 before the Andersons bought it May 16. Tena Anderson and Laurie Michaud were good friends when Michaud joked about handing off the business to Anderson.

“It was just one of these things, where she said, ‘You wanna buy a business?’ She was kidding when she said this and I was kidding when I said, ‘Sure.’ So an accident turned out real well,” Tena Anderson said.

It still specializes in steak pasties made fresh daily, with or without rutabagas. Because pasties usually are made with ground meat instead of flank steak, “this pasty has been known to have a certain taste,” Dean Anderson said.

The business now also carries veggie, chicken and fruit pasties that must be ordered in advance unless purchased on their scheduled day: fruit on Tuesday, veggie on Wednesday, chicken on Thursday. They also offer a Packers pasty made with bratwurst during football season. Customers regularly come from lower Michigan, Chicago and Milwaukee to bring pasties back home with them.

The Andersons both work full-time at Verso Corp. in Quinnesec, Dean for 21 years and Tena for 16 years. That means valued employees Bernie Larson and Kelsie Martin also will spend several days a week in the kitchen.

Together, the Andersons have three children from previous relationships — Kadie Lucas of Escanaba, Jenni Polfus of Carney and David Anderson of Iron Mountain. They also have seven grandchildren.