Behind a tiny customer entryway in an equally small kitchen, a dozen cooks work in a style so rhythmic and graceful that it belies the busy pace they employ to meet the demand for one of Pittsburgh's favorite ethnic food traditions.

At Pierogies Plus in McKees Rocks, the staff of mostly Eastern European immigrants works remarkably well in the small space and speaks with hushed voices in a homemade blend of Polish, Russian, Ukrainian and, on occasion, English.

They are tending 10 large boiling pots and filling and pinching more than 500 dozen handmade pierogis a day to fill a rush of holiday orders. By the middle of December, customers who had not already placed an order were turned away. Demand again surpassed the capacity for this specialty ethnic food supplier.

"They are such good people," owner, founder and borough resident Helen Mannarino said of her staff.

Because of them, she said, her pierogis are filled with more than just potatoes, cheese, sauerkraut or meat. In other words, the "plus" in Pierogies Plus might well stand for an extra measure of love.

Mannarino, 56, repaid the dedication of her staff by rewarding all of the workers with a vacation from Christmas through New Year's Day.

"After Christmas, I forgo the business and let everybody rest," said Mannarino. It's little wonder that she can get away with disappointing customers who would gladly place orders for the New Year's holiday.

Ann Hollerick, of Ingram, has been a longtime customer at Pierogies Plus. She said she and a group of co-workers sometime placed large orders for lunch. Hollerick has also ordered pierogis for family dinners.

"For people who don't make those kinds of foods, that's where you go to get them. They are like the old church pierogis," remarked Hollerick.

Pierogies Plus' popularity is spreading far beyond its modest setting in a former gas station on Island Avenue.

The pierogis were chosen in nationwide taste-testing as the pierogi of choice at the prestigious Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. The hotel's request was one of the first times Mannarino shipped pierogis, but not the last.

When Pierogies Plus was featured on the Food Network television program "Food Finds" earlier this year, Mannarino was forced to establish a regular mail-order business to satisfy the demand for orders that came in from across the country. As its name suggests, Food Finds tracks down long-lost favorite American foods.

Pierogies Plus will be featured in the next few months on another Food Network show, "Food Nation with Bobby Flay." The host, reporter, travel guide and chef explores the culinary history and character of cities across the United States.

Whole Foods, the natural and organic food retail chain has also been courting Pierogies Plus. With one ingredient change, margarine to butter, the pierogis meet the stores' stringent natural food guidelines. They hope to sell the pierogis in their East Liberty store, as well as in stores throughout their mid-Atlantic region.

Mannarino, a Polish immigrant herself, said she may ot have started the business if she had known how consuming the work would be. She is still overwhelmed by the hectic and growing demand for her pierogis.

Mannarino was afraid to start the business initially, but a close friend persuaded her to do it at first on a part-time basis.

"Two days I can do," said Mannarino, who now employs 17 full-time workers. The store is open five days a week, Monday through Friday. The growing demand may force Mannarino to expand and move to a larger location this year.