Posted on September 9, 2023 at 09:00

by James LOGUE JR. [email protected]

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In general, this saying means to get the most out of a difficult situation. In the case of Kitty Kat Concessions, Mary and Joe Pachorkowsky of Franklin Township did just that.

Almost four years ago, Mary and Joe traveled to Tennessee to buy a lemonade stand, hoping to start a side business. It didn’t happen right away.

“We never got a chance to use it,” Mary explained. “Joe worked in Baltimore, so he was only home from Friday night to Sunday.”

Last year, Joe had some health problems that caused him to spend 22 days in a hospital in Maryland.

“We knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to work and do what he was doing before. So we made lemonade out of lemons.”

Remembering the lemonade cart, they started making freshly squeezed lemonade and selling it at area festivals and events.

“We started with lemonade. Then people would say, ‘I should have done this’ or ‘I should have done that’,” Mary explained.

Over time, they added orangeade and tomato pie and homemade cookies to the menu.

What do they like most about their own business?

“People,” Mary exclaimed. “That’s my favorite part. I mean, when I was baking everything in the morning, I wasn’t too happy. But I love people. That makes it all worth it. It’s worth the effort. I was just saying to Joe last night that we might not have all the money in the world; but we have been blessed in so many ways. You know, we are very lucky.”

The company’s name comes from Joe Pachorkowski’s second venture. He has also owned “Pyro Joe” for over 15 years.

“There’s a brand of fireworks he likes called Black Cat. Two of our cats are black, so we decided to name them in honor of Pyro Joe LLC dba,” said Mary.

“The cat in our logo holds a spark, a kind of homage. We like to say that Kitty Kat is Pyro Joe’s alter ego.”

It produces many fireworks in the area and won the Readers Choice “Best Fireworks Category” in 2023.

My husband has owned a pyrotechnics business for over 15 years.

Mary Pachorkowsky of Kitty Kat Concessions is squeezing lemons at Rockin’ Rescue this year

Joe and Mary Pachorkowsky operate Kitty Kat concessions at area festivals and events. JAMES LOGUE JR./SPECIAL TO TIMES NEWS