Popular potato rolls boycotted over ties to Mastriano
A central Pennsylvania company and its Dutch brand of potato bread has rolled into a national controversy over its political ties.
Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe in Franklin County supplies its pillowy bread products to restaurants across the country, including Shake Shack, the international burger chain. Now customers and celebrity chefs across the nation are objecting to Martin’s support of Trump-endorsed governor candidate Doug Mastriano.
Some like chef and cookbook author, J. Kenji LopezAlt are calling for a boycott.
“I will not be buying any more Martin’s products, nor will I support any establishment that uses their buns until they change suppliers, and I’d urge you to do the same …,” he wrote on Instagram.
New York-based celebrity chef and food activist Tom Colicchio fired back: “I bought my last last night.”
Concerns stretch to the West Coast where the San Francisco Chronicle story was headlined: “Bay area chefs are ditching their favorite burger buns over the maker’s extreme right-wing politics.”
The controversy started to simmer earlier this spring when Philadelphia news site Billy Penn reported Martin’s executive chair and former president, Jim Martin, and other family members have donated to far-right candidate Mastriano’s campaign. State campaign finance records show Martin donated $110,000 to Mastriano’s campaign last year, according to Billy Penn.
His wife, Donna, and their daughter Julie are also made contributions.
Mastriano, a state Senator from Franklin County who was subpoenaed for his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, is running against Democratic state Attorney General Josh Shapiro in November’s general election.
Mastriano, described by some as a Christian nationalist, supports gun rights and banning abortion without exception, and has suggested as governor he might require all Pennsylvanians to re-register to vote.
He recently defended past comments comparing gun restrictions to policies in Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler.
According to Billy Penn, Martin’s has a history with Mastriano. Jim Martin donated $10,000 to Mastriano’s 2020 Senate campaign and the company hosted a public hearing for a state Senate committee Mastriano chaired.
Martin’s was founded by Jim Martin’s parents in 1955 and is headquartered near Chambersburg. The bread is described as a “sweet, buttery flavor and
soft, pillowy texture” and “famous Dutch taste.” The company nicknamed its famous potato rolls as “The Shake Shack Bun.”
The burger chain has served the buns since opening its first location in New York City in 2004. Shake Shack now operates more than 240 locations throughout the United States with dozens of international locations.
“We wanted to evoke the classic, simple burger of most people’s childhoods,” Shake Shack culinary director Mark Rosati told Eater in 2017. “Out of all the buns
that were tested in the early days, what we found was great about Martin’s was that it cradled the meat perfectly — it absorbed the juices, but it didn’t become soggy.”
Up until a day ago, Shake Shack remained quiet about its association with Martin’s. But in a recent statement sent to PennLive by spokeswoman Kristyn Clark, the company, while not saying it would change vendors, said “it has always championed equality, inclusion and belonging at our company — and we know these values are important to our guests and team members.”
Shake Shack added it does not make political donations or endorse the political donations of private individuals.
“In regards to the actions of individuals associated with the Martin’s company and their personal political donations — those are the choices of those individuals and do not express the values of Shake Shack. We continue to be in active conversations with Martin’s to express our concern,” the company said.
When reached for comment, Martin’s shared a statement: “We are aware of recent criticisms leveled against Martin’s and our business partners. Like the rest of the country, Martin’s employees, business partners, and customers hold to a diverse range of personal opinions, beliefs, and values.”
The company stressed that while stockholders who own the company are members of the same family, they hold a wide range of views and do not support a particular candidate or party.
“We will continue to focus on the values that have made our company successful — baking quality products, providing excellent service to our customers, and supporting the communities around us,” it read.
One Harrisburg area restaurant that carries Martin’s products refused to comment on the matter, calling the issue too political.
This does not mark the first time a well-known Pennsylvania food or beverage company has come under fire for supporting a political candidate. In 2016 Yuengling & Son’s in Pottsville faced a beer backlash after pledging support for then-presidential nominee Donald Trump. The following year the company’s president, Dick Yuengling, told Billy Penn the boycott made a lot of noise, but had no “noticeable” effect on beer sales.