Making povitica

The special bread has played an important role in her life since she started making it in 1950. But her povitica story began much earlier, practicing what her parents taught her.

Born in Anaconda in 1927, Novich’s father Art Holmlund worked at the smelter in Anaconda and was a wonderful carpenter. Her mother made and sold baked goods, especially cookies. Marge walked many miles delivering the baked goods to wealthy women in Anaconda.

“My mother did a lot of baking,” Novich said. “I worked so hard taking the baked goods to people, that my dad felt sorry for me and he bought me a bicycle.” The bicycle worked so well that Novich, at the age of 12, found herself with another job, delivering telegrams as well as bakery goods.

Youngsters grew up fast in the wake of the Great Depression when children worked to help pay the bills and put food on the table. The summer after Novich’s junior year of high school in Anaconda, she made a decision that would take her down a path she would never regret.

“I had an aunt and uncle who lived in Twin Bridges with the last name of Marrow,” she said. “I stayed with them and worked on the switchboard at the telephone office from June through October. I was supposed to go back home and finish school.” But she met rancher Steve Novich and “went off ranching” as she said. They were married in 1945, and were together for 50 years until Steve’s death in his late 70s.

“Funny how your life can change dramatically,” she said, remembering the telephone job those early years and the many that followed, raising their four children and being a ranch wife to Steve.

In retrospect she spoke of the years of raising cows and chickens, raking hay, feeding livestock, picking rocks by hand and the continual cooking and cleaning.

“We always had plenty to do,” she said with a grin. “But if you are proud of your work, you don’t mind doing it.” Across the road from their ranch on Pennington Lane, southwest of Twin Bridges, lived Steve’s cousin, Nick Novich and his wife, Ann. She ended up becoming the connection through which Novich learned how to make the special bread.

“Ann’s mother-in-law, Dragatza, was from Yugoslavia. She taught Ann how to make povitica and then Ann taught me,” Novich said.

After the Noviches sold the ranch, povitica played a part in where they moved.

“When I saw the big kitchen counter top which stood a lot higher than my table, I knew it would be perfect for rolling out my povitica,” she said. “I fell in love with the house.” The original table where she made her povitica years ago still stands in her dining room in Twin Bridges, a good four inches lower than the counter. At the ranch Novich said she had to clear off the table to make the povitica.

“It was a back-breaking job,” she recalled. “I really love making it now that I have this nice counter top and don’t have to lean over.” Novich recalls a friend, Gloria Brocksle, who before she passed away used to make povitica by rolling it out on a board that covered her pool table.

Povitica seems to carry its own reputation, as do many ethnic dishes. People have strong opinions about it, which Novich observed over her years of selling.

One day, when Novice was selling povitica at the Farmer’s Market in Twin Bridges she recalls seeing a blond-haired girl walking up the street.

“She spotted that povitica and she just came flying,” Novich recalled. “She said, ‘I want it all! I want every bit of it! I was raised in Butte and I haven’t had povitica since I’ve moved to Billings. I never even hear of it.’” She told Novich she was taking the povitica home, putting it in the freezer and then she could have a piece whenever she wanted one.

“I really got a kick out of her,” Novich laughed. “You’d have thought she found a million dollars.” Another incident occurred when a man came fishing in Twin Bridges.

“This man visiting Twin Bridges heard about my povitica,” she said. “I think he had a big business back East and I think he wanted it for all his employees for Christmas. I can’t remember how much he ordered, but I know my eyes bugged out when he gave me his order. I sent him a huge box!” Novich’s povitica reputation has spread far and wide. She sends it to California, Washington, Alaska and New Mexico. Last year a lady wrote her a letter from West Yellowstone asking her for some povitica, so she mailed an order there.

But Novich’s povitica reputation is popular locally too. She recently had her goods on sale at the Twin Bridges Christmas bazaar.

Local rancher Joe Metully lends a hand to Novich every year, giving her the honey to make her pastry. Metully is partial to the povitica because his mother always made it when she was alive.

“Marge’s povitica is very tasty,” he said. “It’s not quite as good as mom’s, but darn close.” Novich said she’s lucky to have Metully’s honey, which she needs a large amount of to make the bread.

See POVITICA, Page 3 “It would cost me a lot more to make if Joe didn’t give me the honey,” Novich noted. “The ingredients have gone up so much in price sometimes I wonder if people are going to buy it, but once anybody tastes it, there is nothing to selling it to them. They go crazy over it.” When asked what advice Novich would give to those who are interested in making povitica, without hesitation she replied, “I would recommend they find somebody that knows how to make it and then watch them. It would certainly be to their advantage. There is a lot of expense involved.” Novich agreed the world is changing. As many more women are in the work force, fewer are able to stay at home and cook the way they used to. Cooking pastries such as povitica from scratch at home as she does is almost a lost art.

She said that, while some people in Butte still make the bread, she believes she’s the only one around Twin Bridges.

Novich also found the povitica-making a soothing therapy when her husband, and later her son, John, died.

“I found making the povitica brought me out of the slump of just sitting and watching the boob tube,” she said. “When the weather gets cold and I don’t get outside as much as I like to, then I keep busy making povitica.”