- Words by Joanne Peters Photography by Lia Crowe
Sisters Nora Iliakis and Jenny Siormanolakis have shared a love of food for as long as they can remember. When they weren91裸聊视频檛 cooking by their parents91裸聊视频� sides while growing up, they were helping out at their family91裸聊视频檚 Greek restaurant. Time and again, customers and friends would ask them, 91裸聊视频淲hat is it that makes Greek lemon potatoes so good?91裸聊视频� If you91裸聊视频檝e ever been to Greece or dined at a taverna, you91裸聊视频檝e likely had the deeply flavourful dish of citrusy-garlicky golden-roasted spuds.
Greek lemon potatoes are so delicious because they soak up all the juicy flavours of the aromatic broth in which they91裸聊视频檙e cooked. They91裸聊视频檙e not especially hard to make, but home cooks often simply don91裸聊视频檛 have the time or the know-how. But Nora and Jenny are making it easier for people to whip up the dish that91裸聊视频檚 as much a part of their culinary roots as tzatziki, souvlaki and moussaka. The two form the entrepreneurial duo behind , a Vancouver-based company that crafts a line of fine seasoning blends.
Greko Lemon Roast Potatoes Seasoning is Grandpa J91裸聊视频檚 signature item. All it takes for people to make the namesake dish at home is to dissolve some of the seasoning in a mix of olive oil and water, pour the liquid over chopped potatoes in a pan, and bake. It91裸聊视频檚 foolproof.
And the seasoning salt essentially saved the company from falling prey to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
91裸聊视频淭he pandemic was our silver lining,91裸聊视频� Nora says.
Here91裸聊视频檚 the back story. The women91裸聊视频檚 parents hail from Veroia, Imathias in northern Greece and came to Canada with strong connections to their culture, including its cuisine. The family ran their Greek restaurant for some 40 years, selling it in 2014. In 2004, the two women were given the chance to take over Grandpa J91裸聊视频檚 Seasonings Inc., which was founded by Jim Voulides, their late Uncle Jimmy. A former master chef with more than three decades91裸聊视频� experience at steakhouses across Canada and the US, he was a visionary at the time, having been the first locally to make a versatile, wholesale no-MSG-added seasoning, launching the company in 1995.
At the time, Grandpa J91裸聊视频檚 consisted of a single product: the original All-Purpose Seasoning Salt. The all-natural product can be used prior to grilling or roasting and to flavour sauces, dressings, marinades, soups, stews and more; it can be sprinkled on French fries or potato wedges. The OG seasoning was and still is a hit: it91裸聊视频檚 the company91裸聊视频檚 bestseller.
The pandemic, however, upended everything. Prior to the spring of 2020, Grandpa J91裸聊视频檚 was primarily a wholesale business. The then-unfathomable era of lockdowns and isolation meant the team had to pivot, quickly, to retail to survive. While stores were keen to carry Grandpa J91裸聊视频檚, they needed more than a single item. That91裸聊视频檚 when the women91裸聊视频攂oth working moms91裸聊视频攖urned to the dish they know so well and love.
91裸聊视频淎ll of a sudden it hit me,91裸聊视频� Jenny says. 91裸聊视频淚 said, 91裸聊视频榃e need to do Greek lemon potatoes.91裸聊视频� But because the flavour comes from soaking up the juice, I thought, 91裸聊视频業t can91裸聊视频檛 just be a seasoning you shake on. It91裸聊视频檚 got to dissolve in water and olive oil to make the juice, then you pour it over and bake.91裸聊视频� I still have the piece of paper that I wrote my notes down on that say, 91裸聊视频業t has to have tang91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频業t has to be the perfect colour.91裸聊视频� That was the aha moment. I told my sister: 91裸聊视频楾his is a winner.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 turned into so much more than a seasoning for potatoes,91裸聊视频� she adds. 91裸聊视频淵ou can cook your proteins with it; you can add it to prawns. You can add it to one-pan meals. You can use it for chicken breasts or lamb or tofu. I91裸聊视频檝e used it to fill samosas. I91裸聊视频檝e mashed the potatoes with it; I91裸聊视频檝e done savoury pie tarts. My mom adds it to hummus. You can do rice91裸聊视频� You name it.91裸聊视频�
The product is also a boon to people who follow plant-based diets because91裸聊视频攚hile conventional Greek lemon potatoes are made with chicken stock91裸聊视频擥randpa J91裸聊视频檚 seasoning is suitable for vegans.
The also team created Vancity Grind, a coarse rub perfect for steak and other grilled foods, as well as an excellent rim for Caesar cocktails.
The launch of the product line exceeded the women91裸聊视频檚 expectations, initially being stocked in 30 stores.
91裸聊视频淭he momentum didn91裸聊视频檛 stop until 90,91裸聊视频� Nora says.
Now, the blends are in more than 125 stores in Metro Vancouver and the Okanagan, without any distributor on board91裸聊视频攁nd that91裸聊视频檚 just through the two women91裸聊视频檚 efforts. Next up is Vancouver Island, and then: who knows? Grandpa J91裸聊视频檚 may make its way all across Canada. The 100 per cent female owned- and -operated business is also reinvigorating its wholesale division, with many restaurants adding it to their pantries.
91裸聊视频淥ur seasonings are always in season,91裸聊视频� Jenny says.
Grandpa J91裸聊视频檚 Greko Lemon Roast Potatoes Seasoning was a top-10 finalist for BC Food and Beverage91裸聊视频檚 2022 Product of the Year. Another fan of the blend is Michael Varga, Chopped Canada winner and MasterChef Canada finalist.
The company has received other high praise.
91裸聊视频淩yan Reynolds posted our Vancity Grind to his Instagram,91裸聊视频� Jenny says. 91裸聊视频淗e posted a picture of the Vancity Grind with a little caption that said, 91裸聊视频業f this wasn91裸聊视频檛 so good, I91裸聊视频檇 be upset about the name.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�.I felt like I had won the lottery. It was insane. Stores sold out immediately.91裸聊视频�
Adds Nora: 91裸聊视频淩yan Reynolds sent people into 125 small businesses, because that91裸聊视频檚 where we91裸聊视频檙e mostly stocked. That91裸聊视频檚 what matters most.91裸聊视频�
Then there are so many everyday cooks who have fallen in love with the products.
91裸聊视频淲e get a lot of potato pictures sent to us,91裸聊视频� Jenny says. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 such a compliment to us. We love it. We91裸聊视频檙e honoured when people share what they91裸聊视频檝e made with us.91裸聊视频�
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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