Entrepreneur Shares Her Taste For Success
By LIZA JAIPAUL, Correspondent

It started with her "two big Greek weddings." Although Esther Psarakis of Bridgewater was born and raised in America, she married a Greek man and had two weddings, one in the U.S. and one in the mountains of Crete.

In the process Psarakis, 44, became fascinated with Greek food and, especially, with olive oil.

"My mother-in-law runs a traditional farm in Crete, and I just became enamored with the culture and the food. The food is just wonderful and very healthy," Psarakis said.

Over the years Psarakis, her husband and their two children visited every summer.

"We'd come back with suitcases full of olive oil, cheeses, olives, raisins and wine because it was hard to find high quality Greek products here," she said.

Psarakis never really thought of opening a business until she got laid off from her corporate job after 9/11.

"That was the catalyst," she said. "I took a year off to relax with the kids and explore my options. We went to Greece, and I thought I should really start a business, bringing back these products as they are so wonderful."

Her idea stuck, and Psarakis started Taste of Crete, bringing back extra virgin olive oil from the Sitia region of Crete.

She described it as "bursting with flavor, with rich herbaceous, fruity tones and a slight peppery kick."

She also sells other natural food products and cookbooks from Crete.

Her business has been up and running for a little more than a year. It is doing extremely well, she said, selling in stores and on the Internet, with her coup being that she is listed on the Gourmet Food Mall Web site, which is a virtual mall.

She got noticed by going to trade shows and working extra hard to distinguish herself.

"I did a mailing, took pictures of my oil in a natural setting on the island of Crete," she said.

She sent the postcards to gourmet food owners and had a drawing for a free case of oil. She also showed how the oil literally danced with flavor, by dressing up as a Greek goddess at a food show.

"People equate Greek food with Greek dancing. I dressed in costume and attracted a lot of attention," Psarakis said.

The key to her success, she said, was doing something she was impassioned about and having fun with it.

When she first started her business she said her husband wasn't sure if there would be a market for it.

"But from my point of view, being this non-Greek and having married into this wonderful culture, I wanted to come back and rave about how great the food is, how great the culture is. People like Greek food, but there still isn't a lot of access to Greek products," she said.

She said she did a lot of research before starting her business, and she advised that anyone interested in starting a business, get lots of information first.

Psarakis also sells gift baskets, cookbooks from the area and other products. She said it is sometimes a challenge to work out of her house, but it gives her flexibility with her children's schedules. She has two teenagers, who pitch in, helping package things to be shipped.

"It was a new career path for me. I never did anything like this. I did have a background in sales, though and client management, so I tried to apply my skill set to this new career," she said.

She also spent time educating herself at Raritan Valley Community College.

"I had to learn the ins and outs of the import/export business, about FDA regulations, food products, bio- terrorism, and a lot more. There were many hurdles to get to where I am today -- a lot of education."

The education, though, was a big factor in reducing her fear about starting her own business.

"If you reach out to folks who will talk to you about your own experiences, than you can emulate what they are doing," Psarakis said.

"For me, the mission critical was getting out there and facing my fears. You ask people in similar businesses lots of questions, and the worse they can do is tell you no, but from that no, you get to the potential yes, and eventually build your confidence."

She said it was hard at first for her, too, to be taken seriously in the business, as it was male-dominated.

"Working overseas, people wondered, should they really be working with this crazy American who wants to put oil in gourmet stores. I'm working not in my native language, and it took a while for some of the men to take me seriously."

"But they found out that I was serious, and it was just another hurdle to overcome."
 

Small Olive Oil and Wine Rings

These are extremely popular in Crete. You can find them in many "fornos" or bakeries and if you visit a home, chances are they will offer some of their own homemade version. These are great to dunk in the morning cup of coffee.

If you do not want to use wine, just substitute additional orange juice.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Taste of Crete PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tbsp clove and cinnamon powder
1/2 cup orange juice
3 lbs flour (or enough flour added till dough is right consistency to shape into rings)
2 cups sesame seeds (optional)

Beat the sugar with the olive oil and continue with the baking powder dissolved in the wine, the soda dissolved in the orange juice, along with the clove and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour to the liquids and knead till a soft and malleable dough.

Taking a little dough at a time, the size of a small walnut and roll it into a thin rope, about 4 inches long. Form a circle with it and place on a baking sheet with space between each one. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds.

Bake in a moderate 350 F degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Recipe submission for Gourmet Food Mall- March 2005

Source: Cretan Cooking by Nikos and Maria Psilakis, Page194


Meat with White Beans

This is a wedding dish in many parts of Crete. In one village, it is cooked the day before the wedding. It is served to the guest with large quantities of red wine. In another, it is prepared when the bridegroom's gifts were taken to the bride's house. On this occasion the bride's family served this meal, with lots of red wine.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of meat (can be pork, veal or beef)
1 lb of chickpeas (if dry, soak them overnight, or 2 cans of chickpeas, drained)
1/2 cup of Taste of Crete PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 onions finely chopped
1 lb of finely chopped tomatoes
Salt
Pepper

Cut the meat into cubes and brown it with the onion in a pot. Add the tomato and let it simmer for a while. Strain the chickpeas and put them in the pot. Cover with water, add salt and pepper to taste and simmer until cooked.

This recipe can also be prepared with the same quantity of white beans and adding two tablespoons of chopped parsley.

This is a hearty and easy dish to prepare. Serve with your favorite red or white wine. It also goes well with beer.

Recipe submission for Gourmet Food Mall, March 2005

Source: Cretan Cooking by Nikos and Maria Psilakis, Pages 44 to 46