- 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 weren鈥檛 cooking by their parents鈥� sides while growing up, they were helping out at their family鈥檚 Greek restaurant. Time and again, customers and friends would ask them, 鈥淲hat is it that makes Greek lemon potatoes so good?鈥� If you鈥檝e ever been to Greece or dined at a taverna, you鈥檝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 they鈥檙e cooked. They鈥檙e not especially hard to make, but home cooks often simply don鈥檛 have the time or the know-how. But Nora and Jenny are making it easier for people to whip up the dish that鈥檚 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 J鈥檚 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. It鈥檚 foolproof.

And the seasoning salt essentially saved the company from falling prey to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淭he pandemic was our silver lining,鈥� Nora says.

Here鈥檚 the back story. The women鈥檚 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 J鈥檚 Seasonings Inc., which was founded by Jim Voulides, their late Uncle Jimmy. A former master chef with more than three decades鈥� 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 J鈥檚 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: it鈥檚 the company鈥檚 bestseller.

The pandemic, however, upended everything. Prior to the spring of 2020, Grandpa J鈥檚 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 J鈥檚, they needed more than a single item. That鈥檚 when the women鈥攂oth working moms鈥攖urned to the dish they know so well and love.

鈥淎ll of a sudden it hit me,鈥� Jenny says. 鈥淚 said, 鈥榃e need to do Greek lemon potatoes.鈥� But because the flavour comes from soaking up the juice, I thought, 鈥業t can鈥檛 just be a seasoning you shake on. It鈥檚 got to dissolve in water and olive oil to make the juice, then you pour it over and bake.鈥� I still have the piece of paper that I wrote my notes down on that say, 鈥業t has to have tang鈥� and 鈥業t has to be the perfect colour.鈥� That was the aha moment. I told my sister: 鈥楾his is a winner.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 turned into so much more than a seasoning for potatoes,鈥� she adds. 鈥淵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. I鈥檝e used it to fill samosas. I鈥檝e mashed the potatoes with it; I鈥檝e done savoury pie tarts. My mom adds it to hummus. You can do rice鈥� You name it.鈥�

The product is also a boon to people who follow plant-based diets because鈥攚hile conventional Greek lemon potatoes are made with chicken stock鈥擥randpa J鈥檚 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 women鈥檚 expectations, initially being stocked in 30 stores.

鈥淭he momentum didn鈥檛 stop until 90,鈥� Nora says.

Now, the blends are in more than 125 stores in Metro Vancouver and the Okanagan, without any distributor on board鈥攁nd that鈥檚 just through the two women鈥檚 efforts. Next up is Vancouver Island, and then: who knows? Grandpa J鈥檚 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.

鈥淥ur seasonings are always in season,鈥� Jenny says.

Grandpa J鈥檚 Greko Lemon Roast Potatoes Seasoning was a top-10 finalist for BC Food and Beverage鈥檚 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.

鈥淩yan Reynolds posted our Vancity Grind to his Instagram,鈥� Jenny says. 鈥淗e posted a picture of the Vancity Grind with a little caption that said, 鈥業f this wasn鈥檛 so good, I鈥檇 be upset about the name.鈥欌��.I felt like I had won the lottery. It was insane. Stores sold out immediately.鈥�

Adds Nora: 鈥淩yan Reynolds sent people into 125 small businesses, because that鈥檚 where we鈥檙e mostly stocked. That鈥檚 what matters most.鈥�

Then there are so many everyday cooks who have fallen in love with the products.

鈥淲e get a lot of potato pictures sent to us,鈥� Jenny says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a compliment to us. We love it. We鈥檙e honoured when people share what they鈥檝e made with us.鈥�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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