Entrepreneur Judy Tucker founded Splendid Spreads, LLC, in 2006; however, the idea of a gourmet food business had been Judy’s dream for several years before then. With a degree in accounting and nearly 20 years of accounting and finance experience, she feels that while numbers may have been her business, food has always been her passion.
Splendid Spreads’ first product, Salmon Antipasto, is the culmination of several years of planning and experimentation. Having tasted a similar dish at a party nearly 10 years prior, Judy began making Salmon Antipasto in her kitchen and sharing it with friends at parties. The reaction was always the same – “Who brought this delicious salmon spread and where can I buy some!?”
Judy eventually decided she would have to start a business and manufacture her antipasto commercially, or she would always wonder whether she could have been successful had she tried. Realizing that all businesses have to start somewhere, she decided to launch Splendid Spreads with just one product.
After trying numerous variations, Judy finally settled on what she (and her many friends who volunteered to be “tasters”) believe is the perfect blend of flavors and textures for her Italian-style antipasto.
Splendid Spreads’ Salmon Antipasto combines a rich, tangy tomato-based sauce flavored with a hint of Italian herbs and a host of traditional antipasto vegetables, including olives, carrots, cauliflower and cocktail onions, all complementing the delicate, flaky texture and bold flavor of premium quality Atlantic salmon.
In April 2008, Judy added two additional flavors to her product line – Salmon Tapas Blend and Salmon Mezza Medley. The Salmon Tapas Blend highlights the subtle flavors of Spanish cuisine, with Spanish olives, asparagus, roasted red bell peppers, corn and sliced cloves of garlic that mellow delightfully during the cooking process. The Salmon Mezza Medley features the distinctive flavors of Greek cuisine, with kalamata olives, zucchini, garbanzo beans and banana peppers, which provide a little peppery “bite” behind the bold salmon flavor. Both products feature herbs and spices typical of those countries, making these products as delicious as – yet quite different from – the original Salmon Antipasto. In 2009, Judy refined the recipes to eliminate all artificial preservatives and FD&C colors, while still maintaining the fresh, unique tastes her customers had come to expect.
While Judy launched Splendid Spreads with a single product, her vision is to become a leading manufacturer of quality gourmet spreads and toppings. In the coming years she plans to add other types of bruschetta toppings and tapenades to the Splendid Spreads product line. |
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