Exploring Life & Business with Angelo Tetorakis of Gourmet Firehouse Salsa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelo Tetorakis. 

Hi Angelo, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Working as a Firefighter for 30 years, we are no strangers to the kitchen. 

Our shifts were 24 hours, so we prepared all three meals for the crew in the Firehouse. On any given day or shift, someone would assume the role as the cook and each person had their own personal recipes to showcase. I can’t recall any dinner at the Firehouse that didn’t remind me of home cooking.

Even though these recipes were sacred, someone was constantly adding hot sauce or salsa on the food – we jokingly said that was for killing the taste of the food! One morning, I was given a bushel of hot peppers grown in the garden of one of my fellow Firefighters. The crew requested a salsa that was similar to a Caribbean-style Mango based hot salsa. After many different versions and taste testing the mango habanero salsa emerged. I made that salsa for 5 years for the crew up until I retired in 2015.

The following year I thought about starting a business with the salsa. I enrolled in a food incubator class in Cleveland to see if I had a viable product to bring to the market. The Cleveland Culinary Launch Kitchen provided all the tools and information to help me launch my business. In 2017 I officially started Gourmet Firehouse Salsa. I developed several varieties of the fruit-based salsas along with 3 different heat levels. The salsa is available in Mild, Medium, and Hot. Currently, we have the Mango, Pineapple, and Mandarin Orange blends with a soon to come Peach line by the first of the year. All my salsas can be found in many local grocery stores as well as farmers’ markets throughout the Cleveland area. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a food business was more difficult than I thought. My salsa recipes needed to be certified prior to the production stage. They have to meet strict guidelines for the cooking and canning process. Jar sizes, label designs, website design, and all the marketing materials that are needed to launch the company. Sourcing was also difficult. I went from making a few gallons of salsa to 120 gallons. Finding fruit and the rest of ingredients on a large scale was trying at times. It became more difficult these past 2 years with the pandemic. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Salsas I make are fruit-based. I do not use the traditional style tomato-based. All my ingredients are fresh or fresh frozen. I do not use any preservatives or fillers. In addition to a chip and dip, I have expanded the use of all my salsas with many food recipes. Grilled Salmon with mandarin orange glaze or a stuffed pork chop with a goat cheese and mango salsa. I have many recipes that can be found on my website. 

What were you like growing up?
I grew up along the shores of Lake Erie. Most of my younger years were spent outdoors. If I wasn’t fishing on the pier, I would be in the woods goofing around with my buddies. Much more simpler life. There were no cell phones or computers. In the early evenings, we would get together and play baseball or football with the neighborhood kids, we just needed to be home before the street lights went on. Being able to drive at 16 seemed to be life-changing! Worked on cars, was able to visit friends, run errands, and no more bikes. I also entered the workforce. Worked at various jobs during my high school years. Then eventually started a career on our local Fire Department. 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@GourmetFirehouseSalsa.com
• Website: www.GourmetFirehouseSalsa.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gourmetfirehousesalsa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GFSalsa