The
age old question of who, what, when, where and
why? Everyone has a story to tell and here's
ours...
It all began some twenty plus years ago when a
young lady (Melissa) got her first opportunity
to be a bartender at a local legend of a
restaurant in Burlingame, California. As the
rookie, she drew the Saturday/Sunday day
shifts. Typically low money days in the eyes of
veteran bartenders. She took this as a huge
advantage, especially when she learned that her
Chef opened his kitchen for her culinary
experiments. I guess we can say that Big Mary
was conceived in Burlingame, California, about
25 miles South of San Francisco. The same
County that the likes of Tom Brady, Merv Griffin
and Kris Kristofferson hail from, just up the
road from Oracle and Google. Melissa quickly
developed her own following for her Bloody
Mary's. She went from having only a few patrons
to filling her bar in a matter of a few short
weeks. People drove in from all over the Bay
Area just to have her Bloody Mary's. And the
dream was born. She realized that this industry
was now a part of her. She continued her
journey and eventually held titles of Director
of Food and Beverage and Director of Sales and
Catering. But they were just titles, as
something was missing. From the first say she
stepped behind the bar, she knew that one day
she would have her own company. And then life
happened. The dream was still there, although
pushed to the background.
In 1992, Melissa and Kathleen met. They hit it
off right away and took advantage of an
opportunity. They were offered a chance to
consult and open a new restaurant in
Connecticut. So they packed up and left the
West Coast for the Northeast. Well, the deal
fell through, but other opportunities quickly
arose. Melissa was hired on to create and
design a bar in a new restaurant opening in
Westport, Connecticut. Kathleen had a
construction background and helped with the
finish carpentry, before coming on board as an
expediter, food runner, bus person, server and
trainer. Once that project was up and running,
staff was trained, and the restaurant was
running smoothly, the girls left, after eight
months, as the dream was gaining strength. The
warmth and beauty of Sarasota, Florida and
Siesta Key Beach were calling their names. So
they packed the truck, headed South and prepared
for a new challenge.
They continued their F & B (Food and Beverage)
research in Sarasota, inspired by the beautiful
white sand of Siesta Key Beach, working
everywhere from small "Mom and Pop" operations
to international hotel companies. The dream was
gaining strength and Mary was almost ready to go
public.
You know, funny things happen when people get
older. Some people see birthdays as just
another day, while some see them as reality
checks. The latter happened to Melissa on her
40th. The soul searching began and she decided
it was time to take a chance and make the dream
a reality. Corporate jobs were no longer
filling the void. It was time for Big Mary and
Liquid Chef. Kathleen had persevered, paid her
dues and captured on of the top paying F&B
positions in Sarasota, so Melissa was able to
concentrate solely on Big Mary.
After studying health regulations, production,
labeling, taxes, insurance and all the
legalities involved with starting your own
business, Liquid Chef and Big Mary became a
reality. In 2004, Melissa and her father, Stan,
sold the first bottle of Big Mary's Bloody Mary
Mix at the Downtown Farmer's Market in Sarasota,
Florida.
The response was tremendous. Customers even
liked the "homemade look" of the bottle. At the
time, it was presented in a Mason Jar with a
black and white label attached by a rubber
band. Mary Jane (called Sister Mary back then)
was soon introduced as some of our customers
felt Big Mary was a little too spicy. We
changed Mary Jane's name because we wanted her
to be her own entity, not a back up to Big
Mary.
The positive feedback kept coming in. We
believe in the power of customer feedback. It
is a very strong entity that can never be taken
for granted. Since our customers are telling us
they love what we're doing, we continue to take
the time to develop new products while
perfecting existing ones. Let the voices be
heard because we listen!
We are constantly developing and market testing
new products. As our customers continue to
enjoy them, they become part of our standard
product line. A few tweaks here and there in
the kitchen can produce amazing results, as our
customers continue to tell us. It is truly a
enjoyable and ever evolving business. We now
you've enjoyed learning about our journey and
look forward to hearing your comments about this
site and our products.
Thank you for your continued support!
Melissa and Kathleen
