We had a blast last evening at local food night  at the Swampscott Whole Foods. There were about 15 vendors scattered through the store, everything from salsa and cheese to jewelry and body lotion. Everyone we met was friendly and generous with their samples; one woman was even baking cookies in a tabletop oven.

Our pick for best find was LaMarissa’s Salsa, the freshest tasting, most delicious we’ve tasted in a long time—maybe ever. It’s a fairly smooth salsa with just the right amount of cilantro and heat.

Marissa Salomon is a Nahant resident and began the company making the salsa in her home kitchen.

Today, it’s made in small batches in Springfield and sold in seven Whole Foods stores (in the produce section on ice, but it lasts 30 days in the fridge).

Marissa was handing out samples last night, along with a recipe for Baja fish tacos we plan to try this weekend. The recipe is also on her site.

Passion for salsa
Nahant woman turns her salsa recipe into growing business venture

By Chris Stevens / The Daily Item / November 17, 2010

NAHANT -- Marissa Salomon cast a lot of nets before she figured out how to reel in a fiery passion for Mexican food and successfully channel and market it as La Marissa Salsa.

Many an amateur chef has thought their homemade salad dressing, soup, brownies or other treat is the best in the land but it takes perseverance to convince people to pay for them.

In 18 months, Salomon has managed to market what she calls “truly authentic Mexican-style salsa,” and get it on the shelves at Whole Foods throughout the East Coast including the store in Vinnin Square in Swampscott.

“I truly believe it is the best salsa in the United States,” she said emphatically.

But it has been a long road, Salomn admits, to reach this level of success and it’s not even half way to where she hopes to end up.

Salomon grew up in Palm Springs, Calif., where she said eating Mexican food — salsa in particular — was a way of life.

“It was my after school snack,” she said. “Everyday, I ate it before going to tennis or golf.”

After high school Salomon found herself lured to the east coast by education and love, neither lasted. After briefly studying psychology, Salomon said she dropped out of school and after suffering a broken heart she headed back to California.

“But I really missed the east coast,” she said.

So she headed back to Massachusetts and set her sights on correcting what she saw as the East Coast’s only flaw, a painful lack of authentic Mexican food.

She started by opening a small Mexican restaurant in Nahant and while that venture did not last, it was in that tiny shop where she had an epiphany. A man came in and asked her if he could purchase a quart container of her salsa. She said she charged him $8 and a co-worker chided her over the cost.

“The guy looked at him and said, ‘I’d pay double that for this salsa,’” she said. “I sat on that idea for a few years but it solidified things for me.”

Eventually she cooked up a batch. Salomon said is her salsa is one of the only commercial salsas that is cooked, and walked in the back door at Whole Foods in Swampscott. Salomon hunted down the head of the produce department, Stephen Jankowiak, who she credits with giving her her first big break and got him to try her salsa on the spot. A few short weeks later, La Marissa Salsa hit the shelves of the produce department.

From there Salomon said she walked into every Whole Foods market from Portland Maine to the tip of Long Island, and down to Red Bank in New Jersey with the same pitch.

“I just walked in with a bag of chips and my salsa,” she said. “It was very up front and personal. Nothing corporate.”

She is corporate now though.

After steaming tomatoes and slicing and dicing onions, garlic, cilantro and jalapeno peppers in her kitchen for her first few batches, Salomon found a manufacturing company, Hot Mama’s in Springfield.

She has also signed with a marketing company as well but she said she still does probably 80 percent of the footwork herself.

“Because they’re just not going to have the passion for this that I do,” she said.

Along with her passion, Salomon said a great support system has also proven invaluable.

Mom Victoria Salomon has filled the roll of constant cheerleader, Salomon said, Jacqlyn Hazel stepped in and provided the costly software for the nutritional labels that helped her get started and now investor John Reyes has come aboard.

Teaming with Reyes, she said, has allowed her to attend to details and grow her line. In a few months she plans to roll out a hot version of her medium spicy salsa as well as a queso dip.

As for the future of the company Salomon is not shy.

“I see us going global, well nationally first,” she said. “I would like to see us on cruise ships and with big accounts like Chili’s . . . I would like to see us be a conglomerate.”

For others out there thinking they, too, could market their homemade dish, Salomon said persevere.

“Believe in your product 100 percent, love it 100 percent and be passionate about it,” she said. “Then get out and hit the pavement. Go into the store, find the buyer and get (your product) in their mouth. It’s that simple.”

To check out more information about the all natural, no preservatives, no sugar added, vegan and gluten free salsa head to www.lamarissa.com.