When Jared Salekin was studying for a Bachelor of Science degree at Mount Royal University, he was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. At the age of 19, he decided to start his first painting business, which continued throughout University, allowing him to pay his way through without needing to take on any student loans. Since then, he has explored industries that span health and wellness, technology and hospitality, which allowed him to travel all over North America, Europe and the Middle East. However, in this journey, the one constant that stayed with him, and his first love, was food. In the beginning of 2022, he decided to combine the two and start selling his family’s perogies, which lead him to start Grandma Lucy’s perogies by Zinyk Farm. Further on, Krooked Lucy was launched, about which Jared speaks to us at length in the interview:
When and why did you start Krooked Lucy?
Krooked Lucy’s is a marriage between two companies, Krooked Kraut which was started by Lyndon Hertz and Leanna Parent-Hertz, and Grandma Lucy’s perogies by Zinyk Farms, which was started by Jared Salekin. The three of us have been friends for several years and we wanted to take the next step in our businesses by opening up a brick and mortar location. When the opportunity came at the Avenida Fresh & Local Market & Kitchens to open up our very own booth, we couldn’t say no. We wanted to put our North American spin on some of the Eastern European dishes that we loved.
Advice for young food entrepreneurs is to make the business centered around something that they love. This will allow them to push through the tough times and long hours according to the entrepreneur.
Your grandmother’s recipe plays an integral part of the menu. Tell us about your earliest memories of her cooking?
The earliest memories I have of my grandmother’s cooking are centered around the holidays. Making the special trip up to the farm, a 4-hour drive from Calgary, always meant that we were in for a feast. The dinner table was filled with the most amazing food you can imagine, turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cabbage rolls, and of course, my favorite, perogies. On top of this, Grandma Lucy made the most amazing homemade bread, bread that she had been baking since she was little. She had done it so often that she never used a recipe, she didn’t even use measurements, it was all from her memory and feel. Lucy also had a bit of a sweet tooth, my favorite treats that she would make were her cookies, everything from oatmeal to bacon chocolate chip cookies.
How did you decide to incorporate family recipes in the menu? What has been the best feedback you have received about your food?
My family’s perogies were always the best that I had tasted, whether they were from a store or a restaurant, no others even came close, so adding them to the menu was a no-brainer. The best feedback to hear is when people say “these are the best perogies I have ever had!”
How would you describe your day at Krooked Lucy? What are your responsibilities at the outlet?
My day’s at Krooked Lucy’s consist of two main things: the first being making the actual perogies themselves, which are all made by hand. The other main responsibility I have is interacting with customers, taking their orders, informing them about our food and story, and helping to prepare all of their food. My mother (Judi) works a full time job but still helps out with the making of the perogies after work and on her days off.
Jared’s plans include expanding to more locations, either in other markets or in breweries, as well as growing the online side of the business. The products are currently available online at www.zinykfarms.com and can be delivered right to customer’s doors.
