by Jennifer Bysterveld

"My parents had their own business and I always knew that's what I wanted. The question was what?" For Jill Kartushyn the answer was perogies. Jill is the creator, owner and operator of Calgary's Blue Plate Special, a successful food processing company serving up gourmet perogies.

After graduating from the University of Alberta as a Home Economist, Jill found work in the Food Services Department of Canadian Western Natural Gas. It was while creating cookbooks and counselling individuals on food related questions that her idea emerged. She had read the media articles and was aware of the growing trend of updating comfort foods. Gourmet perogies just seemed to make sense. Her husband is Ukrainian after all. So, Jill left her job and ventured into the world of food processing.

The next year was spent creating, testing and perfecting. "There is so much legwork to do before the product even goes on the shelf!" says Jill. Recipes had to be developed, flavors chosen, a name decided upon. As she tried out her various creations, co-workers, friends and family were called upon to give their feedback. The testing ground then expanded to Farmer's Markets. "I went to craft sales and Farmer's Markets to see if someone would actually pay for my perogies. This is the best way to test your product. You can meet people one-on-one, talk to other people in the business. People are very willing to share information and I was able to gain a lot of contacts."

Which recipes were keepers? Traditional perogies, but with a flair. Spinach and Feta. Mushroom Medley and Smoked Gouda. Cheddar and Chipotle Pepper. Roasted Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato. Each and every perogy is hand-made with a manual turnover machine. They are then individually inspected and packaged. Using Alberta made products in these recipes is in Blue Plate's mandate. "We try to use as many Alberta made products in our recipes as possible. Our gouda is from Innisfail for example, the potatoes are all from Alberta."

"My first thought was that they would fly off the shelf, but it doesn't happen overnight. It takes time." And hard work. Jill was also aware that a good image is essential to establishing yourself in the marketplace. "I hired a design firm to come up with the name and logo. The image they came up with was exactly what I wanted and a very good investment," says Jill. The business name - Blue Plate Special. The perogie brand - Culinary Comforts. Catchy names, but not too limiting. "Our name will allow us to expand into other projects." And that is definitely in the plans. Jill says that the future will find them creating new flavors and maybe even new products.

As things began to happen, Jill brought on two people to work with her. Open just under two years, Blue Plate Special is already expanding. Blue Plate Special now operates four days per week. "We started just in the Calgary market but we've moved into Edmonton, Canmore and now Vancouver. Mainly our perogies are found in specialty and natural food stores, some butcher shops and a few restaurants." And yes, the Farmer's Markets are still a treasured venue.

So what does it take to find success as an entrepreneur in the food processing industry? Jill says - do your research. Start with a good idea, perfect your product, develop an image and capture a niche in the marketplace. It's about dedication and working all angles. "If you can't get your product into the larger centres, use the smaller rural market," says Jill. But remember it is possible. And in the words of this successful entrepreneur: "When you start from ground zero you can only go up."