Louisiana Sisters was started by my sister Karen and me, Sharon. Our heritage goes back to 1844 when our great, great grandfather arrived in New Orleans from France. Many of our recipes and tradition of cooking together as a family have been passed down from generation to generation and are a big part of all family celebrations.
Karen and I took our family heritage to heart and realized we had something unique. We had always talked of starting a company together, so after much thought and the right timing, we decided to take action. The recipe for our olives is the brainchild of our father, Tom, who for many years would prepare the olives for family gatherings. We girls went to work test marketing our Dad’s olives on friends. With great success, it was time to think about putting the olives out for the general public.
Karen went to work securing a grant through the SBA, as well as obtaining other documentation required by the state for a new business. I went to work in my kitchen to refine the recipe for mass production. We enlisted our mom, Bernie, to design a logo for the new company. Mom did an original water color of the great state of Louisiana with two antebellum girls standing under a cypress tree. In November of 2007 all the preliminary work was pulled together and Louisiana Sisters was born. Getting the production on-line took just over a year. Finally, on February 28, 2009, the first jars of Louisiana Sisters New Orleans Spiced Olives were rolled off the assembly line. Our crew always consists of family members (we are 10 children) from Mom and Dad right on through all our siblings, our grown children, sister-in-laws and several Aunts. I guess it just depends on who is available on production day.
Louisiana Sisters New Orleans Spiced Olives were such a big hit that now the family has added four new products. From our spiced olive we have created a green olive tapenade that is just delicious on sandwiches, pasta, pizza and such, just to name a few. Next we found an old family recipe for a true Louisiana Pepper Jelly which is great as a snack on cream cheese but my favorite is to use our pepper jelly as a glaze on fish, chicken, pork, shrimp and anything else your heart desires. Once we had laid the ground work for Louisiana Sisters with our first three products, we decided to make a Bloody Mary Mix and Martini Olive Juice that would let you know you tasted New Orleans first hand.
Louisiana Sisters goal has always been to create delicious products representing the flavors of our Louisiana heritage that has been handed down from generation to generation and always using the staples of every Louisiana kitchen: garlic, celery, onion, and Louisiana sugar. Louisiana Sisters adds just enough spice to tickle your taste buds and compliment other foods with which it is paired. Today, we want to offer you a taste of our family heritage through these gourmet products.
Louisiana Sisters’ Talents run deep. Mom is not the only artist in our family. Aunt Joan Tuminello, Mom’s sister, is also an artist of New Orleans and loves to work on the production line for Louisiana Sisters when she is not busy with her art. She has pursued drawing and painting since childhood but did not become a serious artist until her retirement a few years ago. Now Aunt Joan is very busy with her art membership in numerous Art Guilds and workshops. She enjoys traveling the Bayou Fishing Communities of South Louisiana that inspire most of her paintings. She has been Louisiana Sisters’ in-house artist for many of our own projects such as the beautiful Louisiana Sisters platters that can be found on our gift page. We will be showcasing Aunt Joan’s work through our website and always bringing you new projects to view and purchase. Today, you may view her Sun Kissed Watercolor, Fish For Color, Fish For Color II, Blue Crab and Autumn Swamp on the Gift Page.