[photo source: JJ’s Best]

After a long year of hard work and determination, JJ’s Best is selling their dressing at Whole Foods with more products on the way. Created by Joy Ortiz, her JJ’s Best Cilantro Lime Dressing was a popular hit at her restaurant in Garfield (as a spread, salad dressing, dip, etc) and was about to start selling it locally at Whole Foods last year. Super Storm Sandy had other plans, knocking out the power of her café and destroying all her inventory.

Unable to recoup any losses, she pushed forward and turned the restaurant into her manufacturing facility. The wheels kept spinning in her head with new ideas and now Bloody Mary Rim Salt, sugars and other confections used in cooking and as beverage condiments are on the future product pipeline.

Joy Oritz did not grow up with a fascination to cook.  She was in the mortgage business most of her adult life and found herself laid off in 2005.  Struggling to find work, Joy became entranced with the Food Network and found herself in her kitchen replicating what she saw or creating her own creations.  It was a form of therapy for her which turned into a new career when she launched her catering company. This led to her restaurant and current endeavor with JJ’s Best.

The Bloody Mary Rim Salt was conceived one night when Joy was having a party.  She went out to find a Bloody Mary Rim Salt and could not find any relative product so she created her own. The product is multi-purpose and can be used in cooking (shrimp, steak).

JJ’s Best products are currently available at Whole Foods and their website. For more information, visit their website at http://jjsbest.com.