Gist
The debut product, 7 Salad Dressing, also works as a dip, marinade and sauce for pasta.
Who
Tamara Gallik, a single mother of seven children between the ages of 12 and 31
Started
When Gallik’s husband died suddenly five years ago, she had never worked outside the home. The first two years “I was in shock,” she says, then her oldest son Jonathan Balsamo “tried to encourage me to go out into the workforce and I was hesitant. I always told him, ‘Find what you love to do and figure out a way to make money doing it. And you will love what you’re doing and it won’t feel like work.’ And he kind of turned that around on me.”
Inspiration
Based on her sister’s red wine vinegar and oil dressing, Gallik reworked the recipe to be “spicy, yet sweet,” says Gallik—adding cayenne and turmeric—and has been making it for the last 10 years for family and friends. “They want it in an IV,” she says. Gallik officially started the company last fall and sells the dressing online and at area farmers markets.
Details
The name represents many sevens in Gallik’s life, the number of spices in the dressing; the number of children she has; she’s the seventh youngest in her family of 20 brothers and sisters; and it’s “God’s favorite number,” says Gallik, “it means angelic perfection.”
Next
“That’s up to God,” says Gallik. As for her business, “try another dressing.” / balsamosfamilykitchen.com —Stefanie Gans
(July 2014)
