A SOCORRO SUNSET

By Chris Eboch

Taken from Chris Eboch’s patio in Socorro, this stunning sight isn’t so out of the ordinary in Eboch’s eyes. “Luckily, New Mexico, and Socorro specifically, has these amazing sunsets,” she says. “Of course the clouds are always a nice element since a lot of times we don’t have them at all.” Eboch, who studied photography in high school, says she wasn’t so keen on the technical side of things. “This was before digital photography, so a big part of it was being in a darkroom with all those chemicals,” she says. However, she does still love to snap pics on her phone whenever she sees a pretty sunset or interesting landscape. Eboch is a career writer, having worked in educational publishing for over 25 years. On the side, she writes mystery and romance novels under the pen name Kris Bock. “If I could write my own stuff, naturally that would be the dream,” she says. With experience in both writing and photography, Eboch is the right one to say that the two arts aren’t all that different. “Both require perspective and creativity, which are things I love to explore.” —ET

Dimitri Eleftheriou Heidi’s Raspberry Jam

Heidi Eleftheriou’s son remembers the beginnings of what would become the biggest jam empire in New Mexico. “We’d make jam at the house, can it up, and print labels out on our home com puter,” recalls Dimitri Eleftheriou, Heidi’s son and now co-own er of Heidi’s Jam Factory. “Her brother worked with her as well, and he was the one who got everything started with the farm.” In 2001, Heidi began selling her jams at the Corrales and Down town Farmers Markets, but these days the iconic jars of sweet ness are sold in stores in more than a dozen states, in countless outdoor markets, and through the company website. And as Heidi prepares to retire, Dimitri has been at the helm more often than not, helping to grow the brand each year. In taking the reins, Dimitri, 34, says he is optimistic about the future and his role going forward. “I’m really passionate about healthy, organic ingredients and just producing really high-quality food,” he says. “That’s what we do: our main goal is just to produce the best foods we possibly can with the best ingredi ents we can get our hands on.” —ET

1. As of four years ago, Heidi’s is featured in 50 Whole Foods Stores plus another 150 retail stores across the country.

Dimitri was about 12 years old when Heidi first launched her brand, and he was involved from the start. “I remember being a kid (sitting) on the counter and helping her stir the jam,” he says.

3. Being a part of Heidi’s from the start helped foster Dimitri’s love of food, so after high school, he studied at Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco and was a chef in the Bay Area for more than 10 years.

4. Heidi’s has five varieties of raspberry jam (original, red chile, ginger, lavender, and red chile ginger), plus newly introduced flavors like strawberry, wild blueberry and apricot.

5. A slew of sampler sets are available, which are great for Heidi’s novices—everyone is bound to have a favorite.

6. The team at Heidi’s uses their own farm-grown raspberries for their jams as well as other local berries, making sure to keep it local as much as possible.

7. Even though the business has grown exponentially, each jar is still packaged by hand.

8. The New Mexico Department of Agriculture has previously presented Heidi with the “Organic Farmer of the Year” award.

The customer base at Heidi’s is incredibly involved and vocal, which has played an integral role in the brand’s success. “It’s so nice to hear their support at farmers’ markets. We get emails all the time and have support at our retail stores,” says Dimitri. “It’s just so motivating and makes us want to do more. Without the community, the company doesn’t really exist.”

10. It’s all in (half) a day’s work: the Heidi’s team can produce 6,000 jars in about six hours.

From the start, Heidi knew she wanted to incorporate New Mexico’s state vegetable into their products, and with a lot of testing (green vs. red, powdered vs. crushed), she found that the punchy notes of crushed, organic red chile paired best with their sweet, tart raspberry jam.

All the jams are packaged and produced at Heidi’s Jam Factory, a building that is about to house an exciting new destination: the Heidi’s Ice Cream Shop, which is set to host its grand opening on May 6.

The ice cream shop will have 16 delicious jam-swirled ice creams (the flavors rotate based on the season), plus goodies like baklava, and savory options as well.