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Southern Sisters Gourmet: Mixing It Up
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BY SUSAN MARQUEZ
hen Claire Easley retired from teaching school, she was free to keep her grandson, which she really enjoyed. But when he started school, Claire’s sister, Kay Allison (also a retired teacher), said Claire needed something to do. Claire agreed but wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her spare time. Then Kay visited a local boutique whose owner told her she was looking for spice mixes and such to put in her shop. “I told her my sister could do anything,” says Kay. Claire’s biggest concern was that she didn’t know anything about packaging or keeping up with orders, and that’s where Kay stepped in. “I know all about computers,” laughs Kay.
apples. That’s the beauty of all our mixes—you can add what you want to make it your own.” Claire and Kay are four years apart and live about an hour apart – Claire lives outside of Memphis, and Kay in Pontotoc. They grew up in the tiny town of Holka, where their parents were both schoolteachers. “Both of our parents had second jobs,” says Kay, “Claire did most of the cooking for the family from the time she was nine.” Claire became the company’s product development specialist, creating the recipes in her home kitchen. “Her kitchen is FDA approved,” says Kay. They have a small warehouse where the products are packaged and shipped. They started selling their products in vendor malls until a lady Kay knew in Minnesota told her they were killing themselves. “She
And that’s how Southern Sisters Gourmet started 13 years ago. “When we started, we thought if we could net $50 a month, we’d be doing great,” laughs Kay. “Now we work seven days a week just to keep up!” Southern Sisters Gourmet is a company that sells packaged mixes to make entertaining and mealtime easier. “We began making sweet and savory dips but realized that there were a lot of others who did that. We needed to do something different.” Claire developed the Southern Chicken Salad mix that, to this day, is the company’s number one bestseller. Simply add the seasoning packet to one cup each of mayonnaise and sour cream, add a 13-ounce can of drained pineapple and one can of chicken breast, then refrigerate overnight for one quart of goodness. “I prefer mine with pickle relish instead of pineapple,” says Kay. “You can also add chopped celery or diced 40 • December 2021/January 2022
