How sugar-free, celebrity endorsed pickles landed in Phoenix: 'I started with what I loved'
On a sunny Phoenix day at the Uptown farmers market, an Iranian woman suddenly exclaimed: “Oh my goodness, torshi!”
Torshi means pickled vegetable in Farsi, and jars of them sat in perfect rows on a vendor's table. The shopkeeper, Kristi Murray, a Southern California transplant with Slovak and Hungarian roots, offered samples and explained that her products have no sugar and very little salt.
The Iranian woman bought a jar of pickled beets and one of okra. Another customer asked for the stuffed jalapeno pickles and another for the spicier California garden mix.
When asked why she named her business Gunnar and Jake's, she said: “They are my two sons and it was a miracle I had them.”
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Murray was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis at age 15. It is a rare kidney disease that causes scarring in the kidneys, and her physician predicted she would be in kidney failure by age 20 and would never have children.
Defying the odds, she gave birth to two sons, Gunnar in 1999 and Jake in 2001, both premature, and Jake severely underweight. By the time her second son was born, she was in renal failure and needed a kidney transplant. Murray received her first kidney from her sister at 28 and her second 13 years later from her brother.
Kidney disease dictated that she cut out salt and sugar, which were found aplenty in her favorite snack, grocery store jarred pickles. So, in 2011, she decided to create her own line of pickled foods with no sugar and very little sodium. She dedicated the business to her children.
When it comes to pickles, anything's up for grabs
Originally from Ohio, Murray was familiar with canning because of her family. Her Slovak grandmother used to can fruits.
“We picked bushels of Hungarian peppers and canned in mid-September,” she said. When she moved to California, the beautiful vegetables, some of which Murray had never had before, inspired her to try pickling vegetables.
“It was trial and error,” she said. “I started with what I loved growing up: beets, red onions and Hungarian peppers. I'd try to envision something savory that I love that I can put in my pickle jar.”
Her experiments were successful. With time, she became more and more creative, starting with sweet, tangy pickled beets, then moving on to pickled jalapenos stuffed with cheese and prosciutto that bob in vinegar alongside garlic cloves.
Her newest addition is pickled pineapples, which have become so popular she can't make them fast enough.
Surviving ups and downs takes faith
In 2020, Gunnar and Jake’s Gourmet Pickles and Peppers was in 12 farmers markets in Southern California. Jars of her pickles were even included in Academy and Emmy Awards’ gift bags. Then COVID-19 broke out. California shut down and Murray’s husband, like many, lost his job. She had to get creative quickly to keep her business alive.
“The way I have gotten through my challenges is through my faith,” said Murray.
Murray contacted Tory Johnson, a product curator at Good Morning America who chooses merchandise and offers them to the viewers at a discounted price.
“She tried our pickles and said, ‘These are the best pickles I’ve ever had,’” said Murray.
“We aired on May 27, 2020, and ended up moving 30,000 jars over the 30-second segment," Murray said.
To fulfill the massive order, she contacted a few churches until Santa Clarita United Methodist Church agreed to opened its door and commercial kitchen to her. Murray and a group of volunteers worked tirelessly for weeks to fulfill every single order.
When her family moved to Phoenix in February of 2021, she relaunched her business from scratch. Now, a little more than a year later, Gunnar and Jake's is in three farmers markets: Uptown, Old Town Scottsdale and Fountain Hills. AJ’s Fine Foods has also expressed interest in selling her products.
“I’m a very resilient, determined person,” she said. “I feel like God wants me to tell my story and reach people with my food and let them know there’s always hope.”
Murray donates $1 from the sale of every jar to the American Kidney Fund to raise awareness for kidney disease. The pickles range from $12 to $20 per jar and can be purchased in person or online.
Details: Find the Gunnar and Jake's farmers market schedule and other places to buy at gunnarandjake.com.
How to help: 3 beloved farmers market vendors were in accidents.
Reach the reporter at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @banooshahr on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gunnar and Jake's Gourmet Pickles move from Hollywood to Phoenix
