About Kalamata 505: Drawing inspiration from family
Frossene first drew her culinary inspiration from her Grandmother Lula, who was born in Greece. Lula was the oldest of 11 children and performed most of the cooking duties for her family. At age 18, she emigrated from Greece to the United States to marry her husband, Peter. Together Lula and Peter combined their love of baking and owned a confectionery shop in Nebraska just before the depression. Although they both knew how to make Greek pastries, they catered to American tastes and created well-known sweets such as chocolate covered nuts, ice creams, and other confections. Unfortunately, due to the depression, they lost their shop in the 1930s. However, Lula never lost her love of baking Greek desserts for her family and the Greek Orthodox Church. In Lula’s later years, she spent many hours in the kitchen teaching Frossene how to bake Greek pastries and foods.
Taking It Further
Next, Frossene enrolled in culinary classes at CNM to continue learning more about the culinary world. As a student there, Frossene’s first baking class was nothing short of heaven. She knew she was hooked at the first feel of the dough and the smell of the rising bread. Most noteworthy, the hands-on training at CNM was invaluable. Her classes included beginning, intermediate and advanced baking, plus hospitality and entrepreneurial classes. When it came time to create a baking business, Frossene knew it had to include Greek flavors from her family’s rich heritage. The idea of fusing spices from the SW to enhance the fresh Greek flavors worked quite well. Implementing the idea during baking and entrepreneurial classes, CNM instructors gave Frossene the solid basics and the support needed to launch Kalamata 505.
About Our Name
Kalamata is a Greek Olive, and a symbol of fresh Greek flavors. 505 is the area code from Albuquerque and symbolizes SW spice! Together, the flavors create a Greek fusion of rich flavors that are incorporated into each of the artisan loaves of bread. Our signature bread is Kalamata Olive and Green Chile bread. Certainly, the flavors from Greece and the SW fuse together for a delightful taste!
In addition, we have other flavors combinations which include:
- Kalamata and Green Chile bread
- Green Chile and Cheese bread
- Rosemary and Parmesan bread
- Tomato, Pesto and cheese bread
- Chipotle bread
- Cranberry and Pecan bread
- Kalamata bread