Mom’s a Genius: Empty nester takes pickle recipe and turns it into thriving business
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (WXYZ) – After years in the kitchen cutting cucumbers for a pickle recipe adored by friends and family, Marcia Nodel found herself in quite a pickle.
“I raised my kids, they both went to school, graduated, married, and now what does mom do?” she says. “I don’t play cards, I don’t want to play cards.”
What she wanted to do was cook.
“So I decided to take what I know, what I love and see what I can do.”
From hobby to business
Her hobby was about to become a business. She started with her 35 year old sweet and sassy pickle recipe. That’s what she was making when we dropped by a small commercial kitchen in Hamtramck. The pickle process takes two days. First day, cutting the cucumbers and adding onions to each batch and then ice on top.
“The way I keep the pickles crisp, so they the crunch, is to let them sit on ice overnight,” she explains.
Day 2, the pickles are cooked, jarred and labeled.
Big award
In 2014 Marcia’s recipe won a prestigious Good Food Award out of San Francisco. Sales took off.
“After the Good Food Award, it took things to a whole different level. It opened doors, I got a distributor and I grew to five products.”
Her company, Marcia’s Pickled Munchies , now also includes a habanero version of her sweet and sassy recipe, called Little Hotties. She also makes Spicy Pickled ‘Sparagus, Wild Dills, and Cherry Pops, which are savory pickled tomatoes.
Asked if it was tough being an entrepreneur, she said this…
“It’s exciting! It’s exciting because it keeps growing.”
Her kids help with the business end of things these days. Marcia likes to focus on what she knows best… making great pickles.
“They’re very proud of mom,” she says.
Where to buy Marcia’s Pickled Munchies
You can find Marcia’s Pickled Munchies at area specialty stores, including some Plum Markets, Papa Joe’s, & Market Square locations. You can also find them at all Busch’s Markets and the Whole Foods Downtown. For a full list of stores where they’ll sold, click here. She also sells them on her website .