The 2024 Cleveland Chain Reaction winners will be announced in August, but first, let’s take a look at two recent winners

By Mimi Vanderhaven

Cleveland Chain Reaction is a small business pitch competition that connects entrepreneurs to capital and mentors, and places new businesses in Cleveland neighborhoods. It’s a program of Cleveland Partnership’s Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), and applications are now in for its seventh season.

Soon, the top 20 businesses selected as semifinalists will participate in a bootcamp hosted by JumpStart, where business experts will help the entrepreneurs prepare to pitch to a panel of judges on Wednesday, August 21 and Thursday, August 22.

The three businesses with the highest scores will win $40,000, $20,000, and $10,000, respectively. Meanwhile, let’s take a look at the winners from 2022 and 2023:

Have You Heard of Za’atar?
The 2022 grand-prize winner was Terranean Herbs & Spices, which produces Lebanese-inspired seasonings, spreads and pita chips. The company was founded by Tina Chamoun, who grew up enjoying the ancient Middle Eastern herb known as za’atar.

“I started seeing za’atar featured on the Food Network as more and more people are becoming interested in culinary diversity,” Tina says. “I did some research and saw a 300% increase in za’atar searches on Google. It was exciting to see something from my childhood becoming mainstream, so I started the company. We used to go to Lebanon and bring back za’atar and olive oil in our suitcases.”

Today, Terranean Herbs & Spices offers a suite of za’atar-based products, including Tina’s new Sea Salt Twice-baked Pita Chips (featuring salt collected from the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Lebanon using traditional methods that retain essential minerals), spreads, spice blends and other seasonings, like sumac, Mediterranean steak, chicken and seafood, and even a Cajun blend.

You can purchase the products online at TerraneanHerbs.com or find them at Jasmine Bakery, 12117 Berea Road, in Cleveland. There’s also a limited selection at Aladdin’s Eatery locations and many local markets and grocers, including some Heinen’s, and Giant Eagle locations.

The Terranean Herbs & Spices management team also includes Souheira Saed, Jasmine Bakery manager; Reem Elhajjneid, administrative assistant; and Jehona Krasniqi, production manager.

“Many of our customers are buying our products as gifts to friends and family members who love za’atar,” Tina says. “But the pita chips are our number one seller for people who are just learning what za’atar is. It’s great on many things, from eggs and pasta to chicken wings.”

Enjoy the Hot Chocolate Experience!
The 2023 Cleveland Chain Reaction grand-prize winner was the Marshmallow of the Month Club, founded by Saidah Farrell. The company manufactures artisan marshmallows and other products.

“After culinary school I had a job making marshmallows and could never get them quite right,” Saidah says. “The recipe featured egg whites and that made them challenging. Then I found an Alton Brown marshmallow recipe that contained no egg whites, and they came out perfectly. The next step was to start creating flavors.”

So far, Saidah has developed 54 different flavors of marshmallows, including strawberry, banana, chocolate chip cookies (butter and brown sugar), pumpkin, raspberry and lime prosecco, and more—all made from natural ingredients.

Her marshmallows contain no pork gelatin; she uses fish gelatin instead. “They’re not vegan, but they are ideal for pescatarians,” she adds.

Saidah owns a company called Olivia Rose Confections, which has two sub-brands—the Marshmallow of the Month Club and Joy Craft Cocoa, which creates gourmet hot chocolate experiences.

“When you’re making marshmallows, a natural extension is making hot cocoa,” she smiles.

Right now Saidah is launching a new subscription box along with a one-time gift box for the holidays. “The holiday gift box is a huge hit,” she says. “It includes a silver flask, a four-pack of handmade cocoa, artisan marshmallows, a whisk, a spoon, and recipe cards.”

During Saidah’s pitch to the judges last year, she served her cocoa in silver flasks, and the judges replied, “We love this. You have to include a flask in the gift boxes!”

The company also creates corporate gift boxes, which make clever, delicious gifts for employees and clients.

You can shop Saidah’s artisan cocoas at JoyCraftCocoa.com or sign up for the subscription service. To order a holiday gift box, you’ll need to join the waitlist. You can do that by clicking “The Hot Chocolate Experience” at the top of the home page, then entering your email address.

You can also find the cocoa at Meijer’s Fairfax Market, 2190 E 105th St., in Cleveland.