Father and son spice up life with their award-winning ‘Green Stuff’ salsa

THE RIGHT COMBINATION—Father-and-son team Chuck and Gerard Turbush of Simi Valley make Chef Gerard and Chuck’s Green Stuff salsa. They started Jala-Fresca Salsa Inc. about four years ago. The salsa, which comes in mild, medium, hot and blazing hot varieties, is available at Green Acres Farm Market in Simi Valley as well as Lassen’s Health Foods and Whole Foods Market in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers Four decades ago, when Simi Valley resident Chuck Turbush came up with his own salsa recipe for a barbecue fundraiser, he never dreamed of the accolades that quickly followed or the awards that would be collected years later.

Turbush, now 82, and his wife, Pearl, were active with the Save the Susana Mountains Park Association at the time, and a barbecue was in the works to raise money to protect the stagecoach trail.

Already known among family members for his tasty salad dressing, Turbush decided to create a salsa recipe for the event.

It was an immediate hit with family and friends, and he soon started making three or four gallons at a time, storing jars in the refrigerator.

“I would make it for our own use or give it away to friends,” said Turbush, who was then working full-time in advertising. “People started asking me for it and saying, ‘When are you going to make some more?’”

Turbush’s stepson, Frank Sanchez, now 71, started serving the salsa at his restaurant in Pine Mountain Club, a small town in the Los Padres National Forest about 90 miles from Simi Valley.

“People liked it, and since the salsa was green, they asked for ‘the green stuff,’” Turbush said. “My son told me people started coming to the restaurant from Ventura and Camarillo asking for the salsa.”

In 2005, Turbush and his son Gerard, 53, turned the homemade salsa into a business, JalaFresca Salsa Inc. Chef Gerard and Chuck’s Green Stuff Salsa was now for sale to the public.

Gerard Turbush is a professional executive chef who’s worked for the Marriott Corporation at Walt Disney Studios as well as other large companies.

“After 20 years I got tired of corporate life and decided to do something on my own,” he said. “My 93-year-old mom pestered me for years to put the salsa on the market. I just never had the time to do it.”

He took his father’s basic recipe, which was for hot salsa, and made mild and medium versions. The 16-ounce jars of salsa, which retail at $6.99, can be found at Green Acres Market, Lassen’s Health Foods and Whole Foods Market in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Chuck Turbush was born and raised in Compton and served in the Navy during World War II. He and his wife moved to Simi Valley in the ’60s and were environmental activists in the community. They’ve been married for 55 years and now live in Pine Mountain Club. Including Gerard, the couple have four adult sons.

Gerard Turbush graduated from Royal High School in 1974 and attended culinary arts programs in Los Angeles and London, England. He and his wife, Marylou, have lived in Simi Valley since 1998. He first started selling the salsa at farmers markets in the region. The product is now packaged by a food company in Ventura.

“The first ingredient is tomatoes. We use jalapeños and cilantro, but the big difference is that we use green onions,” Gerard Turbush said. “The green onions have much more flavor than regular onions.”

Chef Gerard and Chuck’s Green Stuff Salsa has won top awards at competitions near and far.

In July, the hot and medium salsas won first place at the Oxnard Salsa Festival. In September, the mild salsa won first place honors at the Fiery Foods Contest in Fort Worth, Texas, and the medium and hot won first place at the international Scovie Awards, held in Albuquerque, N.M.

“To me, making salsa was just a hobby,” Chuck Turbush said. “I liked it and the family liked it. I never thought I’d make a business out of it.”