Today we’d like to introduce you to John Peter Bertakis.
The concept behind Brookhaven Marketplace started more than forty years ago when two immigrant cousins from Greece, John and Andy, went their separate ways as they began new lives in the Chicago area. Andy opened an open-air produce market at Kedzie and Lawrence in Chicago and named it Andy’s Fruit Ranch. It featured fresh produce which Andy bought each morning before sun-up at the produce terminal at the South Water Market. Everything he sold was as fresh as if it was just picked, and with a low overhead, Andy’s pricing was out-of-this-world. The store was not meant to be a full line grocery store. Produce was their specialty, and aside from some milk and a few fresh staples, that was all that you could buy at Andy’s.
John had a different interest in food… He had a passion for good deli meats, cheese, and smoked meats. He realized early on that everyone shopping for meat and cheese would also want fresh, home-baked bread to serve it on, so he decided to open an old world bakery/deli with imported foods from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. His store was located on Lake Street in Addison, IL, and it was called Minos Imported Foods.
The two businesses flourished and in time Andy had a son, Minos, and John had a son named John Peter (JP). Both boys decided to join with their fathers’ businesses to assure a continued family presence in each store. Some years later at a typical family gathering, talk turned to business (as was often the case) and everyone in the family started to say it was time to look into expanding the businesses. Minos and JP were eager to expand and grow each store concept but the founders, John and Andy, were content to stay where they were. They wished to continue running their own unique stores, each one serving those customers they had come to know for more than 30 years.
It’s not exactly certain just how the two sons came to the idea, but in time each realized that combining the concept of a fresh, expansive produce store well recognized for its variety, freshness, and low prices, with a fabulous fresh bakery and deli which also sold fresh meat, seafood, and international groceries, would be a venture that they could both prosper from. The family’s first combination store was opened on November 10th, 2004, in the Brookhaven shopping center at the corner of Plainfield Road and Cass Avenue in Darien — Thus the name Brookhaven Marketplace.
Since then, we have expanded to a total of 3 Brookhaven locations located in Darien, Mokena & Burr Ridge.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Maintaining quality and service standards during our expansion was challenging. As a small family owned business, we didn’t have operation procedures in place or training manuals. This was a definite challenge for us but we never lost focus and worked hard at implementing systems that ensure our guests always receive the Brookhaven level of service and quality!
Brookhaven Marketplace – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am proud of the team we have, also known as the “Brookhaven Family”. We strive to deliver exceptional service and tend to be old-fashioned in our approach. This is something that is hard to come by nowadays and definitely sets us apart from the rest.
Our tag line “The finest foods from around the world” speaks to the unique product offerings you will find throughout. A variety of gourmet, ethnic and specialty products are showcased throughout the store.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I am truly proud of developing a strong team of associates that have grown Brookhaven into a strong local business that delivers on my family’s original mission.
Contact Info:
- Address: 7516 S. Cass Ave Darien, IL
19818 S. LaGrange Rd Mokena, IL
100 Burr Ridge Pkwy Burr Ridge, IL - Website: brookhavenmarket.com
- Email: info@brookhavenmarket.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/brookhavenmkt
