Cracked Olive Market Serves Community with Healthy Food for Busy People

Cousins Denis O’Connor and Dan Duffy clearly know a thing or two about being good neighbors and making customers feel like family. The pair are the owners of Cracked Olive Market at 37 Main Street (Route 520/Newman Springs Road, just off Holmdel Road) in Holmdel, NJ, in the building known for years as Dom’s Deli by local residents and which was, even earlier, a general store dating back to the early 1900s. At a special tasting event held on October 1, 2013, the partners demonstrated why the business is more than just a deli, serving up a variety of delicious hot and foods with a Mediterranean flair (Italian, Greek, Moroccan, Turkish, and more) alongside the quality cold cuts, brick oven pizza, and other dishes. Their mission is to provide “healthy food for busy people” using local ingredients and seasonal produce, and giving customers convenient family meals that are too good to pass up.

Cracked Olive Market opened in May of 2012 – a few months before Superstorm Sandy made her presence felt and just as the burgeoning business was hitting its stride and gaining popularity. Like everyone else in the area, the market was without power for a prolonged period, but the supply of food on hand did not go to waste. Instead, working together with neighboring Holmdel Fire Company #1 where there was generator power and a full kitchen, they set up a temporary soup kitchen to help support the community and began cooking up a storm of their own.

Since then, Cracked Olive Market has continued to strengthen its ties to the community, with regular customers who come in to sit and enjoy the fare or who call ahead to make sure some of their favorite dishes are available, such as the delicious Greek spinach pie, spanakopita, served only on Fridays and always sold out by midday.

The dynamic duo’s culinary and corporate backgrounds and skills complement each other perfectly, with Denis the chef and Dan the front house manager. Their upbeat personalities and broad smiles (“Because a smile is free, genuine, and simple,” according to Denis) help provide a friendly, welcoming atmosphere for every person who walks in the door.

Chef Denis O’Connor, a boisterous, beaming man who’s as Irish as the day is long, explained his love of Mediterranean cooking and noted that olives are indigenous to the region. The name of the market came from a recipe that he made for his wife. With 25 years of cooking experience in New York, France, and elsewhere, “working under fabulous, topnotch chefs,” Denis explained the differences in clientele, taste preferences, and price points between the bustling city crowds and the suburban customers he now serves.

“We have to figure out what the people want, and give it to them,” he said. “We’re in the people-pleasing business. I pull out all the things I was taught throughout my career and incorporate it here.” Calling the food business “challenging, demanding, rewarding, and family-oriented,” the chef creates his dishes “by testing them with whoever is near and asking questions and opinions. Ideas come from everywhere. There are ten million ways to cook, and there’s no right or wrong way.” There are lots of vegetarian items to choose from, including stuffed grape leaves, hummus, and babaganoush. For the meat eaters among us, the outstanding homemade “Aunt Roe’s meatballs” are not to be missed.

Both Denis and Dan, who originally hail from Long Island but now live locally, spoke with the passion they have for the business, which they admit can be crazily time-consuming (up to 16 hours each day) and takes up a lot of their lives, but is well worth the effort. “Our focus is creating a good time for other people,” explained Denis. “We offer comfort food, hearty salads, lots of items that are grilled or sautéed instead of fried, and flavorful, with spices and herbs. This is food we grew up on, and it’s an alternative to fast food.” One of their trademark services is the Family Meal Menu, with daily entrees priced per person. Customers can call ahead to order, and later go in and out in five minutes to pick up and bring home a nutritious family dinner.

Situated where it is, Cracked Olive Market is poised to become the “go-to” destination for residents and visitors alike, since it is one of the only culinary options in that part of southern Holmdel, has parking available, and is located by the busy crossroads of Holmdel Road, Newman Springs Road, and Route 34 – a perfect spot to enjoy some gourmet coffee and breakfast to start the day, visit for a local lunch, or stop by to pick up a fully prepared dinner to bring home for a family meal. Cracked Olive Market offers catering, too, with options to tempt the taste buds for every kind of occasion – corporate lunches, school parties, family celebrations, tailgating parties, and holidays throughout the year, including both prix fixe and a la carte Thanksgiving Dinner options.

The Cracked Olive Market is open seven days a week – Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Their website is www.CrackedOlive.com, where you can find their menu and daily specials, plus links to their Facebook page. There’s even a Cracked Olive Market YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/crackedolive, for recipes and cooking tips. Their phone number is (732) 946-4115.