Vendor Spotlight: From Skordalia to Salmon — Meze Table & Hook Point Fisheries

Meze Table and Hook Point Fisheries may come from opposite corners of the world, but they share a common heart: family, friendship, and a deep love for connecting people through food.

Our journey begins with Elizabeth and Beth–co-owners of Meze Table–best friends, hospitality professionals, and sommeliers who’ve spent years bringing people together through food and wine. During the pandemic, they turned a long-held dream into reality, launching a business inspired by Elizabeth’s boisterous Greek upbringing and Beth’s skill in front-of-house operations.

Meze Table is a modern, Midwestern twist on Greek cuisine, blending Mediterranean flavors with local ingredients and heartfelt hospitality. From spreads to soups and so much more, their menu reflects the same warmth and generosity that defines a Greek table — where everyone is welcome, and food is a bridge between cultures.

For Elizabeth, Beth, and the Meze Table team, the 61st Street Farmers Market represents everything they love about Chicago: diversity, community, and curiosity. The mix of urban and rural growers, local purveyors, and loyal patrons who come together each week is inspiring.

A few tents down, you’ll find another story of connection: For Mat and Karen of Hook Point Fisheries, their story begins on the remote northwest coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska. Mat first worked there in 2000 and fell in love with the rugged beauty and rhythm of life on the water. Over time, his wife Karen and their children joined him on the site, and in 2020 they purchased the small setnet operation — a traditional, sustainable way of fishing where nets are anchored to shore to harvest wild sockeye salmon.

Each summer, the family fishes side by side, then brings the best of their wild Alaskan catch back to Chicago, sharing it directly with their community. For them, it’s more than a business — it’s a way to honor sustainability, family connection, and the simple truth that food is love.

Their offerings reflect that care and integrity: wild, never farmed seafood including sockeye salmon, halibut, sablefish, scallops, spot prawns, and a beloved line of smoked specialties like salmon candy and smoked sablefish. Every product carries a story — from the fishermen to the families who enjoy it around the table.

That same sense of community resonates with Meze Table as well. Both businesses see the Market as more than a place to sell food — it’s a place to share stories, recipes, and values. They utilize the same shared kitchen space and often collaborate. Like last season’s chef demo, where Meze Table shared a quick cured salmon recipe with grilled squash and seasonal salad at our Market.

Together, Meze Table and Hook Point Fisheries remind us that food connects us all — from the shores of the Mediterranean to the wild Alaskan coast to right here at the 61st Street Farmers Market.