"It gives you a lot of time to think," Mark, 29, said of the accident’s aftermath.  "We wanted to take life less seriously," Tara, 30, said. "The accident made us realize how short life is and focus on what is important in life. Gourmet food appealed to both of us."

    Working out of their Hampton Village home, the Brtek's have developed a growing specialty food mail-order and festival business that allows them the togetherness, good taste and quality of life they craved as they fought through the maze of pagers and suit-and-tie business meetings that once dominated their lives.

    Singing Pig currently sells salsas, marinades, jams and fat-free butters with flavors ranging from the very hot habanero wild boar salsa, roasted garlic salsa — "My favorite," Mark said — to pumpkin, apple and cherry pie butter.  "We develop all the recipes and sauces, test-taste and have co-packers who are state approved make the product," Mark said. "Then, we come up with the labels and focus on selling."

    The Brtek's are part of a booming specialty and gourmet foods industry that has sprouted in the past 10 years. The New York City-based National Association for the Specialty Food Trade has grown from 250 members in 1977 to close to 1,900 members today, said John Roberts, NASFT president. The California Specialty Food Association, based in Mission Viejo, has 120 members.  "The last couple of years our industry has really exploded," said Gail Farrell, owner of Cowboy Caviar and California Specialty Food Association director. "It takes a good product, knowing how to market it properly and above all, a lot of patience."

    Lately, the Brtek's have been taking the Singing Pig label to festivals and farmers’ markets throughout Northern California as they aim to acquaint gourmets with their wares. They also sell through gift shops while pursuing their aim of operating strictly through mail order.  The Brtek's are developing a dedicated and far-flung following for their edible dream.

    Carol Saccomonto of Petaluma stumbled on the Singing Pig booth at a San Anselmo food festival and liked their salsas so much she gave a case to Pat Orsini.   "The habanero was a great product and they were really nice people," Saccomonto said.  Orsini, in turn, took some salsa on a camping trip and became a big fan of Singing Pig’s signature Wild Boar hot salsa.  "They seem to have found the right balance and everyone we introduce it to wants to buy a case," Orsini said. "I keep a case in my garage. They better not go out of business."

    Come Christmas, Orsini said he was going to buy three cases of salsas to give as gifts to his "dearest" friends.  "The taste of their salsa in combination with lightly barbecued oysters was beyond my ability to express in a socially acceptable manner," Orsini said.

    The Singing Pig motif sprang from an innocent remark uttered by Tara as a 3-year-old.  "Apparently I would tell anyone who asked me that I wanted to be a singing pig when I grew up," Tara said. "Well, you can imagine the teasing I endured from my family over the years. It was Mark’s idea to name the company after my childhood ambition."

    The Brtek's met at graduate school at Northern Arizona University. Singing Pig Foods officially started in May 1996 when the young couple decided to take the plunge.  "I was on a pager constantly, working seven days a week, shirt and tie every day" said Mark with a grimace. "This has worked out better than we could have hoped."  "We don’t make as much money as we did back then," Tara said. "But the quality of time we have together and the quantity of time is well worth it. For us this was the right decision."

    Currently, Tara said the best seller is pumpkin pie butter which is fat-free and goes great with toast. "Slowly, we’re building wholesale customers," Mark said.

    Last weekend they were off to the Napa Art and Wine Festival. In a few weeks, Singing Pig goes to the huge Tacoma Food and Gift Show.  In between those engagements, the Brtek's will sell salsa at Grass Valley, Bear Valley and Folsom markets. They have been regular exhibitors at the Sacramento Thursday night market and occasional farmers’ markets and crafters shows elsewhere in the region.