That’s what they did. Draxler met
the suppliers in the spring of 2011 and in
June relaunched the company as Solex
(named for his two young daughters,
Sophia and Alexia). In just over three
years, Solex has grown from three
employees and a van to 40 employees, a
fleet of four trucks and two vans, a network of 30 suppliers and an upstate New
York smokehouse, Catsmo, which he acquired in 2012. A third daughter, Briella,
has him thinking about more expansion
so he can name a division after her.
DRAXLER’S MANNER IS MODULATED
in every way, from his quiet, clipped
speech to some surgically deft chopstick work on a lunchtime tray of take-out sushi. The only notable excess is his
enthusiasm for bagging the next great
product, even if most of his hunting
these days, aside from the occasional
foray for a New Jersey turkey or deer, is
by computer or phone.
“I call my dairy farmer and ask for
recommendations of good, small farm-
ers,” he says. “Or a chef says, ‘I’m look-
ing for great buttermilk or yogurt,’ and
I do my research. I go here and there,
but mostly I have samples sent to me.”
A global network, however, means
global headaches. Bad weather in the
country of origin can keep a shipment
from taking off, bad weather here
can keep it from landing, and traffic
can delay its arrival at a restaurant. If
DELICACIES: A
rare raw honey
from Cayuga, New
York, and a sack
of green almonds,
which chefs like to
pickle or fry.
amazing make your kitchen
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