Darragh says educating the public,
retailers and chefs about California olive
oils is still a challenge, but that the COOC
has made good inroads. “California has
fantastic soil and climate conditions for
growing olives. And unlike other crops,
once the olive trees are established,
they require much less water. Water is a
tremendous issue in California and will
continue to be, so it’s a very good crop
from that perspective.”
John Nation
At 610 Magnolia, chef de cuisine Nick
Sullivan crafts this olive oil-poached
fennel and pear salad with mâche and
whipped pomegranate.
Kelly Burgoyne
This blend of three oil varietals from
California Olive Ranch—Arbequina, Arbosana
and Koreneiki—pairs well with spicy foods.
CHEF SUPPORT
For chefs who embrace close-to-home
ingredients, it’s also one that fits the bill.
“There’s so much that’s right about it for
me as a business owner and a chef,” says
Dory Ford, chef/owner of Aqua Terra
Culinary in Pebble Beach, Calif. “We’re
using it more and more as a healthy fat.
We’re substituting with olive oil in our
baked products, and when we roast
mushrooms or tomatoes, we use olive oil,
not canola. Plus, we get all that oil back
after we roast them, and can make a
mushroom dressing or tomato vinaigrette.”
Edward Lee, chef/owner at 610 Magnolia
in Louisville, Ky., who sources everything
from salt to cheeses domestically, says
olive oil is just another piece of America’s
burgeoning culinary landscape. “We can
grow better grapes, better olives, better
cheeses, better produce,” he says. “The
farmers that go out on a limb and invest
in trying to grow olive oil here? As chefs,
we should support that, so in 50 years,
those producers will have a worldwide
reputation for their product.”
Lee has been using California Olive
Ranch (Oroville, Calif.) olive oil in his
50-seat restaurant, primarily in dressings
and marinades, and says he doesn’t mind
paying more for it. “The customers notice
it, and it’s great to be able to tell a story
around that to my guests,” he says. “It’s a
great form of pride.”
California Olive Ranch has also made it
easy for chefs such as Lee to work with
their oils by offering the product in industry-friendly packaging. Similar to wine-in-a-box,
the company offers 2.5- and 5-gallon boxes
packaged with collapsible bags with nitrogen
flush to keep the olive oil fresh. California Olive
Ranch’s Kirsten Wanket, marketing manager,
says they’ve even gone through three different
spouts trying to fill chefs’ need for a faster pour.
But many producers are still simply too small
to offer packaging in anything but traditional
250ml or 750ml containers or in stainless
steel fustis (drums), which are often too big.
At California Olive Ranch, a modified grape
harvester removes olives from trees and
delivers them to cushioned trays. Olives are
harvested at the peak of flavor intensity, and
pressed within hours.
