with pride, prepared with a Passion!

a nice dinner. The kids can order a pizza, and everybody is happy.”

That includes wine lovers.

JD Nolan is a fourth-generation restaurateur and certified sommelier with a keen interest in the Pacific Northwest wine industry. That’s reflected in receiving Wine Spectator magazine’s Award of Excellence for his wine list.

In addition to staging winemaker dinners for Columbia Valley producers and catering events such as the Auction of Washington Wines, Nolan also judges wine competitions throughout the Northwest.

And his palate is reflected in the bottles of Schooler Nolan wines that he sells through Fat Olives and beyond. His red wines have earned a coveted Platinum Award from Great Northwest Wine in each of the past two years, including a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2018 blend of Malbec and Petit Verdot.

“We’ve been really fortunate to have the relationships with both families,” JD says.

Those collaborations with the winemakers, the critical acclaim for the brand and the price make them a bargain at the restaurant or on location for Fat Olives catering events — which range from a picnic for 2,500 folks to a

Calendar of Events

500-plate prime rib dinner.

During the pandemic, Nolan seized upon the opportunity to promote the delectable and affordable customized pizza and calzone program at Fat Olives. His culinary team’s work with gluten-free dough and pasta might be the best in the Tri-Cities and can be enjoyed by anyone.

For lunch, sandwiches such as the housesmoked Beef & Bleu steak sandwich and Reuben with house-cured pastrami can be prepared gluten-free. That goes for the Fat Olives Black Angus burgers.

Nolan would hear about it were he to remove the Pork Osso Bucco on creamy rosemary polenta, the Chicken Marsala or Grilled Korean Short Ribs with tamari-pear gochujang sauce and cucumber kimchi on a bed of rice.

Among the specialties at Fat Olives is the Grilled Hanger Steak with Brandy-Peppercorn Demi-Glace on a plate including puréed potatoes and roasted vegetables, an ideal pairing with any of the Schooler Nolan reds and spotlighted as part of Great Northwest Wine’s 25-year-old MatchMaker series.