OLIVATESSEN BY MERCACEI 2019 by Mercacei

History became Legend and the Legend became Myth.

Pure Oleic Art

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Contents

Summary

7. editorial

An act of Rebellion

8. false myths

False Myths about Extra Virgin Olive Oil (and some clarifications)

22. avant-garde

Fulvio Bonavia and Edible Art

32. guest star

Sting, The King of Pop-rock, and his Message in a Bottle... of EVOO

46. road trip

Provence, the Olive Tree Kingdom

60. chefs

Mauro Colagreco on Sustainability, Lemons and EVOO

72. organic and biodynamic

The Olive Tree, A Fashionable Destination for Eco-spiritual Travelers

80. crazy about EVOO

Isabel Coixet, from Indie Movies to EVOO with Champagne

92. dolce vita

Kapsaliana Village Hotel, The Art of Nature and Hospitality

100. QvExtra! International – CEQ Italia EVOOs of the Future

120. the ring

Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, When the Combat Takes Place at Home

160. agenda

128. it food

Looking For A Weekend Plan? Producers’ Markets, The Place To Be

• Elaia Zait or the Tasting Session Revolution • Ice Cream with EVOO? Yes, It’s Possible with Sandro Desii

168. EVOO tasting

An Oleologist’s Decalogue

144. olive oils from Spain

176. bibliothèque

Traditional and modern, Spanish, Italian and Middle Eastern cuisine. These books fit everything in...

A global food

148. trends

EVOOs, Wines... A Toast to the Celebrities who Invest in the Gastro Sector

184. olive roads 202. in memoriam

The Diary of an Olive Tree Explorer

Robuchon, Bocuse and Bourdain: Au Revoir aux Trois Mousquetaires

214. the origins of EVOO Picasso’s Kitchen

220. coolture

• Living Among Olive Trees in Never-Never Land Park • The Legend of Barbuto Natural

232. premium oil mill

FR EVOO Fernando Ruiz, A World of Sensations in a Universe of Flavors

oliva tessen founder M. Dolores Peñafiel Fernández editor in chief Pandora Peñamil Peñafiel pandora@olivatessen.com managing editor Juan A. Peñamil Alba juanpenamil@olivatessen.com publisher Mercacei Publishing Group

staff writers Cristina Revenga Palacios, Alfredo Briega Martín redaccion@olivatessen.com creative director & cover design Isabel Cabello. Cabello x Mure Agency layout & production manager Jesús Mendoza (Mendoza Estudio) photographers TEAMBRANDING translators Watty Translations contribuiting writers Emmanuelle Dechelette, Eduardo Mencos editorial & advertising assistant Estrella de la Lama Alcaide info@olivatessen.com administration department Cristina Álvarez Llorente admin@olivatessen.com advertising department Natalia de las Heras natalia@olivatessen.com José Manuel Hernández jmhcastel@gmail.com italian office: Milan Daniela Capogna Phone: +39 335 7012190 olivatessen@gmail.com printers Gráficas Jomagar legal deposit M 33537 - 2015 ISSN 2530 - 1152 price 30€ editorial staff, administration & advertising Andrés Mellado, nº 72 • 28015 MADRID - SPAIN Phone: + 34 915 444 007 - Fax: + 34 915 432 049 www.olivatessen.com The copying or use of photographs, images, maps, videos, texts, database extractions, graphic design elements and in general all the material published are prohibited without the prior written consent of Edimarket Editores, S.L. Edimarket Editores, S.L. is not responsible for the opinions of collaborators both in editorial and advertising messages. This publication is a member of the Asociación Española de Editoriales de Publicaciones Periódicas.

“Everything you can imagine is real”

Pablo Picasso

To Lola

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Editorial

Pandora Peñamil Peñafiel Editor in Chief

An Act of Rebellion Picasso was always aware that he was changing the world, or, at least, the way that we perceive it. Ever since he learnt how to paint and how to talk -the first word he spoke was piz, from the Spanish word lapiz (pencil)- each sentence and every painting was a manifesto. His friends often told that one day, when he was relaxing on a beach in the south of France, a boy approached him with a piece of paper and asked him to dedicate a drawing to him. The painter realized immediately that the idea was coming from the boy’s parents, who had wasted no time in trying to get a piece of his work for free. Picasso subtly got rid of the piece of paper and signed his autograph on the boy’s back. Days later, at a friends’ get-together, he was heard to say, laughingly: “I wonder if they ever bathed him again...” A made in Picasso act of rebellion. This makes me think that perhaps the launching of Olivatessen by Mercacei was our little act of rebellion. It may have been such when we asked Javier Bardem, who had recently received Hollywood honors, to pose for us while holding a bottle of EVOO as if it were an Oscar; or when we wrote an email to the movie-god, Francis Ford Coppola -I could literally spend a month watching The Godfather Part II- to convince him why he should give us an interview, to talk about his love for the Mediterranean; or ask Isabel Coixet to share a pa amb tomàquet with us, and, while we’re at it, share her gastronomic secrets too; or when we became extra virgin kamikazes, and called Sting’s advertising agent to ask him about his olive groves. With this edition, we have committed five acts of rebellion in the shape of a publication. A real gastroart collection dedicated to EVOO lovers. Because, for these past five years, we have probably committed more indomitable acts, but the really important ones are the ones captured on these pages. This magazine aims to be the reflection of a sector in constant movement, that of those 21st century producers who do not conform to a corseted world, with rigid, established norms, and rather aspire to a planet that goes further, a liquid one that won’t accept outlines or limitations. In 2015, in our first number, we said that we are very lucky, in Spain, because the enjoyment of extra virgin is a part of our tradition. Today, on the threshold of a new decade, we can say loud and clear that we have managed to share our luck with the rest of the world, that this super-food has crossed frontiers and has become a culture and a fashion in places where we never would have imagined this to happen. All thanks to a bunch of people who are mad about EVOO. People whom, with small acts of rebellion and before the astonished eyes of others, decided to harvest a few weeks earlier, to bottle their oils in darker glass bottles, to change the typography of their logo or to buy a plane ticket to Zurich, to visit -one by oneall the gourmet shops in the city. Blessed madness... We also hold ourselves as being one of those crazy people, enthusiasts, freaks or fans of EVOO. To fill these pages, year after year, involves many small acts of rebellion. As, even when having reached the last page, there is no ending to them, because, as Picasso would have said: “Finish a piece..? How absurd, that would mean to kill it, to free it from it’s soul...” And the souls of those who are crazy about EVOO cannot be ended.

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False Myths

False Myths about Extra Virgin Olive Oil (and some clarifications) By Alfredo Briega MartĂn We break down erroneous and widespread beliefs about the healthiest vegetable fat in the world thanks to the inestimable help of the prestigious EVOOLEUM Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TOP100 Extra Virgin Olive Oils Guide (www.evooleum.com)

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False Myths

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False Myths

“Extra virgin olive oil should be served raw or in salads, but it's not recommended for cooking or frying”

FAAALSE. The olive juice combines perfectly with a large number of foods: white and oily fish, red meat, poultry, vegetables, pastas, cheeses, desserts and even cocktails! And the best oil for frying is virgin -and extra virgin- olive oil, rich in antioxidant compounds such as polyphenols. Frequently adding new virgin olive oil to that used for frying is recommendable and ensures a lower thermo-oxidative alteration, which allows the oil to be used for frying a greater number of times.

“Extra virgin olive oil is only produced in the Mediterranean” FALSE. This is true in the countries of the Mediterranean Basin -the biggest producers and consumers- but not only there. EVOO is already produced in 63 countries around the world, some as exotic as Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia -where there are some of the largest modern olive estates on the planet- as well as Namibia, Botswana and New Zealand. A curiosity: the northernmost mill on the planet is on an island in the Gulf of Canada.

“A smooth EVOO, like that of the Arbequina variety, is preferable; Picual is too intense and spicy” FALSE. It is a matter of taste, but it is clear that there is (a lot of) life beyond the Arbequina. The once-reviled Picual variety -one of the 262 varieties that exist in our country- is the most produced and consumed in the world, and the most widespread in Spain, with the province of Jaén being the largest producer. The resulting EVOO is a juice of great stability that presents a fruity characteristic, aromatic, with a slight bitterness and a light spicy flavor -a burning sensation that comes from the oleocanthal, an ester with anti-inflammatory properties.- In fact, more than half (51) of the 100 EVOOs of the EVOOLEUM 2019 Guide are made from this variety, whether single varietals or coupages. The milder Arbequina variety is only used in 16. In the TOP10, the Picual is present in four EVOOs; Arbequina in just one. And both the bitter and spicy are positive attributes that denote the quality of an authentic extra virgin. So if the oil tickles or grabs the throat and even makes us cough, it's a good sign.

An Exclusive Super Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Gourmet Palates

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Olive oil is nevertheless a fat, so it can not be an ally of the heartâ&#x20AC;? FALSE. Extra virgin olive oil is one of the fundamental pillars on which the Mediterranean Diet is based, being the main contributor of fat. The beneficial effects associated with the consumption of olive oil have been widely described and recognized by many studies, among which is PREDIMED, which recommends regular consumption of extra virgin olive oil. The health statement regarding the phenols of olive oil indicates that these compounds protect blood lipids from oxidative stress, a key mechanism in the development of various pathologies, particularly cardiovascular disease.

Discover our varieties Arbequina | Picual | Picual Temprano www.viargentum.com

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False Myths

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not much care is taken with EVOO packaging, unlike what happens with wineâ&#x20AC;?

FALSE. Undoubtedly, the content is the most important when we talk about EVOO, but an image and an attractive, fresh and original packaging that is up to the product is also very important to win over the consumer. In this sense, the EVOOLEUM Packaging Awards -that reward the best packaging in the categories of Best Premium EVOO Design, Best Innovative Design and Best Retail Design, all a novelty in a contest of this nature- show the great creative revolution in this sector in recent years.

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False Myths

“Most people know what an EVOO is” FAAALSE. An ordinary citizen, in general, does not have much idea about what an EVOO is -an acronym for extra virgin olive oil, the highest quality of olive oil- as shown by recent studies such as the one conducted in 2014 by AEMO and Mercacei, which produced alarming conclusions about the (lack of) knowledge of the product. In fact, even some chefs do not know much about this product, which certainly seems worrisome. Well, EVOO is the highest category of olive oil obtained directly from olives and only by mechanical procedures. Its acidity, expressed as oleic acid, does not exceed 0.8º and it is an authentic juice of olives without defects, that is to say, with absolutely flawless organoleptic characteristics. It is also one of the commercial categories of olive oils available to the consumer -next to olive pomace oil, olive oil and virgin olive oil (VOO)- and the one that provides more health and nutritional benefits to the body.

ENJOY THE BEST OLIVE OIL IN PORTUGAL In the Arrifes grove, at Herdade do Esporão, in the Alentejo region, our olives are carefully harvested and selected. From the field to our mill, organic farming methods ensure an authentic and original olive oil, rich in fruity flavours and aromas. In 2018, the Olival dos Arrifes Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, was recognized as the Best Olive Oil in the Market at the National Olive Oil Competition, in Portugal. Visit us and discover its taste and how we make it at Herdade do Esporão, near Reguengos de Monsaraz and just 170km from Lisbon.

ESPORAO.COM @ESPORAOWORLD GPS 38.398611, -7.546111 T +351 266 509 280 RESERVAS@ESPORAO.COM

“EVOO, unlike a good wine, does not pair well with other foods...” FALSE. Each type of oil pairs better with certain foods. For example, Monini Monocultivar Coratina, the overall winner of EVOOLEUM 2018, combines perfectly with red meats, salads and vegetables. The Hojiblanco Rincón de la Subbética, with the same score, adds oily fish to the list; and the Picual Oro Bailén Reserva Familiar, also with 96 points, combines especially with white fish, poultry and salads. The best way to always make the right choice is to check the EVOOLEUM World's TOP100 Extra Virgin Olive Oils Guide or its app, available for Android and iOs.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is not necessary to pay more for a good extra virgin...â&#x20AC;? FAAALSE. So why do you pay so much for a good whiskey or cognac, or for a Premium gin and tonic? Among other things, because it's worth it. Premium EVOOs reach those prices because they are oils of early harvest and limited edition of the highest quality, where the yield is sacrificed in order to obtain the highest quality. And apart from an excellent quality in its content, the container also has an elevated cost; we are speaking about its packaging, that is, the way that extra virgin is presented, which has nothing to do with what can be found on the supermarket shelf, for example. The rest is brand positioning and marketing, a lot of marketing.

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False Myths

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Olive oil has more calories than butter...â&#x20AC;?

FAAALSE. Olive oil provides 9 kcal. per gram, just like butter. But, as the friends of La Pontezuela -a company dedicated to the production and commercialization of high quality extra virgin olive oil- warn, if we have to choose between olive oil and butter, we must bear in mind that one of the main differences lies in the quality of the fat. Butter contains more saturated fatty acids (around 70%) and that makes it less beneficial for our health. Fatty acids are linked to an increase in blood cholesterol levels, which can lead to an increased risk of

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developing cardiovascular diseases. Meanwhile, olive oil contains only 10-15% of saturated fatty acids. The rest of its components are oleic acid (omega 9) in 50-82%, depending on the type of olive oil; linoleic acid (omega 6) in 4-18%; and less than 1% linolenic acid (omega 3). These acids help to fight cholesterol, which together with the presence of vitamin E (which has antioxidant properties), makes it considered that the use of olive oil in the kitchen is healthier. Another difference between olive oil and butter is its performance in the kitchen when exposed to high temperatures. When heated, they undergo chemical changes in their composition that can form compounds which are harmful to our health. There are fats that have greater resistance to these changes than others, such as olive oil. Their smoking point (the temperature at which they smoke and chemical decomposition begins) is 210ÂşC, while that of butter is 110ÂşC. If we consider that the average temperature for frying food is 180Â°C, we can see why it is better to use olive oil than butter. Continuing with the differences, another important one is its origin. Butter is a fat of animal origin that has a lower lipid profile than vegetable fats, such as olive oil, so the latter is more beneficial. Finally, another difference is that butter, as a derivative of milk, is inadvisable for people with lactose intolerance, while olive oil has no original HG mercacei 210 x 140 mm.pdf

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False Myths

such known contraindications. In addition, olive oil is a fat that is better tolerated by the stomach, boosting the properties of the liver and increasing pancreatic secretion, so its use in the kitchen, both when frying and when dressing dishes, is highly recommended.

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False Myths

â&#x20AC;&#x153;First cold pressing is the same as cold extractionâ&#x20AC;?

FALSE. First cold pressing is an outdated concept, but is still used as if it were a mantra. Before the appearance of continuous manufacturing systems currently used in the vast majority of mills, the only extraction system for olive oil was that of presses (hydraulic press). After each harvest, the olives were deposited in stone mills or in beam presses that squeezed the fruits to obtain all their juice. The first juice that was extracted and cold pressed directly was of higher quality than those obtained in subsequent pressings. At present, extra virgin olive oil is produced using cold extraction with centrifuges at a temperature of less than 27ÂşC, a system that guarantees maximum quality by preserving all the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the olive juice intact.

olivatessen | Avant-garde

Fulvio Bonavia and Edible Art By Pandora Peñamil Peñafiel Inspired by fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen or Miuccia Prada, the editorial and advertising photographer Fulvio Bonavia manages to create art of any element that he portrays. Obsessed by the hidden beauty in food, this Italian artist has produced a hypnotic photo session for the Saatchi & Saatchi Milan’s advertising campaign for the BPM Bank, in which the “olive objects” -as he describes themcome to life and take over moments in our daily life. Definitively, a fascinating journey for the senses, in which the fruit of the olive tree is the indisputable star, and where, definitively, words are not needed. Come in and take a look.

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Avant-garde

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As a photographer, Fulvio Bonavia brings his artistic and design sensibilities to each and every one of his pictures, doing all of the postproduction himself so that his photographs are infused with his vision from start to finish.

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Avant-garde

Fulvioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work has been honored by Communication Arts, PDN, the Art Directors Club, Cannes Lions and the IPA, among others. Luerzerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Archive has even named him one of the 200 Best Ad Photographers Worldwide, choosing one of his photos for the cover of its in 2008/2009 400-page book.

olivatessen | Avant-garde

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In 2010, Fulvio Bonavia was selected â&#x20AC;&#x153;Photographer of the Yearâ&#x20AC;? by the Mobius Awards; and in 2016 he won the first place in Fine Art Category at the International Photography Awards in the USA.

Avant-garde

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Born in Italy, Fulvio started out as a graphic designer and illustrator of film posters before devoting his energies to photography. Throughout his career he has used food -to create haute couture apparel inspired by designers such as Alexander McQueen and Miuccia Prada-, crafted jewelry, accessories, handbags, and shoes out of edible elements for works of advertising for clients like Pirelli, Montblanc, Sony and Adidas.

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Guest Star

“If we’re going to have dinner at a friend’s house, we would probably take them our Il Palagio EVOO”

Photographs by Eric Ryan Anderson, Jaime Travezan, Fabrizio Ferri and Allan Pollok

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Guest Star

Sting

The King of Pop-rock, and his Message in a Bottle... of EVOO By Pandora Peñamil Peñafiel Considered as one of the world’s most important artists, the British singer Sting -16 Grammy Awards, 2 Brit Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award, 1 Emmy, 4 Oscar nominations...- requires little introducing. However, few are aware that he swapped the ruckus of the stage, two decades ago, for the Mediterranean quietude of Tuscany. Here he acquired the beautiful Il Palagio villa, and moved there with his wife Trudie Styler and their six children, to be able to combine his two passions, music and gastronomy. At present they produce wine, honey and olive oil. Who would have imagined almost four decades ago, when as lead singer of The Police he first sang his famous Message in a Bottle, that he would be living surrounded by bottles... of EVOO! We are welcomed by our hosts, Sting and Trudie, to their Tuscan paradise.

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Guest Star

Your wife Trudie, and yourself, have turned an abandoned farm in the middle of Tuscany into a marvelous villa, which at present produces organic olive oil, wine and honey. How did this idea come about? What drew your attention to the Mediterranean style of living?

“The olive tree transmits peace and tranquility to me”

Sting: One of our children was born in Tuscany, when we were spending some months there in a rented villa. We had enough time to settle in and begin to feel at home there. Doubtlessly, this was the beginning of our connection with the region. Trudie and I started a search that lasted 7 years, before finding a home for ourselves in Italy. We were gratifyingly surprised when we discovered Il Palagio. It gives off something marvelously restoring and tranquilizing, and is a very special place for us and for our family. Il Palagio already had its own vines and a long history of wine production, going back to the early 1500s. When we began to rehabilitate the property, we realized how fantastic it would be if we could continue with that legacy and, acordingly, we committed ourselves to the revitalization of the vineyards and olive groves.

You were both born in England, a country that doesn’t stand out for its knowledge of olive oil, but you spend long spells of time in your villa in Tuscany, a region where extremely great extra virgins are produced, like yours Il Palagio. Have you any memory of when you tried olive oil for the first time?

Trudie: I remember that, when we were children, in England, olive oil used to be used only for dressing salads. Today, luckily, its use is much more common. Sting and I always looked for and enjoyed organic extra virgin olive oil in the United Kingdom and when, finally, we were able to produce our Il Palagio, it made us tremendously happy. It’s a pleasure to share the organic extra virgin from our farm with the rest of the world. In fact, our coupage (blend) of Frantoio, Moraiolo and Leccino has been awarded many prizes for quality. Its purely herbaceous flavor, scent and color, and its final robust, spicy note, makes it a really potent and delicious juice.

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Guest Star

Sting, you have actually said that picking olives is therapeutic... What does the olive tree mean to you, a tree that is so symbolic and eternal in the history of mankind?

Sting: It’s a marvelous tree. The olive tree transmits peace and tranquility to me.

If you are going to have dinner at a friend’s house, do you take them a bottle of olive oil or, in this case, do you recur to the classic bottle of wine?

Sting: It depends on the occasion, and on what Trudie and I think our hosts will enjoy most, but we would probably opt for our Il Palagio EVOO. Sometimes we also take one of the Tenuta Il Palagio wines, our star product Sister Moon, or perhaps even our vintage brew, Message in a Bottle.

You have claimed, in fact, that good food is directly related to good music (“If I don’t eat well, I don’t sing well”)... Does eating better make us better people? What is your favorite meal?

Sting: I don’t know if eating better makes us better people, but what I am convinced of is that to enjoy a good wine and a good meal with others, as well as to create music and to sing, are the best ways of sharing our experiences.

“When we began to restore Il Palagio, we committed ourselves to recover the vineyards and the olive groves, so as to maintain that legacy, which goes back to 1500”

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Guest Star

Some years ago you decided to take refuge in this corner of Italy. What pleasures does this life offer you, when compared to a life of record companies and macro concerts?

Sting: As I said before, Il Palagio has its own atmosphere, that is both pleasant, and restoring, very appropriate for meditation and creativity. It’s a very inspiring place. Trudie and I realized that the Tuscan countryside nourished our contemplative spirit. Here we have found poetry in the calmness of the woods, and we feel inspired when we swim in the lake, or simply go for a walk.

“Enjoying a good wine and a good meal with others is the best way of sharing our experiences”

Could we say then, that the yoga-meditation-Mediterranean cuisine trinomial is the secret of eternal youth?

Trudie: It has certainly been useful for both Sting and me! We firmly believe that yoga is an extraordinarily elegant way of leading your life, and sets us onto a natural path to good health, and good nourishment of the body... and the soul.

You make up a great tandem, exemplifying that in the end, all that is important is found in the family. In a fragile world like ours, what legacy would you like to leave your grandchildren?

Sting: We would like to leave our grandchildren a world better than the one we found. A place where respect for our differences and for the wellbeing of all, should be basic pillars for everyone.

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Guest Star

Il Palagio, Songs under the Tuscan Sun Looking over the picturesque Tuscan city of Figline Valdarno, Il Palagio has been the summer residence of Trudie and Sting for the past two decades, and has also become the scenario for many parties, private concerts and anniversaries. They both took charge personally of the careful restoration work on the villa, and their guesthouses, as well as of the vineyards and the olive groves. The result of all this is a vibrant and fully functioning complex, that offers its clients a selection of organic Tuscan EVOOs, wines and honey, while they enjoy one of the best sunsets in this Italian region.

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Guest Star

The Villa is the heart of Il Palagio, a majestic traditional Tuscan building that stands elegantly on the higher part of a long steep path, with views of the distant Tuscan hills and its rolling fields. This enclave has an extraordinary panoramic view of the vineyards, olive groves, cypresses and oak tree woods, as well as of the lush Apennines, that can be made out in the distance. Just as the rest of the farm, the Villa Il Palagio has been meticulously restored, becoming an oasis of tranquility with its cool logia -that gives a place of shelter for in which to relax during the

Trudie and Sting share their passion for the environment; as well as restoring Il Palagio, they took it back to its original roots as a farm and a winery

long, hot summer days-, the main swimming pool, tennis court, outdoor picnic areas, serene lakes, its stables nearby and innumerable beautiful places to explore, to enjoy, and build long-lasting memories. And it is here that Sting and his family have enjoyed the warm days and sensual Italian nights; a perfect place for entertainment, improvised meetings or for simply relaxing under the Tuscan sun. The land belonging to Il Palagio spreads over 350 hectares, offering a vast book of images to explore. One can walk on these undulating hills, swim in one of its calm-water lakes, improvise a delicious picnic on the jetty, play a game of tennis, relax in a yoga class, horseback ride, meditate under the olive trees or enjoy a movie in the open air. And still to mention are the five guesthouses -Casa Colonica, The Red House, Chalet, Cassino delle Vie and Senatore Umberto- that are special, unique and welcoming, each one has its own personality.

The cult to sustainable gastronomy There are few places in the world where food and drinks are more venerated and respected than in Tuscany, and Il Palagio is no exception. Its gastronomy is based on local products and on the recipes that the hosts, Trudie and Sting, most enjoy. The culinary proposals are unlimited, and personalized for each diner. Vegan, organic, of local origin, gluten free... any option is possible for a menu that is made from food produced on the farm itself: extra virgin olive oil, wine and honey.

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Guest Star

Wine, honey and extra virgin, made in Tuscany Trudie and Sting share their passion for the environment, which is why, as well as restoring Il Palagio, they took it back to its roots as a farm and a winery. Thus, using ecological and sustainable methods, they produce extra virgin olive oil, wine, honey, fruit, vegetables and salamis. Olive trees have covered the Il Palagio landscape for hundreds of years and, after the farm restoration, have recovered their productivity. Organic Il Palagio extra virgin olive oil is made from the Leccino, Frantoio and Moraiolo olive varieties, supervised closely by the farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manager, Paolo Rossi, who pampers every step of the process so that the 8,000 olive trees -growing at 360 feet above sea level- produce the best possible fruits. The result is a green, intensely fruity juice, with aromas of freshly cut grass, leaving an intense, and pleasant, degree of spiciness on the consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s palate. From the middle of the 16th century, Il Palagio has harvested, fermented and bottled its own wines. Sting and Trudie have made a great effort to keep this tradition alive, by employing organic farming methods, and replanting 11 hectares of vineyards from the year 2000 to the present day. Currently, they have four wines in their portfolio of products, with evocative names that the British singerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fans fall in love with: Message in a Bottle, Cassino delle Vie, Sister Moon and When we Dance.

Il Palagio extra virgin is made from Leccino, Frantoio and Moraiolo olive varieties

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With the long hot summers that are typical of this area, there is a lush flora, and on the farms there are several autochthonous beehives, from which different varieties of honey are produced. Each one has its own floral notes, that are due to a unique combination of the plants and flowers that are scattered over the Tuscan countryside. From the robust and dark chestnut to the gentle and delicate acacia, each one of these honey varieties is really special, as is Il Palagio. For Sting, “Il Palagio is like walking into a painting” and there are really very few excuses for not packing a suitcase, right now, and going to enjoy this nature’s work of art with Trudie and with him.

Guest Star

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Road Trip

Provence, the Olive Tree Kingdom 46

By Emmanuelle Dechelette & Alfredo Briega MartĂn

Sculpted by the wind, dressed in light, Provence holds landscapes of hypnotic charm that calm the soul and arouse the senses. Here, fragrant fields of lavender and orange blossom rustle under the silvery leaves of centenary olive trees. Here, the cricketsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; song hammers into space like a tranquilizing silence. Here, tradition rends homage to creation and olive trees have their kingdom.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whomever should choose to enter these happy territories will find their doors openâ&#x20AC;? Jean Giono

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Road Trip

In present times, Provence spreads over the administrative region called “Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur”, located in southeastern France, on the frontier with Italy and at the edge of the Mediterranean. Acknowledged globally for its beautiful and varied landscapes, amongst mountains, hills and lavender fields, its olive tree landscape comprehends 10,146 hectares -according to AFIDOL figures- that represent 58% of the national production. We are talking about the region that is the richest in diversity, with none less than 5 AOPs -Nyons, Vallée des Baux-de-Provence, Aix-enProvence, Nice and Haute Provence- and 1 AOC -Provenceout of nine French Designations of Origin. From the delicate olive oil from Nyons or Cailletier, to the strong character of the Picholine -which neither the Picual or the Coratina need to envy- passing through the sweet familiar taste of the Taggiasca or the Aglandau, the range of its flavors, aromas and nuances is as wide as its many culinary uses.

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Road Trip

Domaine Leos (L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue), fatherly love L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the Venice of Provence, a capital of antiques and art galleries, is a small city as global as is its poet, René Char, who used to lodge artists such as Albert Camus, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque or Nicolas de Stäel. Here, Patrick Bruel, the singer and actor -a real celebrity in France having sold 15 million albums and worked in 40 films- created a farm in an old Roman fortress, Domaine Leos, that spreads over 20 acres, dominating the Vaucluse Hills and the Luberon mountain, a place to transmit the values of the land to his children: “My passion comes from my love for olive trees. The olive tree is the tree of life par excellence, a symbol of peace for almost all the civilizations and religions in the world, as well as one of wisdom, purity and well being. Olive oil has been with me throughout my childhood, I even think it has forged my taste. Its clear that we don’t cook with butter much at home!” After undergoing extensive restructuring and conservation works to protect the existing biotype, and the regeneration of the older plantations, in Domaine Leos -a contraction of León and Oscar, his children- the olive trees, mainly from the leading Aglandau variety, are cultivated on soil that has been left free from any other crop for more than

half a century, and produce an intense, genuinely green, fruity flavored oil, of wonderful aromatic complexity. This autochthonous variety from the south of France, typical of Provence, born in the Vaucluse region “Belle Provence” -also known as Verdale de Vaucluse or Verdale de Carpentras-, is nurtured by this unique terroir, located on a small, gently sloping plateau, composed of rocky plaques covered with limestone soil, from which the olive trees gain their strength. Their limited production EVOO L’Huile H -the only oil originating from the olive trees at L’Isle-sur-laSorgue- acclaimed by numerous chefs -among them Alain Ducasse or Joël Robuchon- and experts, and awarded the Gold Medal in the “Green Fruity French Olive Oil” category in the 2017 and 2018 editions of the ProvenceAlpes-Côte d’Azur region olive oil competition-, comes from early harvest olives, cultivated free of chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and hand-harvested, true to the philosophy of what’s natural, as well as the meticulous and passionate focus of its owner, who acquired the farm in 2007, and today has a plantation of 2,600 olive trees. The result is an extra virgin that stands out for its mildness, intensity and surprising flavor, and its long-lasting, pleasant final note, that contains nuances of artichokes, green grass and green fruits, and enriches pasta, fish, salads or a simple slice of bread with fresh goat cheese, turning them into a real culinary experience. “To me, the making of an exceptional olive oil is, above all, the work of a magician. I was surprised by the richness and complexity of olive oil. Although I think I know a little

Photograph by Francois Millo

about wines -my other passion, as far as products from the terroir go- I realized immediately that I really needed to get to know olive oil. I had to study and work hard! To make an olive oil like L’Huile H was difficult, but it has been a fascinating and emotional adventure. So I did what I usually do in my career as an artist: look for talents and form a great team, with whom I now share a common passion and ambition for olive oil and for Domaine Leos. I am optimistic about the future, but I am aware that if we want to maintain our dreams of excellence, we must go on progressing every year. I like what the great poet from L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, René Char, used to say: “We cannot reach the impossible, but it’s the star that guides us”. www.huilehoriginelle.com

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Road Trip

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Road Trip

Les Callis (Gordes), the extra virgin universe A very Parisian female executive at the head of an olive tree plantation? A trip to Puglia (Italy) in 2010 is partly to blame. The rest of the blame is due to olive oil and its irresistible impact. With her diploma in Oleology under her arm, obtained at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Montpellier, in 2013, Alexandra Gauquelin-RochĂŠ acquired land in the LubĂŠron region, and

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planted olive trees -200 at present-. As she waited for the first harvest, she launched Les Callis in mid 2014, a specialized website offering a selection of the world’s best olive oils. “To select the best extra virgins is a little like being a gold digger: a mixture of passion and rigor”, she affirms. On her farm located at Gordes, “dedicated to olive oil and the art of living (l’art de vivre)” -is also a top of the line lodging-, Alexandra carries out experiments, and enjoys her work,

Road Trip

producing EVOOs and transmitting her passion for extra virgin. Her latest project consists in sponsoring an olive tree for a year, allowing the sponsor to visit it and look after it himself, as well as to obtain his own olive oil. Her EVOO Les Callis is a medium green fruity oil, with herbaceous flavors, organically certified, obtained from the Rougette variety of olive, which reached their first harvest in 2016. www.lescallis.com

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Road Trip Photograph by Guillaume Martin

Le Carré des Huiles (Maussane-les-Alpilles), pride and passion Xavier Alazard is a reputed olive oil producer and distributer, as well as being the owner of a 17th century family mill, Moulin Cornille. After conquering the chef’s Olympus, by distributing a selection of the best EVOOs from Provence, Xavier Alazard established himself in Maussane-les-Alpes, a village located in the heart of the Vallée des Baux, becoming the family’s fifth generation of producers. In his 17 hectares, he manages 3,000 olive trees of the Grossane, Salonenque, Aglandau and Verdale varieties, the four main varieties from which the EVOOs from the PDO Vallée des Baux de Provence are made. Half of the trees are old and the other half were replanted after a severe frost in 1956; the first possess a memory that makes them more resistant, being able to anticipate hydrological stress. Being especially active in the promotion of the richness of the Provence terroir, Xavier Alazard is proud of the diversity of this territory that has a flavor of green or ripe fruit, and is the realm of the goût à l’ancienne of mature olives (fruité noir), quite an exception. The goût à l’ancienne, the ancient taste of olives maturées (mature olives), has been the historic taste of olive oil in the Mediterranean for more than 2,500 years. At present, almost fifty producers and mills produce between 500 and 1,000 tons of “antique” extra virgin olive oil, using modern processes

that guarantee irreproachable quality. Their commercial success is explained precisely by its unique character that differentiates it from other oils -including those denominated as intense-, being an olive oil that is highly appreciated as much by consumers, as by chefs. There are three French olive oil PDOs that have included the category of “mature olives” in their specifications: Aix-enProvence, Vallée des Baux-de-Provence and Provence. To obtain a good “old-fashioned flavor”, the olives are picked during the veraison stage, before they are too ripe, and are later submitted to a process of fermentation under controlled conditions, in a lowoxygen atmosphere at temperatures not exceeding 25ºC (77ºFahrenheit), to obtain the desired flavor. During this process all the oxygen is consumed, and a carbonic maceration imbues the resulting oils with special aromatic notes (cocoa, black olive, truffle, yeasted bread, crystalized fruit, jam, quince, cooked artichoke, mushrooms...) that remain on the palate, giving them a definite character, thus it is important to use them with equally powerful ingredients: iodized foods like shellfish and other products from the sea -a little of it poured over oysters, for example!-, foodstuffs that are rich in starch -especially purées and risottos- and desserts such as cakes or chocolate mousse... Definitively, the olive oils with goût a l’ancienne of olives maturées are a perfect complement to the wide range of aromatic French EVOOs, rotund and persistent in the mouth, but mild, with fruity, floral or herbaceous nuances. Le Carré des Huiles, Xavier Alazard’s EVOO, whose aroma recalls ancient flavors, is made from a multivarietal mixture of Aglandau, Salonenque, Grossane and Verdale des Bouches du Rhône olives, their area of production. Fruité noir (black fruity), vert (green) or mûr (mature), all their oils offer a surprising palate of flavors, aromas, textures and colors.

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Road Trip

La Bonne Étape (Châteaux-ArnouxSaint-Auban), Provencal excellence

Manosque is a beautiful medieval town in Haute Provence, located on the right-hand bank of the Durance River, where the sun shines for nearly 300 days a year. Close-by, on Napoleon’s route that joins the Alps to the Côte d’Azur, Jany Gleize, the chef and owner of La Bonne Étape Relais & Chateaux -a gourmet restaurant awarded 1 Michelin Star in 1964, and a four-star hotel, located in an old 18th century inn- welcomes travellers and foodies from across the world, in surroundings worthy of a Giono novel. Of a generous nature, an ambassador of Provencal cuisine, and heir and guardian of a gastronomic tradition that rends homage to the products of the area -the department of Les Alpes de Haute Provence,- Gleize learnt from the best -Alain Chapel, Michel Guérard- before returning to his native Provence, to manage the family business, and he sees himself as a bee “that savors the delights that surround us everywhere”. Jany Gleize’s cuisine -full of flavors and inspired by the orchard’s marvels and the quality and origin of his meat and fish- reinvents grandmother Gabrielle’s traditional Provencal recipes, and is influenced by the different seasons. All his specialities are combined exclusively with Provencal olive oil

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Road Trip

“because it’s distinctive and has its own character”. A fan of the goût à l’ancienne, such as the flavor of mature Picholine from Domaine Salvator, this chef loves diversity -lately he fell in love with the intense green fruitiness of the Bouteillan variety- and appreciates the oils produced from fruits that have been harvested at their perfect stage of maturity. Amongst his creations, his lamb with perfumes from Provence (lavender, thyme, oregano) stands out, and the zucchini flower donuts are the star dish of the house. Desserts, amongst which is his famous lavender honey ice cream, served in its hive, pay tribute to Pierre, his pastry chef father. La Bonne Étape has its own organic garden, pride of Jany Gleize -baptized Jean Rey by the name of its grandfather who was a farmer- where the old varieties grow along with aromatic plants, vegetables, fruits and flowers in a bucolic chaos skillfully organized. There is a party of colors, aromas and flavors that will soon be reflected in the dishes... www.bonneetape.com

Emmanuelle Dechelette, founder of Olio Nuovo Days, an expert oil-taster and a judge for different international competitions, is the author -together with Leila Makke- of Extra Vierge, a study that discovers 34 EVOOs from across the world, from New Zealand to Uruguay, as well as aspects related to the production of extra virgin olive oil, the benefits of its consumption as much for health reasons as for the environment, and its many gastronomic uses.

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Chefs

Photograhs by Matteo Carassale, Eduardo Torres, Anthony Lanneretonne, Per-Anders Jorgensen and Mariano CaffĂŠ

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Chefs

Mauro Colagreco Respect for the Earth, Grandma Amalia’s Recipes, Lemons and EVOO By Pandora Peñamil Peñafiel

Mauro Colagreco has a lot to tell us. This is why he has risen from number 28 on the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants to number 3 in only 5 years. Of ItalianArgentinian heritage, Spanish roots and French formation, this chef, awarded 2 Michelin Stars, offers a balanced and sophisticated menu at his spectacular Mirazur restaurant, located at Menton -on the ItalianFrench border- in which fresh produce from the vegetable garden are the protagonists and the Taggiasca EVOO its central thread. Welcome to mestizo-Mediterranean haute cuisine.

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Chefs

Italian-Argentinian heritage, Spanish roots, French formation... What does this multicultural baggage bring to your cooking? My origins and my formation play a vital role in my style of cooking. My love for Italian ingredients -luckily Mirazur is on the border between France and Italy- weighs as much as my Argentinian roots. This cultural baggage has a big impact on my dishes; it’s in my blood. I use local products to inspire me, and combine them with different inherited techniques, as well as what I learned during my formation in France and my travels around the world.

“I only use local extra virgin in my kitchen, made from the Taggiasca olive. It is a very delicate juice that helps me enhance the flavours in each one of my dishes” As a lover of Mediterranean cuisine and its products, what role does extra virgin olive oil play in your kitchen? Extra virgin olive oil is a product that I deeply admire, as I find myself in an area where one of the world’s best olive oil is produced. I only use local extra virgin made from the Taggiasca olive. It is a very delicate juice that helps me enhance the flavours in every one of my dishes.

A favourite dish where olive oil plays a starring role? Without a doubt, the appetizer that we offer at Mirazur. We make our own bread and serve it with extra virgin olive oil. Nothing compares to the taste of this simple artisanal dish. The recipe for the bread comes from my Italian grandmother, whom I used to go and visit in Argentina when I was a kid. Everything she cooked was homemade... and the bread was what she would put on the table first, for her eleven hungry grandchildren! It was always a very special moment, a ritual that she established for the whole family and that I try to honor at Mirazur. To celebrate this moment I needed a special olive oil that would help me complement the flavour of the bread. Then I discovered the Taggiasca EVOO, made on the Italian frontier, just a few kilometers away from Menton. I work with a local oil mill, l'Huillerie St. Michael, where we also make olive oils aromatized with the famous lemon of Menton -which is known here as the city of lemons- and other citric fruits, like the tangerine, the yuzu... Speaking of lemons, this food appears to be one of the kings of your kitchen. You even have an orchard with fifteen lemon trees and thirty other different citric fruits... What makes this fruit so special? If you live in Menton one is obliged to use its lemons, that hold their own PGI (Protected Geographical Indication). We even celebrate the “Fête du Citron” (Lemon Party) in its honour. The Menton lemons have a thicker white peel, which makes them less acid and bitter. I use them for everything.

BEST EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL IN THE WORLD 17/18 Thanks to all those who believed in us

knolive.com From Priego de Cรณrdoba

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Chefs

In the season, I also make a jam that I use later in my famous Confit de foie gras, betterave (beetroot) and Menton lemon. You work with a young and cosmopolitan team at Mirazur, something you believe to be the key to enrich your menus. Is this the usual at the ovens of the great restaurants of France? Is there an ongoing revolution in traditional French cuisine? I like to think so. In my case, as my heritage comes from different parts of the world, I also believe that I attract young chefs who share my same point of view. We talk a lot about how to create new dishes, and when I get an idea, I invite them to contribute with their thoughts about how to finish the dish. The fact is that each one of us being from such a different origin contributes to an extremely rich way of working. Mirazur is located in a dreamlike landscape, surrounded by mountains, exuberant vegetation and views of the Mediterranean. Does the location of your restaurant have an influence on your cuisine? What has this place given you as far as the interpretation of its products and the contrast of its flavours are concerned? Mirazur is on the border between Italy and France, which makes it an exceptional location and different to any other place in the world. We have jagged mountains behind us, right in front we have the Mediterranean Sea, and a microclimate forms around us, allowing for the growth of a lot of different vegetables and plants. Our cuisine knows no frontiers. We are always in search of the best local products from Italy and France, from the mountains to the sea, without

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Chefs

forgetting the orchard -the reason why I felt so attracted by Menton-. In any case, cooking has a lot to do with becoming a reflection of the villages and their inhabitants, and my aim is to express this concept by supporting local producers, who are the basis of my cooking. Bernard Loiseau, Alain Passard, Alain Ducasse... You have had great mentors throughout your career. Aside from their gastronomic advice, what memories, sentiments or anecdotes have you received from them? Loiseau opened the doors to haute cuisine for me. For the first time I understood how to make sauces and broths only using reductions and flavor concentrates; Ducasse, no doubt, showed me the importance of paying attention to every detail; and Alain Passard was the one who really left a mark on my life. He had a wonderful way of using vegetables, as much as meat or fish, with a creativity that I had never seen before in cooking. Your dishes have been described on many occasions as being picturesque, the result of a measured play between textures and bold associations. Along these lines, which artist is your favorite? Has any one in particular especially influenced the presentation of your dishes? I admire different artists, but my real inspiration comes from the areas surrounding Menton. What can be better for daily inspiration than watching a vegetable grow in your own garden, or cooking a fish that was captured that same morning, on the coast?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I observe the present-day world, it pleases me to see my children growing up in a garden full of chickens and cows; I want them to observe and show respect for what we eatâ&#x20AC;?

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Chefs

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Chefs

“The meal that I would cook over and over again would be basically fresh vegetables from my vegetable garden, with our extra virgin olive oil poured over them” Nearly two decades ago you took a plane to go and try your luck in France. Today you are in the world’s TOP3. How does one digest this evolution? What is left for you to do? Sincerely, it is really amazing. However, this is definitively teamwork. I would never have got to where I am now without the support of my family and the team at Mirazur. I am convinced that to work in harmony with nature, to use the highest quality fresh seasonal ingredients, making the most of what the land and the sea have to give us, is supremely important and that, all this is the fundamental reason why Mirazur is at third position in the world. Your cuisine is full of local products. How do you manage that in a globalized world? Do you believe that what is natural and sustainable is what is real luxury in the 21st century? Absolutely! It is a real luxury for me to be able to collect vegetables and herbs in the mornings and use them for lunch. To have fresh fish from local fishing boats, to know my producers, see how they function and the respect they

have for their produce... It is simply incredible and almost strange. When I observe the present-day world and what is bought in supermarkets, I take pleasure in watching my children grow up in a garden full of chickens and cows, that allows them to see and understand the real product and show respect for what we eat. To finalize, what would you say is the perfect dish, and what would a perfect dinner be like? It would be, without a doubt, at my grandmother Ameliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s table. She taught me to love cooking. The dinner that I would cook over and over again would be basically fresh vegetables from my vegetable garden, with our extra virgin olive oil poured over them, and a slice of bread. Ah, and a bottle of good wine!

The story of a family, THE STORY OF PUGLIA.

Domenico Conserva, called Mimì by everyone, was born and raised amongst the olive trees, the red earth, the silver leaves and clean air. Mimì loved the olive trees, the olives and the perfume of the freshly pressed oil. He loved its colour and the intense flavour of the oil on bread. Mimì had a dream and he nurtured it until he made it a reality because today Mimì is the name of an Extra Virgin Olive Oil of excellence that is recognized around the world. Ours is a solid reality which I, Donato Conserva, together with my brother Michele and our families put our hearts into every day in order to offer you a sublime condiment and a guarantee of quality for your table. The varieties of olives cultivated are native to Apulia and belong to the group of Ogliarole. Added to these are the Coratina, the Peranzana, tha Nociara and the Cime di Mola. The Mimì Oil Press rises in Contrada Gravinella at Modugno (BA). Opened in 2015, the oil press combines avant-garde and energy saving technology

that exploits fully the raw material and its components. The Oil Press uses two plants, one from Pieralisi and a latest generation plant by the Mori-Tem. The machines used allow us to obtain an oil of the highest quality because it guarantees extreme cleanliness and strict control of the temperature of extraction. We believe in three values: respect for the raw material and the client, quality at every phase of our work and transparency through traceability of the product and clarity at each instant of the production process. We produce seven product lines: Gold, Premium, Premium BIO, Premium DOP, tin canisters, BIO tin canisters and bag in a box. Our fruit orchards give emotion to those who, like us, appreciate authenticity. There are three types: intense, medium and light. Recent years have been extraordinary for our company because of the awards obtained which are the result of daily perseverance, constant attention to the quality of the raw material and the love which guides our daily decisions.

MIMÌ AWARDS Coratina AWARDS • NYIOOC 2018 (GOLD MEDAL) • BIOL 2018 (2nd PLACE)

Nocellara AWARDS • ASSAM MARCHE: THE BEST NOCELLARA

Ogliarola AWARDS • 2018 GAMBERO ROSSO ITALIAN OILS: 2 RED LEAVES • 2017 BIOPRESS SILVER MEDAL • CIMA DI MELFI AWARDS • 2018 GOLD LION (BEST 10) • 2017 GOLD SUN (SILVER SUN)

Nocerrara peranzana AWARDS • 2018 GOLD SUN (BRONZE SUN) • 2018 IL MAGNIFICO AWARD (GOLD MEDAL e KIDS CHOICE AWA)

Az. Agr. Donato Conserva C.da Gravinella, sn 70026 Modugno (BA)

www.oliomimi.com Olio Mimì

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Organic & Biodynamic

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Organic & Biodynamic

The olive tree around the World A Fashionable Destination for Eco-spiritual Travelers

By Cristina Revenga Palacios & Pandora PeĂąamil PeĂąafiel

If you want to escape from the daily stress and travel to out-of-the-way places, where you can enjoy nature, take care of yourself and combine personal spiritual growth with a rejuvenating and relaxing holiday, then you are a real eco-spiritual traveler. The latest tendency used for disconnecting, and getting away from the bustling city, has the olive tree as an exceptional witness. We propose that you turn off your cell phone and let yourself be guided through these unique and special landscapes across the world, where you will be able to meditate, or practice yoga, in the shade of the olive trees, walk through their fields and enjoy its juices with irresistibly healthy menus. Breathe in deeply, keep on reading and let your imagination take flight...

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Organic & Biodynamic

Silver Island Yoga Silver Island is paradise, in the form of a Greek island. A plot of land of just 24 hectares in the middle of the Aegean Sea, belonging to the Christie family, with gentle rolling hills, countless idyllic coves, centenary olive trees, cypress trees and wild flowers that merge into the rhythmic sound of the crickets and the crystal blue Mediterranean Sea. Here we discover Silver Island Yoga which, for the past 55 years, has opened its doors to whomever is in search of inner peace, and a way to escape from the bustle and noise of modern life, thanks to its Yoga classes, its hiking routes or its snorkeling and other underwater activities. This enclave offers an experience of a completely ecological retreat, where one can relax and merge with nature and oneself. The capacity is limited to 10 people, who can be accommodated at the five welcoming rooms available. They also produce their own organic EVOO at Silver Island Yoga, and offer vegan and vegetarian menus, closely following the precepts of the Mediterranean Diet, and always made with seasonal, organic, and locally produced products. They also only use solar energy to illuminate the island, and for heating the water, that is recovered and filtered from the winter rains. A magical getaway of wellbeing and self-transformation, in what is probably one of the most magical olive groves, with the best views, on the planet.

GREECE

Eumelia Our first destination is Eumelia -which means melody in ancient Greek-, a lovely hotel set in a centenary olive grove, amidst beautiful fields of aromatic herbs, which have been cultivated since 1890. In this oasis, in the southern part of the Peloponnese Peninsula, in the gulf of Laconia and very close to the village of Gouves, we discover a place that is ideal for going for walks, or for joining workshops where they teach you how to make natural soap from EVOO, or for picking olives or making -and tasting- extra virgin olive oil, from the inhouse production. Because at this hotel, which has its own organic farm, organic EVOO is produced from the Myrtolia and Athinoelia varieties, as well as some other coupages (blends) with olives from wild olive trees. Their ecological cabins, located at the heart of the farm -as are the other hotel installations- are nourished by renewable energy and have been built with recycled materials, making the most of natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resources. One of them, inspired by its old olive grove, impregnated with the motives and colors of this tree, also takes in guests that are attending the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eco-weddingsâ&#x20AC;? that are celebrated on the premises. As well, at their outdoor installations amongst olive trees, educational programs are developed for children, families and nearby schools, where an important introduction to nature is imparted, as well as organising retreats, seminars on alternative medicines, philosophy, painting, Tai chi, or Yoga with the hope of uniting soul, body and mind and remembering what nature gives us. www.eumelia.com/en

www.silverislandyoga.com

SPAIN

Suryalila Suryalila, coming from the Sanskrit “the sun’s cosmic game”, is a fantastic Yoga retreat center, located inside an old olive oil mill in Sierra de Grazalema, in the heart of Andalusia. This sanctuary, in the form of a farm, based on the principles of freedom, growth and creativity, comprises eight houses that have been renovated, with views onto rolling hills of glistening wheat fields and golden sunflowers. Sumptuous banquets of delicious gourmet vegetarian and organic food, made from what the farm produces -it was also a dairy-product factoryare offered, always bathed in organic extra virgin olive oil, that is made from olives coming from the 350 olive trees that grow on this terrain. As well, in Suryalila one can find two of the most spacious and beautiful Yoga studios in Europe: La Cúpula, which has a huge window with a view of the imposing mountains and the romantic ruins of a 17th century convent; and Ganesha Yoga Shala, a welcoming wooden studio on the upper floor, with a bay window that looks out onto the vastness of the Cádiz hill range. An experience of profound beauty, health, quality and care, to guide the visitor towards transparency, goodness and love. www.suryalila.com

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Organic & Biodynamic ITALY

Maraviglia Conscious Living Center

Maraviglia is the place where leisure, home and the family meet up again. In fact, this 400 year-old farm is the house in which its owner, Francesco Piattelli, was brought up, and who realized -after living in New York for some yearsthat the bustle and frenetic activity in the Big Apple only generated him stress and a deep inner imbalance. This made him return to Tuscany, his native city, to create a space where quietude, recovery and full attentiveness could be cultivated. His family home, hidden amongst the Monte San Savino hills, was, without a doubt, the ideal place for this. Set in a big olive grove and surrounded by immense oak trees and aromatic lavender flowers, Maraviglia can be fancied as a hotel to stay in forever. Piattelliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idea is, in fact, that his guests should establish relationships between themselves. His installations offer a self-restorative experience, in which one can taste the products of the region, learn about local and vegetarian cuisine based on organic seasonal foodstuffs, connect with others and get to know, firsthand, how to make olive oil. A space where Chianti wine tasting sessions are organized in a nearby abbey, that is more than 1,000 years old, as well as regional thermal bathing, daily Yoga and Meditation classes under the olive trees, farming workshops in its organic vegetable garden, lessons on Mediterranean cuisine... A range of possibilities for exploration, rest and self-restoration. www.maraviglia.net

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Organic & Biodynamic

Organic Tribe Salento A tribe of people across the world, who embrace a profound change towards self-consciousness, with the objective of finding a new harmonious line-up between body, mind and spirit. This is what the owners of Organic Tribe Salento, Irene Devi Ma-Pai -spiritual researcher, sound-healer and Yoga teacher- and Andrea Chiriatti -an Italian chef with ample experience in outstanding haute cuisine restaurants in various countries- are aiming towards. They decided to found this project in Martano (Lecce, Apulia), their birthplace, to be able to return to Mother Earth all that she has given us: a place that encourages consciousness by offering eco-spiritual experiences. Salento is already a land that is blessed with strong earthy energy, a perfect spot to relax in, to reconnect with the breath of wild nature and submerge oneself into its sun, its sea, and its winds. Thus, in this idyllic scenario, the spiritual retreats that Irene and Andrea offer are the promise of an enthralling journey towards deep personal transformation and purification, and combines different activities: Yoga, meditation, energy work with crystals or organic food based on Italian recipes, with extra virgin olive oil produced on the premises from Ogliarola and Cellina olives. The fact is that the olive trees in this place give off peaceful vibrations, and are at the same time spiritual masters who help us restore harmony in our field of energy, â&#x20AC;&#x153;because there is a spiritual link between human souls and the spirit of the treeâ&#x20AC;?, Irene assures us. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to go and check it out! www.organictribesalento.com

MONTENEGRO

My Yogic Adventure If you are looking for a real place, calm, surrounded by spectacular, rocky mountains, a few yards from a medieval fortress and only two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the beach, you have found it. It is called Stari Bar and is Montenegroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hidden jewel, that invites you to merge into its virgin nature and into the remains of centuries of history. In this territory of what used to be Yugoslavia, is My Yogic Adventure, a place that offers unique Yoga and Meditation retreats, under the olive trees that embrace The Grove hotel, an old mill, out of use for more than four decades. This place is surrounded by olive groves and has one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest trees in the near vicinity (Stara Maslina), which is more than 2,000 years old. But also, in this retreat one can explore the tracks, peeks and fields in the local mountains, swim in one of the natural pools hidden in the river, go over the ruins of the Stari Bar fortress and the narrow alleys of the old town, or visit the spectacular Lake Skadar National Park. My Yogic Adventure is a project created by Marija, a Yoga and Meditation teacher, formed in different places across the world, who, as well as in Montenegro, also organizes retreats and activities in Turkey, Serbia, Georgia and Nepal. However, if you want to complement these with a blanket of olive trees, you will have to opt for My Yogic Adventure in Stari Bar, the Balkan Peninsula paradise. www.myyogicadventure.com

AUSTRALIA

Olio Bello’s Lakeside Glamping You must have gone camping at least once, but... have you gone glamping? Turn off your cell phone, wake up your sense of adventure and go to Olio Bello’s Lakeside Glamping, a place where time stands still and nature becomes the protagonist and host, flanked by its six luxurious bungalows -each named after one of the farm’s olive groves-, designed to minimize any environmental impact and to offer a maximum degree of comfort, located with views of the lake and of Olio Bello’s spectacular organic farm. Based in the beautiful Margaret River region, in the southwestern part of West Australia, the intrepid visitors who go this far have the chance to walk through its olive groves, enjoy extra virgin olive oil tasting sessions and take part in the entertaining annual harvest festival. But the Yoga, wellbeing treatments and tracking are also part of the unique magic in this complex, whose bucolic setting is also a popular scenario for the celebration of intimate weddings. “What is really different about Olio Bello is that it is a fantastic opportunity for people to become familiar with a fully functioning olive tree farm, and to learn about the health benefits of EVOO and the Mediterranean lifestyle”. These are the words of Gary Garside, the director of this complex that gives its name to their organic EVOO. An extra virgin that reflects a long labor of love and a commitment to the land, sustainability and the principles of organic agriculture. A Mediterranean lifestyle in the midst of Oceania. Can one ask for more? www.oliobello.com

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Crazy About EVOO

Photo graph s by L isbeth

Salas

Isabel Coixet, from Indie Movies to EVOO with Champagne By Pandora Peñamil Peñafiel

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Crazy About EVOO

“To dip bread in extra virgin is probably one of the most primitive, direct and tasty gastronomic pleasures that one can allow oneself ” Isabel Coixet is what producers of EVOO are to the Mediterranean Diet. Each one of her films -unique, delicious, unrepeatable- enriches the movie industry just as each extra virgin enriches any dish. My Life Without Me, The Secret Life of Words, The Bookshop... Her films are savored just as an early harvest fruit juice is savored, initially intense and fluid, going on to be spicy and complex, and ending up with strong and elegant bitterness, that refuses to leave us once finished. When asked, Coixet confesses that a Goya Award tastes like anchovies in extra virgin olive oil, freshly baked bread and champagne. By now she must be satiated by this menu, she’s going on for the eight one. But before she reaches number nine she has a lot to tell us. And she isn’t one to stop short...

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Crazy About EVOO

You were born and brought up in Barcelona, in a region where great EVOOs are produced. What memories come to your mind when you think about olive trees and olive oil? I think I have been fascinated by olive trees ever since I was a child. I remember that my parents took me to visit millenary olive trees in Tarragona, and how I was impacted by my father telling me that those olive trees had been there for thousands of years. To dip bread in extra virgin is probably one of the most primitive, direct and tasty gastronomic pleasures that one can allow oneself. 82

Bill Nighy jokingly said that as well as his wage as an actor, you had paid him with some bottles of your olive oil. What can you tell us about your hobby of knocking down olives? During an interview, Sting assured that it is really therapeutic... It’s true that I gave Bill some bottles of my oil on our first encounter, and he always says that that was what decided him to do The Bookshop. It's true that I have a small olive grove and that I try to produce olive oil every two years. I don’t know if it’s a therapeutic activity, but I love it: picking the olives, taking them to the mill, watching how the oil mill master transforms them into oil... It is a wonderful ritual. My oil comes from two varieties that are on the brink of extinction: the Vera and the Paloma. So we can take for granted that if you are going to a friend’s house, you take them a bottle of olive oil, or, in this case, would you go with a classic bottle of wine? I’m the kind that takes everything: olive oil, wine, dessert, flowers... Whatever goes!

Let's become haters for a moment: what foodie fashion do you hate the most? The foodie rage that I hate most is the use of bowls, or poke bowls, or whatever they’re called. All is mixed up together any old-how: rice, quinoa, fish and one or two sauces. But I am sure that this rage will soon pass (here’s hoping!). If you were to set up a restaurant, would you forbid posting photos of your dishes on Instagram? As I am aware of the great amount of effort it takes to open a restaurant, I don’t think I’d ever bring myself to do that. But should I decide to do so, I wouldn’t forbid photos, I would forbid having the cell phone on the table!

Many define your movies as if tasting a good extra virgin: intense, with a bitter aftertaste and a long-time persistence in the memory. What do you feel about this association? Is a great film like a great banquet? I find the analogy between EVOO and my films really beautiful... Sincerely, I don’t know if they reach those heights, but the truth is I would like them to do so. Dennis Hopper, Tim Robbins, Ben Kingsley, Julie Christie, Patricia Clarkson, Juliette Binoche, Mark Ruffalo... you have put together some enviable casts in your films. Which actor that you have worked with would you invite to a pa amb tomàquet (typical dish made of bread with tomato and olive oil) for two? Why would he or she deserve it?

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Crazy About EVOO

â&#x20AC;&#x153;As I am incapable of understanding the world at present, I prefer to concentrate on my films and my olive treesâ&#x20AC;?

I would invite all of them, because they get on very well together anyway. Although, in fact, I can boast of having discovered Spanish cuisine to a whole lot of foreign actors and directors. However, if I could only choose one, I would like to invite Aki Kurismaki, the Finnish director, for a meal and a drink. That would be an experience to tell my grandchildren about in the future. If you had to describe a sensation as if it were a dish, what does a Goya Award taste like? And a bad review? A Goya tastes of anchovies in extra virgin olive oil with a good loaf and washed down with champagne. A bad review definitely tastes of industrial bakery. Or of Surimi!

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Crazy About EVOO

“I can boast of having discovered Spanish cuisine to many foreign actors and directors”

You have always said that if an actor has to eat something during a scene in one of your films, it should taste good. Imagine that you have to sell Spanish gastronomy -or olive oil- to a supporting actor you don’t know. How would you tempt him to try it? I think that people who love food are always ready to try anything and be adventurous. It’s a bad thing if one has to waste a lot of saliva trying to convince someone!

Nowadays, thanks to the boom in everything related to gastronomy, and due to their presence in the media, many chefs that are becoming real stars. Do you watch any of those cooking shows? When shall we have a gastronomic film made in Coixet? The programs I always watched were the Anthony Bourdain ones, because he seemed to be an absolutely fascinating person and his way of approaching gastronomic themes was very free, honest, sincere and attractive. The MasterChef kind of contests bore me stiff and I think they have nothing to do with real cuisine, rather to do with the cult to fame in all its facets. As far as making a gastronomic movie... don’t tempt me!

In The Secret Life of Words it is said that “from the moment that one has an inner life, one is already leading a double life”... How many lives has Isabel Coixet lived? How many does she have left? I prefer not to think too much about the lives I have lived and rather think about those I still have left to live. Each movie is a world and a micro-cosmos with its own rules... I hope I have a lot to explore ahead of me! Your films have soundtracks that almost act as the main roles in the story, with songs by Tom Waits or Anthony and The Johnsons. Even Debbie Harry -from the mythical Blondie band- has a crucial role in My Life Without Me. As the music lover that you are, what does a meal with friends looking out at the Mediterranean Sea sound like to you? A meal with friends in front of the sea sounds like Gino Paoli singing Senza fine... or Ala.ni singing Feeling Lonely on a Sunday Afternoon from The Bookshop soundtrack... or Cesaria Évora... or The Divine Comedy... Rome, Paris or New York are some of your favorite cities. If on a gastronomic trip, where would you go back to eat over and over again? I would go back to all the places you mention: in Paris, always at the Au Petit Saint Benoit, where the French novelist and director Marguerite Duras often had dinner. There’s something very emotional about looking at the editions of Hiroshima Mon Amour signed by her. I would also go to Septime, which is daring, tasty and welcoming, and never fails. In New York I always go back to Nahm Tea Parlor, for its Dim Sum and for the atmosphere of a Wong Kar-wai film; or to the Red Farm, that is delicious. And in Rome, to any restaurant on the island of Giudecca, where they serve fried zucchini flowers, Roman artichokes and Puntarelle, the world’s best salad.

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Crazy About EVOO

The olive tree is one of the trees with the greatest symbolic strength. It has been on this planet for 8,000 years, embracing the whole Mediterranean basin and transmitting unique sensations and emotions... just as your films do. Are symbols important in life? What should an element, a person, or a story have to inspire you? Symbols and rituals always help us live. I can be inspired by almost anything: a conversation overheard by chance in a bar, on the underground, coming out of a movie theater...

After all your filming you must have also had some kind of gastronomic slip-up. Where is the worst place you have ever eaten at? The worst place where I have eaten is in Norway. During the filming of Nobody Wants the Night, at several degrees below zero, we were given inedible hogwash to eat. It was very hard going. I also didn’t like the food much in Uzbekistan either. One of your favorite authors, John Berger, says that “for the artist, to draw is to discover”. What have your latest gastronomic discoveries been? Any that have anything to do with olive oil? Recently I tasted an EVOO of the Canetera variety, from century-old olive trees, that I liked a lot. To me it tasted like walnuts and almonds, leaving an unforgettable aftertaste in mouth. On its own, or with black-olive bread, it becomes a very tasty mouthful. In a way, your job demands that you be giving orders all day. Are you like that at home, or is that where you relax? Who cooks in Isabel Coixet’s house? In my house, it’s me who cooks. I especially like to cook when in the country, above all rice dishes: black rice, with artichokes, with rabbit, crabs, prawns... My curries turn out well, with a lot of different vegetables. Boeuf Bourgignon with red wine, cooked very slowly, confit artichokes...

You have been brave in the world of movies, always telling intimate and unusual stories, breaking schemes and being yourself. If you were an olive oil, what would you be like? Bitter, spicy, sweet...? If I were an olive oil I would love to be the fruit of a few millenary olive trees, that are still here, all twisted-up, resisting Time with the strength of wild boars. In fact, I would like to be an EVOO that has been pressed at night, tasting even better. We are living unusual times, of a strange stability. How do you see the world at present? Is it melancholic and fragile like a Coixet movie? It is impossible to define the world we are living in today, because it is opaque and allergic to definitions. As I am incapable of understanding it, I prefer to dedicate myself to my films and my olive trees. It's much more practical and less bitter.

“If I were olive oil, I would like to be the fruit from a few millenary olive trees that are still here, all twisted-up, resisting time with the strength of wild boars”

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Personal Matters A hobby Cooking rice dishes and inventing recipes (although they don’t always turn out good…) 88

A virtue Stubborness The film that most inspired you Babette’s Feast Favorite dish Lemon cheesecake... and anchovies! Favorite oil Oleomile Coupage Supreme L’Unic Premium What food would you take to a desert island? Anchovies, parmesan cheese and Peter Peters champagne What do you like most in your work? It never lets me get bored What do you like the least? That one has to go to a whole lot of boring meetings A dream still to come true To surf on Bondi Beach (Australia) What menu would you choose for a last supper? The same as for a desert island... but with even more champagne!!!

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Dolce Vita

Kapsaliana Village Hotel The Art of Nature and Hospitality By Alfredo Briega MartĂn In Kapsaliana, a picturesque village in Crete (Greece) full of tradition, history and authenticity, created by the Gods and Mankind, Kapsaliana Village Hotel is a unique place of beauty, peace and tranquility, whose installations perfectly harmonize with and integrate into an evocative natural surrounding, offering a unique vacation and gastronomic experience.

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Dolce Vita

The history of the village of Kapsaliana and the Kapsaliana Village Hotel can be fancied as unique. Every stone, every plot of land, every building and even every tree has its own story to tell the fortunate visitors, as they enjoy a different type of stay in a singular and authentic hotel, that stands out -with respect to the rest of the island- for its differentiating character. Declared as a village of â&#x20AC;&#x153;High Cultural Valueâ&#x20AC;?, Kapsaliana is a traditional Cretan town, which has remained true to its character without any architectural distortion. This is a typical example of Cretan architecture -based on clear geometric volumes, structured on one or two connected floors, combined with patios, stone steps, arches, doors, entrance -ways and carved stone-, the high quality of its walls, doors and paintings indicate the architectonic and constructive excellence of every building. A member of the Historic Hotels of Europe, Kapsaliana Village Hotel is an exceptional lodging, and profoundly different to any other on the Mediterranean. It follows footsteps from the past, offering a holiday experience in a village that has been completely and arduously restored, with great respect for the history, landscape and architecture of this region. Kapsaliana was a part of the neighboring Arkadi monastery, the most important on the island. The story of this settlement began in 1600 with the construction of the church, and continued with the creation of an olive oil mill in 1763, which became the heart of the settlement that was beginning to be built up around it. At its peak, 50 people from 13 families lived in the village.

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Myron Toupoyannis, the hotel’s owner and architect, was in charge of presenting Kapsaliana’s new face to the world, fully preserving its original architecture and spatial planning. Thus, with the use of natural materials such as wood, stone and terracotta, the houses and the olive oil mill and church -dedicated to the Archangel Michael- were restored to perpetuate and rewrite their long history, as they gradually become rooms and suites, restaurant, swimming pool and lounge, offering ideal lodging options for unique holidays on the island of Crete.

To take a rest in one of its 19 rooms and suites -totaling 42 beds-, or to relax in the lounge. To visit the church and the antique installations at the monastery’s olive oil mill, and watch projections showing the traditions and historic background, and the process of restoration that the traditional Kapsaliana settlement has undergone. To enjoy the sun and the favorable Mediterranean climate at the big open-air swimming pool area, with spacious zones that are paved and equipped with sun beds and parasols, beautiful views of the olive groves and the sea, as well as a snackbar and a special lounge for massages and yoga. To taste the authentic Cretan and Mediterranean specialities at the hotel restaurant, which has a fireplace and areas in the open air that have been especially designed for under the shelter of a pergola... There are multiple options in a hotel whose installations fully respect the traditional architecture of the Cretan villages, and offer a customized experience to each client, with personalized services oriented towards well-being and the full satisfaction of the client’s needs, making his vacation simply unforgettable.

Kapsaliana Village Hotel is an exceptional and profoundly different lodging to any other on the Mediterranean, one that follows footsteps from the past

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A Real Culinary Adventure

Decorated in earth tones, with wood, stone and elements used in the daily life of the island and the village, the Kapsaliana Village Hotel is an ideal place to discover the local cuisine, and for enjoying unique gastronomic experiences. The tempting breakfast buffet presents an array of local products, freshly baked bread, autochthonous cheeses such as the Cretan Ricotta and the famous Gruyere, eggs, fresh organic fruit, jams, honey, cold meats (such as apaki and syglino), cereals and fruit juices. During the lunchtime, appetizing snacks and dishes are served -made from a selection of local products coming from small local farms and from the hotel’s own orchard- by the chef Vasilis K. Leonidou, a firm defender of the principles of Slow Food. At dinner -which can be private if the client’s so wishes-, the à la carte menu includes a delicious variety of Cretan dishes such as chicken with yogurt, raisins and parsley, roast lamb or goat, as well as a choice of vegetarian dishes. Without forgetting traditional appetizers, or Raki, the island’s favorite beverage. And to end up with a dessert whose recipe comes from the Minoan times: Gastrin, made with dried fruits, being the ancestor of the Baklavas, a famous Greek dessert. Four or five special dishes are made every night, and every Thursday there is a menu to taste Cretan speciality dishes, accompanied with local wines.

EVOO Tasting Sessions and Seminars

Seminars and tasting sessions are organized to discover all the secrets of the extra virgin olive oil that is produced in the region of Crete, dark green or gold in color, full of aromas, tastes and density. “The olive tree is a real treasure that we should protect, love and respect, and EVOO is probably the most important product in my kitchen”, the chef points out. His romance with this liquid gold began in 2010, when Agrinio, a good friend, came to the restaurant where he was then working and told him that the food was very good, but that he would not be coming back because the extra virgin being used was really bad. “At first I didn’t know what he meant, and I looked at him as I am looked at now, when I say the same thing to someone”, he admits.

TENUTA IL CICALINO

MASSA MARITTIMA - TOSCANA

il culto

dell’olio

in Toscana

Tradizione, Tecnologia e Ricerca

W W W.TENUTACICALINO.COM

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Dolce Vita

“I soon understood that something was wrong, and from that moment on I began to read about, taste and work with olive oil to improve my cuisine, something basic for any chef. Nowadays we use extra virgin for every dish, from a Greek salad to a dessert, because I firmly believe that only EVOO can provide superior taste and quality to my recipes. We use olive oil for frying, at a not very high temperature. I don’t like butter, nor any other oil”. In fact, his restaurant has an Olive Oil Bar -“a dream come true”- at the disposal of the hotel guests, who “appreciate

The hotel organizes seminars and tasting sessions on its premises, to discover all the secrets of the extra virgin olive oil produced in the region of Crete

the aroma and taste of a good EVOO, but do not always understand its qualities”. This is what the seminars on olive oil -“the most important ingredient of a daily diet”try to teach them. There are more than 45 brands of EVOO at the oil bar, produced from different varieties of olive -among which are the Greek Tsounati, Koroneiki and Koutsourelia; the Italian Casaliva and Frantoio; and the Spanish Picual and Arbequina-, and from different countries -Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Tunisia and Croatia-, different terroirs and producers. A real luxury, as is the hotel itself.

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The EVOOs of the Future By Alfredo Briega Martín We want to know what the EVOOs of the future and the consumer of tomorrow will be like, and where the sector will evolve. Therefore, we turn to a representative sample of the producers that make up QvExtra! International and CEQ Italia, el Consorzio di Garanzia dell’Olio Extra Vergine di Qualità, banners defending the quality of extra virgin oil worldwide. We also review the campaign to promote high-quality European EVOO developed in 2018 by both associations in two strategic markets, the USA and Japan.

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The first question we asked their members was how they envisioned their brands in the future and where they would like them to evolve. Most companies boast of a global ambition and aim to establish or consolidate themselves as trustworthy brands for the consumer, as national and international references of quality and health. Some show their firm commitment to the terrain, the environment and diversity, and they aspire to evolve towards an ecological and precision agriculture, more sustainable and responsible. Others speak of covering and perfecting all aspects related to production and marketing, “in close contact with our customers”, or expanding their product range; without forgetting the challenge of internationalization and the conquest of new markets and palates. Some even hope that the consumption of their EVOO will become an “unparalleled experience that excites and interacts with their surroundings”. But all find that a commitment to quality is the key to success.

and a successful internationalization strategy. Effort, passion and enthusiasm to improve every day are some of the terms most mentioned by the companies producing this liquid gold. And transparency, honesty and respect for the customer. Building confidence in the consumer, knowing their tastes and trends, and adequately conveying the advantages and benefits of extra virgin olive oil. Having a professional and committed team. Never forgetting the weight of tradition and know-how accumulated over generations. And putting your soul into it. In short, a mixture of many things. Here the coupage reigns, not the monovarietal.

In any case, the future is viewed with optimism “because we have everything in our favor: an excellent product -synonymous to health, happiness and well-being- and an increasingly mature market that demands higher quality products,” they argue. This is certain. It is the moment of the extra virgin and we must take advantage of it.

The keys to success and the consumer of tomorrow For many, there is no secret or magic formula. It is about differentiating themselves through the content, with an EVOO of excellent quality -if possible, certified-, and the continent, with an image and an attractive, fresh and original packaging that is up to the exquisite product that it contains. And also through an ecological and sustainable production process

And finally, what will the consumer of tomorrow be like? Looking at the answers, the companies have no doubts: more informed, with greater knowledge of the product, and more demanding and aware. Concerned about the quality and origin of the product, healthy eating and respect for the environment. That values authenticity and consumes organic and natural products, and also proximity. In search of new emotions and gastronomic experiences. An authentic foodie.

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QvExtra! International - CEQ Italia

Objective: To raise awareness of quality European EVOO in the USA and Japan

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Moreover, during the last financial year QvExtra! International and CEQ Italia have joined forces in a special campaign funded with the help of the EU to promote high-quality European EVOO in the USA and Japan. So, this autumn, in seminars held at important culinary schools in Boston (Cambridge School of Culinary Art), Providence (Johnson & Wales University) and New York (International Culinary Center), the expert in olive oil and President of Monini USA, Marco Petrini, accompanied by experts Alfonso Fernández López (Spain), owner and founder of Taste of Spain, and Natalia Ravida (Italy), President and owner of RAVIDA Azienda Agricola, analyzed the methods and production standards, the benefits, and the role of extra virgin olive oil in the Mediterranean Diet, key elements to determine quality, how the terroir influences flavor profiles and how to cook with EVOO. The seminars also included showcookings by the Italian culinary expert Mario Rizzotti, judge of Iron Chef America, and the Spanish chef based in New York Antonio Ortuño, who collaborated in the preparation of a special menu that explored specific pairings, preparing two dishes with EVOOs of different flavor profiles, from mild to spicy. In some cases, the activity also included a special dinner.

Change in the presidency of CEQ Italia Finally, it is worth noting that on October 31, the CEQ Italia partners' meeting elected businesswoman and producer Maria Grazia Minisci as the new President of the organization at its meeting held in Rome, replacing Elia Fiorillo, whom they thanked for the “enormous commitment and professionalism shown in the most difficult moments” and, above all, “her tireless work of mediation, which has allowed CEQ Italia to seek leadership in the sector.” “It is important” -Minisci pointed out- “that the institutions, the olive growing operators, the mills and the representative organizations of the sector support us to protect and add value in the eyes of the consumer of high-quality Italian extra virgin. Achieving qualitative objectives of excellence in olive oil is the task to which we are fated by our own history and olive tradition because that is how they have always seen us.”

“On the eve of another negative campaign in quality and quantity for production, we must all feel responsible and concerned about the destiny of our olive growing, beyond the economic interests and the weight that the Italian oil has in the basket of each operator of the sector. In a mass market dominated by foreign EVOOs that grow every year in quality and efficiency, it is necessary to reinvent ourselves and, with our savoir faire, write new pages about this product”, added the new President of CEQ Italia. In Japan, the activities of QvExtra! International and CEQ Italia to promote high-quality extra virgin olive oil focused on cooking schools (Hattori Culinary School, Shibuya Ku, Tokyo), buyers from the main retail chains, and suppliers of food and industrial groups, as well as in-store demonstrations aimed at the final consumer, carried out with the collaboration of the New Supermarket Association of Japan (NSAJ) and the Japan Oil & Fat Importers & Exporters Association (JOFIEA). All of these -demonstrations and cooking courses, tasting sessions, lunches for media and stakeholders (Spain Club Ginza, Chuoku, Tokyo) and seminars and conferences focused on high-quality extra virgin- served to confirm the great interest that exists in the Land of the Rising Sun for this basic product of the Mediterranean Diet, as well as the limited information available about it. Experts such as Alfonso Fernández (Spain) and Pasquale Costantino and Vincenzo Giordano (Italy) participated, as well as the chefs Marco Gallotta, Periko Ortega and Darío García.

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How do you see your brand in the future? In which direction would you like it to evolve?

What is your secret recipe for success? What sets you apart from other EVOOs?

What wil tomorrow’s consumer be like?

ACEITES GARCÍA DE LA CRUZ. ALMAZARA DEORTEGAS. ALMAZARA LA ALQUERIA. ALMAZARAS DE LA SUBBETICA. CASAS DE HUALDO. COLONNA. COOPERATIVA AGRÍCOLA DE CAMBRILS. DOMAINE FENDRI. JACOLIVA. LA PONTEZUELA. LUQUE ECOLÓGICO. MINISCI. MOLINO DEL GENIL. MONINI. OLEOESTEPA. OLEO QUIRÓS. OLIVAPALACIOS. OLIVAR DEL DESIERTO. OLIVARERA NUESTRA SEÑORA DE GUADALUPE. PANTALEO. RAFAEL ALONSO AGUILERA. SAT SANTA TERESA (1881)

Photography by Jesús Mendoza

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ACEITES GARCÍA DE LA CRUZ www.aceitesgarciadelacruz.com

Quality, originality and freshness

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As a reference brand in the category of extra virgin olive oil and food in general. We strive to achieve a prominent position in the organic and healthy food sector with a hig-quality EVOO, so that consumers identify García de la Cruz as their trust brand.

The success of the product comes from both inside and outside the container, so a quality EVOO, together with a suitable packaging, is essential to differentiate itself. The image of our extra virgins is original and fresh, in addition to being a high quality product. The combination of these elements allows us to differentiate ourselves from other oils in the market.

The consumer will be one who is very concerned about organic foods, health and healthy eating. In addition, the foodie consumer does not stop growing and continuously seeks new gastronomic experiences, in which EVOO is becoming increasingly important. But it goes further, because respect for the environment is one of the fundamental premises that food must meet to go into the shopping trolley.

almazara deortegas www.deortegas.com

Like the elixir of life. Towards an ever-deeper knowledge of and connection with the place where our trees grow, adapting and trying to improve their conditions, their environment and their nature in order to obtain a purely complete fruit, benefiting from the innumerable properties that it brings while we salute life. And to evolve for the sake of a more aware, healthy and smarter agriculture, always supporting the small farmers committed to their land.

The elixir of life

We don't think there is any set recipe for success. We enjoy what we do and there is an appropriate combination of effort and passion that makes everything flow, taking care of every detail until you reach the final product. Our difference is that we are a sustainable, small, family oil mill where we carry out the entire process, from field work to oil processing, packaging and marketing our own harvest. We have been developing the organic agriculture of the olive groves for 30 years, with a traditional planting system and rain-fed olive trees, and a dry fruit is always special.

Tomorrow's consumer could have lots of information, maybe not all stored in their own brain but in some chip that knows everything; their tastes, their health etc… Perhaps it could also analyse all their food to let them know if it's ok for them to eat it and its possible consequences for their health and for the planet. We try to be awake to all possibilities and for this it is important that our food is nutritious and local so we don't forget the things that are really important in life…

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Almazara la alquerĂa www.almazaralaalqueria.com

Essence and commitment

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Positioned as a reference for the conservation of native varieties of the Province of Valencia and with a commitment to the environment and biodiversity, as the bastion of the spirit of our land. A spot to stop and reflect on the values of our existence, to remember the leisurely pace of the horses through our olive groves, which encourages meditation, the enjoyment of the fresh scents of spring, etc. Its natural evolution tends towards the personalized attention to our customers and friends, without disregarding the land we come from, taking advantage of what technology holds for us in the future, and evolving towards meticulous agriculture. In addition, our commitment to the environment, together with our philosophy, will force us more each day to recover abandoned lands, making our clients feel that they are helping us to that end.

Transparency, sincerity, honesty and respect for the customer in the broadest sense of the word. The rest is just ornamentation, although evidently the cool, carefree and cheerful packaging that our oils have helps their sale due to their undeniable power of attraction.

The customer of the future will be a connoisseur of the different types of oils that exist; not a customer who only tastes one type of EVOO, but one who will be much more open to new experiences. We are prepared to develop EVOOs on demand: sweet, sour, spicy, green, mature, organic, conventional, high in phenols, etc. We want our future consumer to be this type of customer.

ALMAZARAS DE LA SUBBĂ&#x2030;TICA www.almazarasdelasubbetica.com

Passion for Quality

Our future has to be the best possible because we have everything in our favor: an excellent product, a market that increasingly demands higher quality EVOOs, and the awareness of consuming organic products. Progress is needed on achieving all quality certifications and not only that, but being a reference in compliance with all requirements. Now is our time.

Good salespeople are those that gain the trust of the customers from the first moment, since the first thing that sells is the seller themself. Despite globalization, you have to look the customer in the eyes and if the client does not trust the salesperson, they will probably not buy the product. In our case, excellent packaging and the best EVOO inside the bottle come into play. Every time they open one of our olive juices, the customer has to imagine themself in the middle of our century-old olive groves. If we do not achieve this, we will not have done our job well.

The consumer trend is changing, as is the way of buying. Currently, the consumer is constantly searching for healthy products; hence the demand for organic and natural products. Therefore, health becomes one of the main drivers of purchase in target groups of all ages. We must prepare to meet their demands and offer a quality product in the shortest time possible through the Internet.

Truly Extraordinary Oleoestepa was born from a cooperative commitment to excellence and sustainability, among forests of olive groves located in the heart of Andalusia, in an extensive valley of more than 7 million olive trees that enjoys unparalleled conditions for their cultivation, inside the boundaries of the Estepa PDO. By virtue of their olive-growing tradition, excellence and respect for the environment, we stand before truly extraordinary extra virgin olive oils.

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casas de hualdo www.casasdehualdo.com

The search for the perfect EVOO

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In the future, Casas de Hualdo will be a brand with a 360º range covering all aspects of production and marketing, in close contact with our customers. 10 years after its creation, the company is still going strong. Far from conforming, we continue to perfect our processes with an ambitious research project that we hope will contribute to reinforce the quality of our EVOOs in the quest for the perfect oil. But also, we are already shaping the expansion of the oil mill to improve the packaging and shipping areas. Finally, in January 2019 we look forward to starting the works on the artisanal cheese factory of Quesos de Hualdo, which completes the development of the farm where both sheep and olive trees cohabit, giving the whole a sense of self-containment.

From the beginning, the recipe for success has been a combination of the best components: on the one hand, the “hardware”, with plantations and an oil mill designed to obtain the best oil, perfectly adapted to the dimensions of the project and a particularly suitable means for quality production. On the other hand, the “software”, with a team and a corporate culture that act as multipliers, raising the quality and capacity of each of the aspects that surround Casas de Hualdo. This is the authentic house brand: a flexible, professional, committed team that feels this project is their own.

The consumer of tomorrow will be a real foodie, knowledgeable and very demanding. The authentic and the true healthy will be valued, a characteristic for which the quality EVOOs stand out. Products that are respectful of the environment and efficient in the use of resources will be sought after.

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COOPERATIVA AGRÍCOLA DE CAMBRILS www.coopcambrils.com

Building a brand

110 Our policy has always been aimed at distinguishing our brands (Mestral, Aragem), each in its market segment. As a cooperative, we have taken a big step in the last decade with a firm commitment to building a brand, and we want this to continue in the future.

Starting from a high-quality product like the one we made in the Cooperative in Cambrils, it was also necessary to bet on the packaging, receiving accolades not only for the quality of our EVOO, but also for the presentation of our brands. But as a whole, nowadays the market not only demands a good product, well presented and with a good quality-price ratio. You also must have a great proficiency for packaging and, most importantly, be able to certify the quality of the product as we do with the SIQEV seal of QvExtra! International. Finally, it is necessary to ensure constant quality control and food safety, in our case with the IFS Food certification of our oil mill and packaging plant.

Increasingly expert in EVOO and demanding accountability and controls from producers and packers. The client has the right to choose and needs reasons to be able to do so. In this sense, the SIQEV seal is a guarantee for the consumer and the next step is to get this recognized to reach the customer of the future.

DOMAINE FENDRI

Commitment to excellence

www.artisanoliveoilcompany.com/ producer/domaine-fendri/

In the future, we would like our brand Domaine Fendri to be better known and to reach all corners of the world where people want to consume high-quality organic EVOO.

Our secret recipe, and what sets us apart from the rest, are the unique Tunisian varieties (Chemlali, Chetoui, Chemchali) from which our EVOO is obtained, in addition to our passion for quality, the engine that drives us to improve every day. Our oil presents an original and harmonious sensory profile, and represents a diversification within the segment of Premium EVOOs. Moreover, our packaging is inspired by our heritage, starting with the portrait of the grandfather and founder of Domaine Fendri –with whom our story began– without forgetting our Berber roots dating back to more than 3,000 years of olive oil production in Tunisia.

I believe that the consumer of tomorrow will demand healthy, organic and quality products, and will pay attention to their origin or provenance. And will further appreciate good EVOOs as an important part of their diet.

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JACOLIVA www.jacoliva.com

To infinity and beyond

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An oil that is trusted for quality and image, for its differentiating character and for being the result of the work of several generations of producers in the north of CĂĄceres. The reference EVOO of Extremadura for the whole universe.

The continuous improvement in everything we do, in every process that takes us from the field to the satisfaction of the consumer. We differentiate the variety of olives from where our EVOOs are born, the Manzanilla CacereĂąa, to which we give the heart and soul of four generations dedicated to the olive grove.

It may be confusing to have a lot to choose from, but you will enjoy more than ever great natural products like an exceptional EVOO, one of those that you cannot afford not to have tasted, such as El Lagar del Soto.

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LA PONTEZUELA www.lapontezuela.com

Towards a new world order

112 5 elementos aim far and wide, as we have set our sights on markets around the world. Our goal is to teleport around the globe and get a better position in international markets, where the quality of the excellent EVOOs produced in Spain is truly recognized. Our spacecraft already has stops in galaxies as far away as China, but we hope that the new practices will allow us to further expand our horizons.

Regarding EVOOs, we have seen things that you would not believe. That is why we are a benchmark for quality with our monovarietals of the Cornicabra varietal, which also will be organic in this campaign. We will put in orbit a new line of Organic Cornicabra PDO, so called to mark a new world order for its high quality and attractive image. A way of production that respects our environment and even other forms of life.

Earthlings and extraterrestrials are increasingly concerned about their health and, as a result, are more informed. But they also clearly understand that food can and should be an intergalactic pleasure, not a simple necessity. Therefore, the trend is evolving towards healthy, natural and beneficial foods, without losing sight of the most fun aspect. In short, they are increasingly aware of their power. And with great power comes great responsibility...

LUQUE ECOLร GICO www.luque.bio

An unparalleled experience As pioneers of organic farming in Spain since the 1980s, at Luque Ecolรณgico we have always considered our brand as something more than just a marketing tool. For us it is a powerful generator of emotions and an element for transmitting values such as respect for the environment and traditions; the social and cultural development of our diversity; the care and vigilance of all the links of the process; sensitivity to the needs of our consumers; and, of course, excellence in the development and search for the highest quality. We would like the consumption of Luque Ecolรณgico to provide an unparalleled experience that will excite and interact with its surroundings. In short, we want it to be a human brand in which our DNA is recognized.

Obviously, there is no single key that influences success. It is a mix of various aspects: belief in what you do, tradition, effort, commitment, thoroughness, care, sensitivity, empathy, logic, proactivity, clarity, transparency, beauty, quality, etc. And we believe that at least we are on track to achieve all of this.

A consumer that will take into account many variables and that will have a lot of information about our product. Therefore, we will have to offer him everything he asks for, and something more. The consumption of our products will be a vital experience and we will bring our consumer sensitivity and emotions to make the experience pleasant and unforgettable in many ways: product quality, transmitted values, closeness to his needs and/or requirements, impact on society and the environment... Without a doubt, quite a challenge.

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MOLINO DEL GENIL

Quality as a necessity

www.molinodelgenil.com

114 The goal of our company is to bring our brand to the markets in Europe, Asia and the USA, now increasingly demanding quality EVOOs. For this we are making a major commitment to internationalization and brand recognition abroad.

At Molino del Genil, with our Premium Arbequino and Picual brand, we associate success with a commitment to quality control throughout the entire production process, from the origin of the fruit to obtaining the final product. How? Through the development of new technologies and the introduction of continuous improvements, in search of exceptional quality in the final product. A commitment that allows us to obtain differentiated oils with characteristic organoleptic profiles of the brand. Also, recognizing the market trends, we try to maintain, with our packaging, the quality and prestige that define our company.

It will be a demanding consumer, with a high level of education, who will know and appreciate the characteristics of the product and will understand quality as a global process and constantly evolving, valuing the EVOO as a healthy, palatable and safe product. The consumers will be particularly concerned about knowing the origin of the food they are to consume, which will require full traceability in the production chain. Furthermore, they will attach special importance to the value of tradition linked to the cultivation of olive trees and will be concerned about sustainability and environmental sensitivity, leading to cultivation that is increasingly respectful of the environment and that gives added value to the final product.

OLEO QUIRร S www.oleoquiros.com

The value of distinctiveness

We see Oleo Quirรณs, with its three brands, as a global company, present in several countries with its extensive range of EVOOs, including the cornicabra with PDO Montes de Toledo, and true to its philosophy. A company that is committed to a sustainable agriculture that respects the environment, convinced of the virtues of EVOO, and willing to preserve its differentiation from other oils and fats.

Both quality and packaging and a successful strategy of internationalization are the essential ingredients to be able to aspire to success. In our case, we also comit ourselves to organic production in the case of the EVOO Pago de Quirรณs. But, even with such constituents, it is essential to have an absolute determination to understand the tastes and trends of the final consumer, to be able to arrive naturally to their homes. We have the offer, but they are the end-user and they have to convince themselves of the need to use EVOOs over other products.

Much more efficient and demanding in their purchasing habits, which will require a highly segmented offer that meets the needs and expectations of each consumer.

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OLIVAR DEL DESIERTO www.aceitecastillodetabernas.es

Health guarantee

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As an EVOO brand recognized internationally for its quality and health benefits, it has evolved to become a staple in any healthy diet or menu, in any type of culinary culture, whether in Spain or in any other country in the world. In addition to implementing 4.0 technologies in all phases of the production process, both in our farm next to the Tabernas Desert (Almeria) and in the mill, we have developed precision farming techniques, each year implementing new processes to obtain the best possible quality.

We are focused on the continuous improvement of all our production processes, from the cultivation of olive trees to obtaining the oil in the oil mill. We are currently working on NutriSanum healthy certification to transfer the benefits of extra virgin to the consumer. We must all work for EVOO to be recognized as a staple food to improve the health of people.

We are very concerned about quality of life and well being, looking for natural foods and that provide health benefits. And, as the FAO affirms, it is a common misconception to think that malnutrition is limited to the lack of food availability; it is also due to an inadequate diet.

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olivapalacios

A complete gastronomic experience www.olivapalacios.es

We aspire to see Palacio de los Olivos on the tables of national and international homes and restaurants as the Spanish brand of Premium EVOO, whose green aromas and balanced taste reflect its high quality, as well as being an enormous source of wellbeing due to the amount of nutritional properties that it contains.

There is no secret recipe. Success is the result of know-how with care, attention and dedication to an EVOO of high quality, following strict protocols and production processes, from the olive grove to the final packaging. The distinctive touch of aroma and flavor of our Picual EVOO is provided by the fact that it comes from an exceptional volcanic terrain in our olive groves in Almagro (Ciudad Real), in a climate that is ideal for its perfect development. Its complex and intense sensory profile, highly differentiated compared to other EVOOs of the same variety, is accompanied by an elegant and distinctive brand image in a very unique and characteristic packaging. The international expansion of our EVOO is already a fact, and little by little we are positioning ourselves in the best gourmet stores in the most important cities around the world.

Consumers are becoming more educated in terms of EVOO and are more demanding, so that tomorrow they will not only assess it as a good product for its organoleptic characteristics, but will delve more deeply into its origin, production and nutritional properties, placing more confidence in the producer. Therefore, our task is to offer a product that guarantees a culinary experience.

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OLIVARERA NTRA. SRA. DE GUADALUPE www.cooperativadeguadalupe.es

The treasure of Baena

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With 1,200 regular members and 13,000 hectares of olive groves, Olivarera Ntra. Sra. de Guadalupe, SCA is a cooperative with three brands protected by the Baena PDO: Virrey del Pino (Premium Selection), Fuente Baena (Intense) and Guadoliva (Light). Despite having only been in the gourmet packaging market for a short time, we aim to position ourselves strategically in this segment as a reference of quality and health. The goal is for 100% of the EVOO obtained to be packaged as such, and to start our process of internationalization -currently we only operate in the domestic and local community markets-.

The secret of success, what sets us apart, is the quality and origin of our EVOOs, from the heart of Baena and the Sierra SubbĂŠtica of Cordoba. A belief that has led us to reward our partners with the early delivery of the olives in order to obtain the highest quality, and accredited with the SIQEV certificate of QvExtra! for Virrey del Pino, our early harvest EVOO Premium, obtained in 2017.

More demanding and with greater knowledge of the product -Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and cornerstone of the Mediterranean dietand more aware of what they buy, its origin and its health benefits.

RAFAEL ALONSO AGUILERA www.orodeldesierto.com

Pioneering character

Already in the present we see much farther than we thought at the time when starting to produce EVOO in the desert, and we certainly see it reaching more places, on the tables of good extra virgin lovers throughout the world. If today there are 31 countries, there will be many more within a few years. And we would like to evolve by incorporating other high-quality products that complement our range of EVOOs.

Undoubtedly, the basis of our business, the foundation of our success, is attaining the highest quality. From the first day, this is something that has always concerned us and this is what we have based our strategy on. But no doubt a careful and wellguided packaging is also essential. In our case, our way of producing ecologically and sustainably, reusing all by-products and generating renewable energy, is part of our differentiation as pioneers in making EVOO in this way.

The consumer will be more demanding and more concerned with health and the quality of what they eat. Today there is some confusion in the knowledge of the true EVOO, but it is undeniable that those who try a magnificent extra virgin very rarely return to consuming lower quality oils. It is necessary to invest time in educating consumers and making them understand that EVOO, a central pillar of the Mediterranean Diet, is a healthy product and is not expensive, but accessible to any pocket.

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SAT SANTA TERESA (1881) www.aceite1881.com

When the essence is excellence

Reaching customers around the world with the message that captures the essence of our company: to continue, generation after generation, offering an exquisite product that is synonymous with health, happiness and well-being. Where would we like it to evolve to? To the stars.

Providing all the assurance and consumer confidence based on a process that has been perfected over many, many years. An honest formula that we follow to the letter. Our product is natural and we preserve its true origin. We intend our EVOO to last over time and for the consumer to remember it through moments that help escape the routine, the rush of everyday life.

119 It will certainly be more challenging because the consumer will be more knowledgeable about the product. And we like it that way. We, for our part, will be there, as always. Because good things endure.

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The Ring

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Photographs by Coconut, JosĂŠ LĂłpez and Mikel Alonso

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Juan Mari Arzak

V S

Elena Arzak

By Pandora Peñamil Peñafiel

When the Combat Takes Place at Home Juan Mari and Elena Arzak. Their surname needs no introduction. Together they have conquered the unconquerable in the world of gastronomy. As the father of contemporary Spanish cuisine, creator and alma mater of the New Basque Cuisine, he has found a perfect culinary accomplice in his daughter Elena. Together they are in charge of Arzak, the restaurant that José Mari’s grandfather -Elena’s great grand father- opened in 1897, sharing 3 Michelin Stars, a permanent position on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and, above all, the childish curiosity they show when tackling each dish. We have put them to a test in a game of reflections where, whoever wins, the prize stays at home. Let the combat begin.

The Ring

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we asked them... 1. When we mention the word EVOO, what is the first thing that comes to mind? 2. And your first experience related to it? 3. Complete the sentence: EVOO inspires… 4. What use do you give extra virgin olive oil? How important is it in your cuisine? 5. Your latest EVOO-related discovery in your cuisine? 6. What EVOOs will we find at your restaurant? 7. Your favorite food cooked with extra virgin olive oil? 8. If you had to choose one variety (Arbequina, Picual, Hojiblanca…), which would you choose? And why? 9. Take the plunge: what is your favorite extra virgin olive oil? 10. In life, as with EVOOs, bitter or pungent? 11. Do you consider extra virgin olive oil to be cool and modern? 12. What would you say is the reason behind the consumer’s lack of extra virgin olive oil knowledge? 13. At some restaurants there are EVOO tasting sessions. What do you think of them? Do you applaud them? 14. Is EVOO paramount in a kitchen that claims to be healthy? 15. Caviar, creams, candies, ice creams… all of these can be made with EVOOs. Is there any other ingredient as versatile as this one? 16. EVOO tastings have become a trend. Do you organize these types of events? 17. Lastly, you’ve only got a minute to sell us on EVOO. Why should we consume it?

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Juan Mari and Elena Arzak Arzak Restaurant

San Sebastian (Spain), 3 Michelin Stars

1. Juan Mari: My mother and her way of cooking. Elena: It is an ingredient that I am used to seeing at home.Ever since I was small I often “mucked about” in the kitchen, and I have had the opportunity of observing lots of products but, without a doubt, there is one that has always been with me on my path: EVOO. 2. Juan Mari: It’s hard to remember, but most possibly it was in the dressing of a salad. Elena: I don’t remember either, but probably it was when I tried a good slice of toast with EVOO. 3. Juan Mari: Flavor. Elena: Aroma and color. 4. Elena and Juan Mari: It is an essential value in our cooking. It’s an ingredient that can be found in 90% of our dishes. It can often go unnoticed, but if it’s not there, you miss it. 5. Elena and Juan Mari: More than a discovery, one could say that we never stop finding out about new oils. Aromatic levels vary from one harvest to another, and their discovery is a pleasure for the senses. 6. Elena and Juan Mari: One can find lots of types of EVOO in our cuisine, each time from more different origins. Nowadays one can find juices from areas where olive farming was abandoned long ago, and which are now being recuperated. This is very good news for the extra virgin sector.

Marinated sardines, olive tapenade, orange and CAVIAROLI Arbequina according to Compartir Restaurant CadaquĂŠs.

CAVIAROLI Arbequina. Extra virgin olive oil caviar. All the taste, all the looks. www.caviaroli.com

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The Ring 7. Juan Mari: As everybody knows, I am a fanatic of fried eggs and Piquillo peppers (a chili variety). If there is no EVOO in either of them, they are simply not the same. Elena: I am a lover of hake kokotxas (fleshy underpart of the fish’s jaw). Whatever the way of serving them, they should be made using good EVOO. 8. Juan Mari: To me it depends on what we are going to cook. There are times when an Arbequina goes very well, and others when a Picual is fantastic. It all depends on the dish. Elena: I agree with my father. In my case, lately, there are varieties that I use more, as is the case with the Arroniz.

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“If there is one product has always been with me on my path, it is EVOO” Elena Arzak

9. Juan Mari and Elena: We are more used to varieties such as the Hojiblanca, Arbequina and Picual, but it all depends on the recipe. Today there are many very good varieties. 10. Juan Mari: Life gives us moments that are bitter, spicy and sweet, but all that EVOO has to be, is good. Elena: In EVOO, both. In life, better if mild. 11. Elena and Juan Mari: Perhaps in the past it wasn’t given the importance it has now, today one just needs to take a look at the line of EVOOs in any shop to see that every detail is well looked after and is in accordance with public demand. I don’t think it is wrong to say that extra virgin is a modern foodstuff. 12. Elena and Juan Mari: We are convinced that things have evolved a lot in this sense. Consumers know more all the time and inform themselves much more about brands and the varieties of the oils they are going to buy. 13. Elena and Juan Mari: It is an option that we feel is very respectable. In our case, we don’t do them. 14. Juan Mari: Absolutely. We should endeavor to make daily cooking as healthy as possible. Elena: Without any doubt at all.

WORLDWIDE AWARDS WINNING EVOO BY KNOLIVE OILS

“Life gives us bitter, spicy and sweet moments, but all that EVOO has to do, is to be good” Juan Mari Arzak

15. Elena and Juan Mari: It is possibly the most versatile ingredient in our restaurant. The evolution in modern cooking also gives it a place in dishes that would have been unthinkable in the past. 16. Elena and Juan Mari: Yes, of course we have done them. With some help from professionals, it is very recommendable. 17. Juan Mari and Elena: It is a hallmark of this country. It’s good, tasty, profound and healthy. If you want to cook delicious food, its use is almost essential.

hispasuraceites.es From Priego de Córdoba

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Elaia Zait or the Tasting Session Revolution By Alfredo Briega MartĂn Red is the new blue. Take a look at the goblet or olive oil tasting glass designed by Elaia Zait, a young innovative company from JaĂŠn (Spain), dedicated to the creation, development, manufacture and sale of eating supplies to be employed in the use and enjoyment of olive oil as a consumer product. A real revolution that aims to become the new tool for professional tasting sessions.

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“At the same time” -he continues-, “we were convinced Elaia Zait was born in 2016 with a vocation and comthat all that we planned to do should make sense and mitment to create a new world around extra virgin olive contain the truth. That is oil, and all that this product signifies. Daniel Milwhy we began an innovalán, its CEO and foundtive project alongside the The new biodegradable and University of Jaen (UJA). ing partner, remembers compostable tasting glass by Elaia An institution that is a ref“when we started up, we Zait represents a commitment to the erence point for the study discovered that -unlike the case with coffee, tea planet and to the eradication of the and research on olive oil. or wine-, olive oil hardly Because, right from the plastics that are harming it start, our bet for innovadisposed of any utensils tion, design and quality specifically designed for the product. There was a great scarcity in this sense. are implicit to our DNA. And this is what we are endeavWe at once realized that there was a growing demand oring to translate to our products”. in the market, especially when Premium extra virgin olive oils appeared. That was when we decided to design The presentation of the first collection of items for the tasting and sampling of olive oil designed for the products and utensils that were centered on the olive and its culture”. consumer, took place at the Reina Sofia National Art

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Center Museum in Madrid on October 25th 2016, attended by investigators, producers, professional tasters and political representatives, from PDO Regulatory Councils and the International Olive Council (COI). Only two years later, its catalogue of products can be classified according to the product itself or to the client. Among the first are the gift cases of award-winning olive oils -those that display the “Jaén Seleción” emblem, created by the Jaén Council to encompass the eight best

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EVOOs from each harvest in Jaén, and that are sent to all the restaurants around the world that hold three Michelin Stars- and the tableware -mainly for sampling and tasting sessions-, as well as a third line of utensils directed at improving the conservation of oils, that is presently under development. Millán pointed out “we have also obtained permission from the COI to manufacture a commercial case to contain the EVOOs that have been distinguished with the Mario Solinas International Prize, a selection of the world’s best oils, according to this institution”.

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Creating a World for Olive Oil Paying attention to the typology of the client, the company has products disposable for the final client -wineglass and hedonistic tasting glass, a hedonistic shot glass for the tasting of olive oil- and for the professionals in the sector -the revolutionary red garnet tasting glass, and the biodegradable and compostable tasting glass, its latest launch-. Its products can be found in shops specializing in olive oil -some as emblematic as the Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero in Madrid, Oro LĂquido in Barcelona or La Oleoteca in Seville-, restaurants -such as Jordi Cruzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ABaC in Barcelona, awarded three Michelin Stars- and the online Elaia Zait shop. Also, more and more national and international competitions are showing interest in the use of the red glass for the evaluation of the oils.

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Lets us pause for a moment and consider some elements of their portfolio. The hedonistic wineglass and tasting glass. What are they exactly? Daniel Millán explains: “With a careful ergonomic design that bestows them with a great personality, these utensils lead you on -in an intuitive way- to an oil tasting in which the oil can be perceived in all its intensity, making use of all our senses in the appreciation of its colors and nuances”. And the hedonistic shot glass? Easy, it contains the recommended daily dose and is conceived for “playing with the product, tasting the oil at low temperature and feeling how it explodes in the mouth”. A real surprise. We are reaching the crown jewel, the ruby-red tasting glass, presented at the latest edition of Expoliva, the International Olive Oil and Related Industries Fair that takes place every two years in Jaén (Spain). “We can

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presume to have managed to question icons as important as the cobalt-blue tasting glass, although, to be sincere, we had never thought of creating a glass with the objective of replacing it, it seemed untouchable to us. The whole sector is undergoing change, there has been a revolution in the ways of manufacturing the product and this, of course, implies maximum rigorousness in all its facets. This is why we have developed -together with the UJA- this new garnet-red tasting glass that scrupulously complies with the norms and manages to completely annul the color tones in the olive oils. Because it is evident that the blue glass is not able to totally annul the tonalities of the product, thus giving away clues on the color of the oil to be evaluated -which introduces slants on the sensorial analysis-, as has been demonstrated in a study made by the UJA. Together with José Juan Gaforio, the project director, we were made aware of the value of the work we were doing”. Validated by the COI, “we are convinced that it will end up prevailing in the sector as the main utensil to be used for professional tasting”, Millán proudly declares.

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The latest novelty, presented last October, has been the Elaia Zait biodegradable and compostable tasting glass, a tableware item developed in Italy and technically very appropriate for tasting sessions, manufactured in PLA (polylactic acid), a special material developed from corn that is respectful of the environment, and transmits values that go further than the product itself: a commitment to the planet and to the eradication of the plastics that are harming it, thus complying with the new European norms for single-use plastics that, predictably, will be approved by the community institutions. And, as Daniel MillĂĄn points out, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we are very ambitious at Elaia Zait, and right from the start we realized that there is great deficiency in many fields; this being so, our scope for developing new products is wideâ&#x20AC;?. What will the next one be?

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Ice Cream with EVOO? By Alfredo Briega Martín

Yes, It’s Possible with Sandro Desii In 2017, Sandro Desii’s pasta and artisan ice cream company celebrated its 50th anniversary. Half a century ago, Sandro Desii started up his business selling fresh pasta to private citizens and compatriots running Italian restaurants in Barcelona. Today, he exports this product to 14 countries. And what can be said about his ice creams? A base -natural raw materials- and multiple flavors. Top quality and excellence in their production. And the latest, the new line of creamy, no-milk, ice cream, 100% vegan, made with early-harvest EVOO. Oil is cream.

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“When thinking about the past, I remembered the future”, says Sandro Desii, a man from Turin, of Florentine origins, and settled in Barcelona, who grew up in his parent’s shop, where he became familiar not only with genuine aromas -such as those of a lasagna just out of the oven- but also with values such as effort, sacrifice, organization, know-how, creativity and risks. Dedicated to the creation of artisanal pasta and ice creams since 1967 -at the family establishment, known as “the Italians from Calle Muntaner”-, Desii always swam against the current, aiming towards making a product that is free, indifferent to markets and consumer tendencies, arising only from his creative interest from an intuitive, nonconformist and innovative perspective. Positioning himself as an enterprise, even when his proposals are not the most profitable, breaking down pre-conceived ideas and, at times, colliding temperamentally against what is established. His products -he also makes gourmet pastries, sauces, creams and balsamic vinegars-, he assures, are a reflection of his personality: “if someone wants to get to know me, just taste them”. When one asks Sandro Desii what artisanal means for him, his answer is “nowadays one cannot have artisanal

It Food

products without industrialization. I manufacture an artisanal product with the best industrial machinery. Handcrafting is not only a way of proceeding, but it’s also about the final product, having taken advantage of the improvements in the industry”. A defender of slow tempo cooking, of a way to unite tradition and innovation, and that perfect imperfection which is the postmark of artisanal products, his objective is that his products contribute to wellbeing and knowledge, generating a constant process of cultural and qualitative improvement, elements that nowadays are essential for restaurants and speciality shops, as much for the professional restaurant sector as for the end consumer. His is a philosophy that bets on refinement at the table, re-establishing that secret complicity that exists between science and pleasure, and that Art de Vivre that advocates quality of life, offering authentic products and giving advice on how to make the most of them. In short, to create, so as to transmit culinary culture, both the classical and the contemporary.

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A Center for Research and Gastronomic Activities

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From the Research and Gastronomic Activities Center, located at the Palau de la Manyeria de la Colònia Sedó, founded in 1846 in Esparreguera, and witness to a period of splendor in the textile industry, Desii tackles gastronomic challenges with the aid of his children and his team. Together, day after day, they all contribute towards making his dreams come true. Because Sandro, imbued with a visionary’s enthusiasm, dreams about his creations, and the next day shares what he has dreamed. Framed within the concept of the Mediterranean Food Experience, they respect heritage while incorporating new perspectives. Research and passion, tradition and innovation. Sandro Desii’s ingenuity is benefitted by the liberty of not having to be subject to conventions, and can be appreciated, for example, when he adds ingredients to the dough that normally would be served separately, as is the case with tomatoes and oregano. Regarding his lines of pasta (slow-dried and at a low temperature, deep-frozen fresh pasta, filled and without filling), the raw material -semolina of Italian durum wheat- confers great polyvalence to his cooking and guarantees the al dente texture, and the maximum absorption of flavors. To dry the pasta, following the Neapolitan tradition -dried in the sunlight of open-air patios-, the natural temperature and degree of humidity have been recreated in the drying room. This ancient system maintains the pasta’s porosity so that it can become impregnated with all the flavors, increasing its volume notably and, thus, its yield.

Sandro Desii’s ingenuity is benefitted by the freedom of not being subject to conventions The firm decided to complement the family pasta business by making ice cream (gelati cremosi), that are outstanding for their flavor, originality and quality, with ingredients that are 100% natural and milk, and containing no dairy proteins, essences, colorants or air. Flavors such as ensaimada llisa (a puff pastry), pine nuts, Maria cookies, carquinyoli, Greek yogurt with crystallized pineapple, sponge cake with liqueur from Liébana, roasted almonds with Jijona almond nougat, gazta zaharra cheese (similar to Idiazábal cheese) with pecans and quince, English mustard to sublimate savory dishes such as a tartar or roast beef, a delicious selection of chocolates... His catalogue includes multiple format proposals, as much for the restaurant business as for domestic use, served in an ice bucket to satisfy the demand from professional cuisine, or in a frozen singleportion: barattolino -surprising ice creams in zero-waste glass jars-, the elegant Cristal Gourmet, Il Cubo Gelato -more than 25 iced creams and sorbets, in isothermal packaging that preserves the product for two hours out of the freezer-, small individual glasses with teaspoons... As well as refreshing sorbets, frozen herb, flower and spice infusions, low calorie ice creams, a Neapolitan ice cream cut -recovering a 19th century invention- and iced cocktails, a frappe creamy sorbet of classic lemon, or strawberry flavored Mojito.

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Creamy EVOO Ice Cream, a Revolutionary Recipe The latest and surprising novelty is the first creamy ice cream made from early harvest EVOO, without milk or any other animal origin ingredient. EVOO ice cream with roasted peanuts, ripe vine tomatoes, black truffles, raspberries and oregano, Cuzco chocolate with fleur de sel and cocoa nibs... The result of a pioneering research into an artisanal manufacturing process in ice cream culture -and a clear demonstration of the creator’s innovative disposition- this 100% vegan line is exclusive and has been registered by Sandro Desii -up until now the base of vegan ice creams was coconut-. The revolutionary recipe -for both sweet and savory flavors- gives it an unprecedented creamy texture, helps maintain the structure of the ice cream for much longer, and provides nutrients and the health attributes of its polyphenols. “The line of creamy ice creams, made from a base of EVOO, arose during the search for a natural alternative to dairy products that would add certain attributes, and would avoid certain intolerances (to dairy products, gluten, etc.). At the same time, we also wanted to achieve a greater degree of creaminess and to lengthen the life of the ice cream, as oil is an excellent preservative, and works as an enhancer of the flavor of the ingredients”, recalls Sandro Desii. The result was a vegan ice cream, directed as much at the HoReCa channel as at the end consumer, and, for the time being, is being distributed to specialized establishments, online, and to some national restaurants and catering services. This is the latest invention of a genius called Sandro Desii, the standard bearer of healthy ice creams made with art, a lot of art.

Olive Oils from Spain, a global food

The olive oil sector in Spain has undergone a revolution over the past three decades, ranging from the land to the way they are marketed. We are seeing much more efficient and sustainable crops that give rise to oils of a very high average quality. But, above all, the makeup of our clients has changed: At present, Spain allocates around 65% of its sales to foreign markets.

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Olive Oils from Spain

At the beginning of this century, the domestic market was the main driver of the demand for this product. In the 2000/01 marketing year, exports stood at 484,000 tons, compared to a local consumption of 563,000 tons. An export figure pointing to a change in trends, since in the 1990s, sales abroad of 300,000 tons were perceived by the sector as a great figure. At that time it was evident that the domestic demand was not able to absorb the growing production. In fact, the turn of the century coincides with two processes that have reversed the sale of Spanish olive oils in the world. On the one hand, you have the reorientation of the strategies of the companies towards these new markets. On the other hand, the launch of the Spanish Olive Oil Interprofessional, which initiated the first foreign promotion campaigns in the 2008/09 season. If we add to this the growth of production, which in the 2013/14 season was close to 1.8 million tons, we have the keys to the new positioning of the sector in world markets. 146

At present, Spain allocates 65% of its sales to foreign markets, with peaks of 67% in campaigns such as 2013/14 or 2016/17. The customer base is also growing, now exceeding 170 countries and, in turn, increasing sales outside Europe, the traditional destination of our oils. While Europe was the destination of 82% of our sales in 2017, in 2008 that percentage had dropped to 71%. A decrease in favor of the increase in other continents: in the same period sales had grown by five points in America and six points in Asia. Also, the value of sales has doubled in that period, from 1,833 million euros in 2008 to reach 3,600 million in 2017.

New strategy

In fact, Asia and America exemplify to perfection the new global strategy of our oils. There is the extreme case of China. Twenty years ago, Spain exported olive oil for the first time to the Asian giant. Specifically, the Chinese Customs registered, for the first batches of the product in 1998, a modest 40 tons with a value of 67,000 euros. Two decades later, in 2017, Spain has a share of 80% in total imports and a volume of 31,262 tons. We are facing a market that has grown with enormous force and has become our second biggest customer outside the European Union, only surpassed by the United States.

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Olive Oils from Spain

This is not an isolated fact in this part of the world. The markets of the Far East (mainly China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan) have become formidable consumers of this food. If we look at the statistics of the Spanish Customs, we find that the sales of olive oil have grown exponentially since the beginning of this century. Thus, in the year 2000, Spain exported some 12,000 tons to these markets. In 2017, sales had increased six-fold to reach 74,385 tons, exceeding 300 million euros in turnover. In this period Spain also managed to strengthen its leadership in the Japanese market.

of 19.2 million euros, with which it is expected to generate an impact of more than 3,800 million worldwide.

More impressive results, if possible, are the advances made in the United States. In the last 20 years imports of olive oils have tripled in that market, up to 306,000 tons. In that same period, imports of Olive Oils from Spain have increased sixfold, reaching 124,000 tons in 2017. A figure that gives Spain the lead in the North American colossus with a share in total imports that exceeded 40% that year and sales of 500 million euros. A market that is already the second largest world importer and the largest outside Europe.

The star of these actions is the “Olive Oil Lounge” thematic spaces that invite users of airports, train stations and the busiest ports in the world to enjoy a complete experience of Olive Oils. People can experience this food through tastings and get more information about the product and its use. In the same way, it allows them to discover the best EVOOs in the world in an oil library, which includes more than 60 references. The Adolfo Suárez-Barajas International Airport hosted the first “Olive Oil Lounge”, which during the second semester of 2018 also appeared in the airports of New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Palma de Mallorca, Brussels, Tokyo and Barcelona.

Therefore, it is not surprising that when the Spanish Olive Oil Interprofessional Organization designed its new promotion strategy, through its brand Olive Oils from Spain, it opted for a global campaign in which attention would be paid to those markets that are currently the most dynamic worldwide. But we never forget the great European customers of the product, starting with Spain, which remains the first destination of the product in the world.

Capturing new consumers

This is how the strategy dubbed “Olive Oil World Tour” was born, launched in 2018 with the support of the European Union. Specifically, there are three coordinated campaigns, lasting three years, with a view to winning new customers on three continents: Europe (Germany, Belgium, Spain, Holland and the United Kingdom), Asia (Japan, China and Taiwan) and North America (the United States). Nine priority export markets for Spanish olive oil. A promotional effort on a scale hitherto unknown in the sector, which partakes with a budget of 4.4 million euros and a total budget -thanks to the co-financing of the European Union-

Campaigns that, under a single motto of “Let's Make a Tastier World”, focus on impacting the public in large centers of convergence of travelers, inviting users to discover the benefits of our Olive Oils and with special emphasis on those seeking to support food products that help them lead a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing pleasure at the table. To conquer this audience, a series of actions have been created across the globe.

A spectacle that is also reflected in the exterior decorations of tourist centers where the “Olive Oil World Tour” appears. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the action carried out at the cruise terminal of the Port of Miami, the most important in the world. In addition to high-impact actions such as a decal on an aircraft of the Iberia airline with the image of the campaign, which has travelled to more than 15 European countries. In parallel, a multi-channel online strategy brings Olive Oils from Spain to travelers' mobile phones. A geofencing campaign, made possible by the websites of the campaign and their own social profiles. Through public relations initiatives and press events, broad media outreach around the world is also being achieved, such as the well-attended presentations in Madrid, New York, Miami, Tokyo and Beijing, which have served to give new impetus to the knowledge of this superfood worldwide. www.oliveoilworldtour.com

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EVOOs, Wines, Whiskies, Vodkas, Tequilas... A Toast To The Celebrities Who Invest In The Gastro Sector By Cristina Revenga Palacios & Pandora Peñamil Peñafiel

We are not at the Golden Globe Awards, but our guests are regulars on the red carpet. In this selection of celebrities we find singers, actors, actresses and fashion photographers who all have something in common: their passion for extra virgins, wines and spirits. After their success on the big screen and on stages all over the world, stars put their feet back on the ground to penetrate -and invest in- the gastro world. Who are the stars that sell their soul -and their image- to these delicatessen? Let’s drink a toast to them!

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This tireless crooner, having sold more than 125 million records -without mentioning that he is also the winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature-, has proved, once more, unpredictable. If it wasn’t enough to have written some of the 20th century’s most emblematic songs, he now has got involved with whisky. After having made a few incursions into the art world -he has shown his work in some of the world’s most prestigious museums- he has now entered into the world of barley, thanks to the Spirits Investment Partnership. Heaven’s Door -called like this because of his hymn Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door- is a collection of Premium whisky, in three different versions: Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whisky, a bourbon from Tennessee that has been aged for seven years in oak barrels; Double Barrel Whisky, a blend of three varieties of whisky that has been toasted and macerated in oak-wood double barrels; and Straight Rye Whiskey, a distillate made from rye, and given a final touch in oak barrels from the French region of Vosges. An artisanal trilogy with a folky soul, whose icing on the cake is its delicate packaging, where we can appreciate three iron doors created and painted by Dylan himself. There’s no doubt that once you try it you will be knocking at heaven’s doors!

Channing Tatum

Photographs by John Shearer

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Bob Dylan

We have seen him act, pose and even dance, in the blockbuster movie saga Magic Mike, but until now we didn’t know his gourmet facet. Thus, Channing Tatum, actor, model and producer, now surprises us with Born and Bred, an artisanal vodka made from the best Idaho potatoes. In his eagerness to take as much part as possible in the process of production and manufacture of this spirit, Tatum actively participates with the masters at the much awarded Grand Teton Distillery, in a laborious process of manufacture that includes twenty distillations, after which the vodka is separated in small batches and nurtured with glacial virgin water, that flows down from the Grand Teton Mountains. And although Born and Bred can be a delicious complement to a signature cocktail, the Grand Teton Distillery’s advice is to drink it on its own or on the rocks. Whichever the case, the best thing to do is to find a good excuse for getting together with friends, putting on one of Tatum’s films (there are a whole lot to choose from!) and enjoying an authentic taste of the Wild West.

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David Beckham

The child in E.T., Steven Spielberg’s mythical movie, has matured like good wines do. So much so, that she felt encouraged to start up a career in the world of wine with her own company, Barrymore Wines -in collaboration with Carmel Road Wineryproducing fruity, elegant wines, that are typical of California. Inland from the rocky Monterey coastline, and under the influence of the ocean, Carmel Road Winery makes vibrant Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling wines that capture the essence of this region. Under the slogan “From My Family to Yours”, Barrymore invites us to share her wines round a big dinner table, “where some of the best memories are made”. This collaboration between the actress and the Carmel Road oenologist, Kris Kato, has materialized in Barrymore Drew’s Blend Pinot Noir, Barrymore Rosé of Pinot Noir and Barrymore Pinot Grigio. Vibrant, expressive juices, full of nuances, which transport us, via our palate, to the Californian coast, thanks to one of Hollywood’s best loved celebrities.

The Beckham surname is synonymous to success. The exfootball player and the ex-Spice Girl turn all they touch into gold. Fashion, perfumes, soft drinks... and now whisky. David Beckham has taken a liking for the Highlands and, since a few years ago, actively collaborates with the House of Haig distillery -the oldest in Scotlandwith whom he commercializes the exclusive Haig Club, complicated to manufacture, that combines grain whisky from three different barrels, giving a final product that stands out for its freshness and its nuances of caramel and toffee. Its presentation doesn’t at all devalue its contents. Haig Club is a beverage that is designed to be different, being presented in a striking blue bottle -far off the usual ochre and woodcolored tones of these spirits- in a square format, topped with a stopper made of cork and bronze metal. A traditional whisky, but with a spark, like that of his owner... Sir Beckham!

Drew Barrymore

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George Clooney

As well as having been an idol for all teenage girls in the 80s, Bon Jovi is also a real foodie, and this passion for gastronomy runs in the family. His father, John Bongiovi Sr., is responsible for Bongiovi, the famous line of pasta sauces inspired by his nonna’s recipes, and now Bon Jovi can presume to be maintaining the family tradition with Diving into Hampton Water. This delicate rosé wine was born from his alliance with Gérard Bertrand, the famous French oenologist, whom Bon Jovi had met whilst he and his son, Jesse, were beginning to think about creating their own brand. Between the three of them, they hit on this mixture of Garnacha, Cinsault and Monastrell grape varieties, all typical of the south of France. Its concept is based on reflecting the art of the bon vivant that shares this Mediterranean region with the Hamptons (New York), Bon Jovi’s birthplace, and place of residence. Now all that’s left to do is pour oneself a nice, cool glass of wine, look out the window, put on sunglasses and feel the ocean breeze. It’s now or never!

Coffee is not the only drink that George Clooney is hooked on. The star of the Ocean’s Eleven saga has had to split his gastro loves between a coffee-maker and a distillery. He is the visible face of Casamigos, a brand of Premium tequila that began as a small personal project with friends -his partner is the entrepreneur Rander Gerber, ex-model Cindy Crawford’s husband- and has ended up becoming the “in” drink in Hollywood. It was to be expected, the Clooney brand is a sure bet. This pair of friends was joined by the realestate promoter, Mike Meldman, with whom they proposed making a mild tequila, to be drunk on its own -and of course with no salt or lemon-, on the rocks, or “directly from the bottle”, as they joke between themselves. To do this, they worked with a master distiller from Jalisco -they all have houses in Mexico- and in 2013 they started out on their commercial path with three lines: Blanco, Reposado and Añejo, all three made from 100% “Blue Weber” agave, selected by hand and cultivated on the rich, red-clayey earth of the Jalisco highlands, for at least seven years. A distillation that, without a doubt, has its own dress code: dinner jacket for men and cocktail dress for the ladies, even if it’s just for watching TV at home... Enjoyment is guaranteed.

Jon Bon Jovi

Photograph by David Fritz Goeppinger

www.coreti.com e-mail: coreti@coreti.com Telephone: +34 981 795 622 Spain

Jean Reno

We find ourselves before the most stylish man in the world, according to GQ Men of the Year Awards. However, aside from his impeccable appearance, the North American singer and composer, John Legend, stands out for being above all, a bon vivant, and a wine enthusiast. So much so, that he wouldn’t give up until he had his own line of wines: Legend Vineyard Exclusives, reaching an agreement with the mythical firm Napa Valley Raymond Vineyards, a winery who began their activities back in the early 1930s. This family-owned property -belonging to the French viticulturist Jean-Charles Boisset- is at present one of the world’s most lush and luxurious destinations for wine enthusiasts. Right in the heart of the Californian Provence, they offer tours, wine tasting sessions and even an exclusive private club for wine lovers, where members can enjoy LVE Côtes de Provence Rosè, LVE Cabernet Sauvignon and LVE Chardonnay, all “composed” by John Legend. A whole symphony of aromas, with prices going from US $75 to US $350.

Jean Reno is in love with the olive tree, which he considers to be immortal. “It gives you oil, beauty, soap, wood... It’s beautiful and represents peace” says the French actor, who owns an olive grove in the heart of the Vallée des Baux-deProvence. This region in the south of France -famous for its olives ever since the Roman Empire- is still the main area in France for the production of olive oil, and Reno -who has lived in Provence for more than 25 years- not content with being just an enthusiastic olive oil producer, is also president of the Moulin Jean-Marie Cornille Association. His olives are handpicked and then pressed in a restored 17th century mill, to be commercialized under the brand name Reserve Jean Reno Olive Oils, made from the juice of Salonenque, Beruguette, Grossane and Verdale des Bouches-duRhone olives, which are silky, intense and fruity. Pure Provencal flavor and terroir.

John Legend

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Matthew McConaughey

The Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey represents the ideal of the 21st century American dream. No one else has managed, in the blink of an eye, to go from light romantic comedy to earning Hollywood’s respect for his impressive work as an actor on the big screen. A non-conformist at heart, in 2016, this southern actor decided that he wanted to do something that would relate to his origins. And what better way than to make his own Bourbon. This gastronomic craziness took him to the Wild Turkey distillery, whose founder, Jimmy Rusell, is considered to be the most experienced master distiller in the United States. Eddie Rusell, Jimmy’s son, convinced McConaughey to become the creative director of the brand, with the aim of re-launching this award-winning spirit, and little by little, make it his own. After months of intense work, side-by-side, they launched Wild Turkey Longbranch, a sweetish, smoked, spicy Bourbon, inspired by the actor’s roots. A real sensorial journey to the deep south, to drink it anywhere you want to, and with whomever you feel like, because -as the southerners would saydon’t mess with Texas!

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Oliviero Toscani taught us the power of an image. This acknowledged photographer, born in 1942 in Milan, is the one to blame for leaving us open-mouthed with his Benetton posters, which enamored us, provoked us and, on many occasions, deeply stirred our consciences. Those bleeding human hearts in the center of a bus stop, a priest kissing a nun, a white horse mounting a black mare, an Afro-American man handcuffed to a north American Caucasian, in death row... his strong and irreverent images in the 90s changed the history of advertising forever. Confessing himself to be a nature-lover, a few years ago Toscani bought a farm of 160 hectares in Tuscany, where he often takes refuge to see how his horses run free amongst his more than 4,000 olive trees, from which he produces his EVOO Immortale, from the Moraiolo variety of olive. Since 2001 -at the suggestion of the legendary oenologist, Angelo Gaja- he also makes wines from the Syrah variety of grapes, which his son Rocco, who was born on this same farm, is responsible for. Immortale, this Milanese photographer’s soft spot, is a juice evocative of rosemary and artichokes, intense to the nose and balanced spiciness in mouth. Not like Toscani, who always was, and will be, spicy, but never in a proper way.

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Oliviero Toscani

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We believe in organic extra virgin olive oil. We believe in

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because we believe in nature and its inﬁnite intelligence. Balance and respect coexist in these two unique places in Spain, enhanced by the richness of their ﬂora and fauna. This is the philosophy of Dehesa de Luna and

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Diputación de Jaén

Oleotour Jaén, unique tourist experiences in the olive oil heart of the world Olive oil permeates each of the 97 municipalities of the province of Jaén, a territory that smells and tastes the best oil, the extra virgin. Jaén is the best place in the world for tourists to delve into the essence of an ancient culture that has been passed down through generations: the culture of the olive grove. An infinite sea of more than 66 million olive trees, which seeks to be declared a World Cultural Heritage by Unesco, marks the unique landscape of this beautiful Andalusian province -that also harbors the largest expanse of natural area in Spain, the best Renaissance architecture in the south of the country, and the largest number of castles and fortresses in Europe- and also its history, its heritage, its architecture, its customs, its traditions and its festivals.

The tourist operation Oleotour Jaén -www.oleotourjaen.escombines many unique experiences that the Jaén area has to offer and to get to know the culture of the olive grove and enter the magical and sensory world of oil. About a hundred resources, among which are mills, rural farmhouses, restaurants, museums, interpretation centers, spas, thematic shops, service companies, handicrafts and makers of cosmetics based on olive oil, open their doors throughout the year to the traveler to showcase the essence of a land that, in addition to being a leader in world olive production, has opted to place its oils at the top of the world rankings of quality and to be a pioneer both in innovation and in research on the multiple health benefits of this product. Jaén offers the consumer “liquid gold” with unparalleled flavor and characteristics, an early oil from the first harvest that can be tasted by tourists. In the hands of Oleotour Jaén, the traveler also has the opportunity to stroll through the olive groves where the olive grows and ripens, get to know the care needed for the production of this fruit, participate in harvesting, and learn how this liquid gold is extracted, stored and packed; olive oil which can be purchased in the mills themselves and in specialized stores. To appreciate the great value of olive oil and its infinite nuances, the rich and varied cuisine of the province of Jaen becomes an essential stop on this trip for oleo-tourism. A multitude of tapas and a la carte dishes, in which the taste and tradition of the recipes, handed down from generation to generation, have been incorporated into avant-garde cuisine, and have become delicacies that allow you to savor, with extra virgin olive oil, the best products of this land. Landscape, gastronomy, architecture, etc. The olive culture is also reflected in many other areas such as handicrafts and folk festivals linked to the olive harvest. Among these events, a highlight is the Annual Feast of the First Oil, which, despite only being in its fifth year, has established itself as a must for enjoying sampling, food tastings and a multitude of cultural activities linked to the olive and the oil. This year, Úbeda and Hospitalet de Llobregat have been the two venues of this Festival that contributes to project the image of Jaén as the land of liquid gold par excellence. A province where the best EVOO serves as a base for a unique tourist experience. Come and discover it. www.oleotourjaen.es

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Looking For A Weekend Plan? Producers’ Markets, The Place To Be

Vintage furniture, clothes, jewelry, food trucks, live jazz, fresh pasta or early harvest EVOOs. There’s room for all this in the new producers’ markets, a growing tendency worldwide, that combines an innovative style of daily shopping with a new way of understanding gastronomic leisure, adapted to the millennial consumer. From an old and emblematic train station in Madrid to the Ferry jetty in San Francisco, passing through a beach that looks out onto the sea in Tasmania, the location of these renewed markets -that usually take place one weekend a month- is almost as attractive as its stalls. Get your diary out, and don’t miss the next date!

www.mercadodem

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SPAIN MERCADO DE MOTORES (ENGINE MARKET) The Museo del Ferrocarril (Engine Museum) -which used to be the old Delicias train station, one of the clearest and most representative examples of Spanish industrial architecture at the end of the 19th centuryholds, on the second weekend of each month, this fashionable market, bringing together more than a hundred salesmen and women, and creators of design products, vintage, fashion, furniture, accessories and gourmet food, amongst which one should highlight the coffee, fresh pasta and the extra virgin olive oil. With live music and a wide offer of street food -with food trucks or gastro caravans-, the outer area if this market, located above the train tracks, is conceived as a place where everybody can find the food they are looking for: vegan, vegetarian... and, of course, meat products as well. A must for the most insatiable palates... and minds.

www.mercadoproductores.

SPAIN MADRID PRODUCTORES (PRODUCERS MADRID) Madrid Productores is a unique event, which generally takes place on the last weekend of every month. Here the visitor can enjoy a different and pleasant family experience, discovering and learning about responsible consumption and healthy habits. Located at the Matadero Madrid -an impressive and renovated artistic and cultural space, whose warehouses were used as slaughterhouses and housed cattle markets during the 20th century-, it promotes the importance of consuming local, quality, artisanal products, and has become a great show-case for displaying the offer of agro-food in Spain’s capital city, with emblematic products such as EVOO -thanks to Fanum and La Aceitera de la Abuelaand olives -commercialized by Trilujo and Aceitunas J.M.Calvo-. It also offers a different shopping experience, modern and original, promoting gastronomic tourism in its area for tasting and tapas. A great plan to enjoy with a glass of vermouth in your hands, and feel like a “chulapo” (typical traditional resident of Madrid) for a day.

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www.treaclem

UNITED KINGDOM TREACLE MARKET 17 miles southeast of Manchester, is Macclesfield, a city in the County of Cheshire, that, on the last Sunday of every month -excepting December- holds the Treacle Market, an attractive market that is set out on the historic cobblestones of Macclesfield Market Place, an old market that was specialized in butter. With more than 160 stands, selling handcrafts, vintage items, antiques, books, drinks and quality food, such as olives, it seems a perfect place to spend the day, walking around, exploring its stands, getting together with friends, listening to live music and enjoying delicious food in the outdoors. For those that prefer to go there with the family, there are also plans for the youngest visitors. With the idea of not letting the children get bored with going round the different stands, there are puppet and clown shows, with balloons. We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think of an excuse not to go to this market, in the coolest city in the north of the United Kingdom!

www.mercadobomsucesso.pt

PORTUGAL MERCADO DO BOM SUCESSO At the heart of the Boavista neighborhood, in the colorful and picturesque city of Oporto, is the Mercado do Bom Sucesso, an old food market that has been rehabilitated and now has a renovated concept, adapted to a city that is more alive and modern each day. Made up of a hotel, a group of offices and a commercial area comprising 44 stands, this market offers unlimited gastronomic proposals from all the Portuguese regions, 23 shops and a space dedicated to fresh products, where we can get flowers, vegetables, fruit, olive oil and olives, fish from the Atlantic, pork, and a lot more. Visitors can also enjoy concerts, dance performances, theater, exhibitions and workshops for children and adults. As well, once a month, the market offers different workshops and culinary demonstrations with different themes, that go from vegetarian cuisine to more traditional gastronomy. Not heartened yet? For sure you can find a direct flight, and not to miss a getaway to the most in city in Portugal. In case you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know... Madonna lives nearby!

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UNITED STATES

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www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com

FERRY BUILDING MARKETPLACE Embarcadero, located on San Francisco’s northeastern seashore, is an artery that communicates various port installations of the city. Of all of these, the Ferry Building stands out most, and, as its name indicates, it is the ferry terminal at San Francisco Bay. Opened in 1898, it was at that time the largest project ever carried out in this city on the West Coast of the United States. With its elegant arches and its clock-tower -245 feet high-, this imposing Beaux Arts-style building, inspired by classical European architecture, became the main transport center -to Sausalito, Oakland or Tiburon, for example- but the building of the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge, in the 1930s, made it become obsolete. It wasn’t until 2003 that this emblematic place opened its doors to the public again, transformed into the Ferry Building Marketplace, a pillar of the gastronomic scene in San Francisco. There we can find a rich diversity of local farmers and artisanal, quality products, such as bottled extra virgin -also sold in bulk-, from Stonehouse Olive Oil, or Organic EVOOs from McEvoy Ranch. If this isn’t enough, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market takes place, which is booming thanks to the quality and diversity of its products, amongst which the olive juices from Bariani Olive Oil, Sciabica&Sons and Frog Hollow Farm are included. One more reason to go up and down the steep streets of the most European city in the United States.

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SOUTH AFRICA FOURWAYS FARMERS MARKET Fourways Farmers Market is the theme park of a producers market, due to its idyllic and lush beauty. It is one of Johannesburg’s most beautiful open-air gastronomic locations, an oasis that is away from the bustle of the city, that takes visitors back to the old-time markets that used to be found in this African country. Located at the original Fourways Farmstead, this space carefully selects a community of 107 salesmen and women, who display different gourmet delicacies, and local handmade products, such as cheeses, lunchmeats, candy, jams, freshly made juices or canned food, as well as jewelry, clothes and handmade furniture. Greg Straw, an architect, landscape artist and horticulturist, created Fourways Farmers Market in 2013, with the idea of making it a wonderful place for small-business owners and artisans to get together, and sell their delicate products to the general public. Also, amidst the sumptuous foliage of the gardens, visitors can improvise a picnic while listening to the best local music, live. An alternative plan, for enjoying a splendid Sunday in an old arcade that has kept its ancient wooden signs up, so that you don’t get lost in the world of Oz, unless that’s what you want!

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AUSTRALIA BONDI FARMERS MARKET Bondi Farmers Market, just a step away from Bondi Beach -one of the most sought-after beaches for Australian surfers- brings together Sidney’s cosmopolitan population with the best local producers of fresh food. In the idyllic terrain belonging to the Bondi Beach Public School, in Campbell Parade, we can find seasonal fruit and vegetables, organic meat and free-range chickens, freshly cut flowers, artisanal bread, homemade jams, cheeses, shell fish, EVOOs, herbs, spices and much more. There’s no better plan than that of dropping out of a meal in a typical, fashionable city restaurant and going to a real farmers market instead, to spend our Sunday. Once you are loaded down with fresh pasta, fruit and a good EVOO, you can have a picnic in the surroundings of Kangaroo Valley and, who knows, perhaps even wax your surfboard like a Hollywood actor. Anything’s possible in Bondi Beach!

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TORVEHALLERNEKBH

MERCADO AGRÍCOLA (FARMERS MARKET) IN MONTEVIDEO

The story of this market goes back to 1889 and it is, without a doubt, an essential place to stop by, when on the Copenhagen gastronomic route. TorvehallerneKBH, located in the heart of the Nørrebro district -a place of pilgrimage for young Danes- is a semi-covered market focused on diversity, good taste and quality. The pillars it stands on are a deep respect for raw materials, gastronomy and the culture of food; and the key words are quality, freshness, and accessibility, things that let its visitors enjoy local producers and their products. In its beautiful symmetrical stands, aromatic herbs, cheeses, meat and shellfish are sold... as well as extra virgin olive oil and olives, that are marketed by Stig Oliven, whose owner, Stig Larsen, is a lover of the delicacies that come from the Mediterranean basin. An ideal destination for enjoying the Vikings’ country, their food and their fashionable hygge style of life.

The Mercado Agrícola de Montevideo (MAM), declared a National Heritage Site in 1999, was re-opened in 2013 after intense reforms, that returned it to all its architectural splendor, adding a modern touch that blends well with its past. Located in Goes, one of the most historic neighborhoods in this Uruguayan city, MAM is made up of some 100 stores that commercialize gourmet products, such as extra virgin olive oil -sold at the El Naranjo food store-, fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants, meat, cold cuts, cheeses... Open Monday through Sunday, it offers its visitors different autochthonous and international culinary options, musical shows, live culinary demonstrations, exhibitions and talks on gastronomy. A great place for enjoying the typical chivito, a mate -it’s not only drunk in Argentina!and for taking home a fantastic Premium EVOO from the Southern Hemisphere.

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EVOO Tasting

An Oleologist’s Decalogue By Pandora Peñamil Peñafiel

Nick Coleman, International EVOO Consultant

Virgin? Extra? Olive oil has many surnames, but few know its identity, that which makes it unique. The New Yorker Nick Coleman, international EVOO expert and co-founder of the Grove and Vine Consultancy, is convinced that he has discovered its secret. A firm defender -and creatorof the theory that whoever tries a good extra virgin will become obsessed with this foodstuff, he has not hesitated to share his 10 commandments for becoming an expert on EVOO with us. On an oleologist’s word.

Photographs by Nick Coleman, Alejandra Sánchez, Ineke Bulle and Leslie Brenza

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EVOO Tasting

Nicholas (Nick) Coleman had always been convinced that he liked gastronomy, but he didn’t discover his real passion until he landed in Italy. This international olive oil expert, educator, speaker and co-founder of the consultancy firm Grove and Vine, embarked on a journey in 2007 that completely changed his life. “I traveled with a knapsack from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara desert and, suddenly, I found myself in the beautiful province of Arezzo (Italy), in mid-harvest time. I was introduced to Nadia Gasperini Rossi, the owner of a small villa with an olive grove, and we harvested together, hand on hand. She showed me how she made her extra virgin. That experience changed my life”, Coleman himself confessed, feeling that “olive oil is the perfect bridge between tradition and innovation, it connects us with a deeper feeling of history, culture and gastronomy”.

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olive groves, getting to know the different producers, to understand the diverse climatic conditions and the peculiarities of each harvest, the extraction techniques and how these affect the output and the flavor profile. A world that “is fascinating and growing more popular every day”, to which Coleman gives us in 10 keys:

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So he decided to give himself a formation and learn as much as possible about the fruit that had stolen his soul. He started at the Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Olio di Oliva (ONAOO), and at the International Culinary Center, where today he imparts classes and lectures, as well as at Yale, the New York University (NYU), Columbia... Years later, he founded Grove and Vine with his partner Dan Amatuzzi, a consultancy that offers a personalized coaching service to producers across the world. But as well, every year Coleman personally selects four top range EVOO producers -two from the northern hemisphere and two from the south- and bottles his juices in several limited editions that he commercializes online, under The Coleman Collection brand. Lately he has also dared to launch wholesale operations directed at restaurants, which are being very well received. This multifaceted New Yorker was chief oleologist at Eataly, from 2010 to 2017, a judge at international contests such as SOL d’Oro, and has written about EVOO in The New York Times, GQ, Esquire or The Los Angeles Times. At present, he works as a consultant at the Yale Olive Institute and imparts courses on the sensorial certification of olive oil at the International Culinary Center in New York, California and London. Coleman considers himself to be a real oleologist, a term that he borrowed from the Italian expert, Luigi Carcato. “He was the first to coin the word oleologist. I thought that if an enologo becomes an enologist in English, then oleólogo should be oleologist”. His theory is that an oleologist is very different to a sommelier; an oleologist not only chooses the best EVOOs and gives advice on how to pair them, but he also should be traveling across the world visiting

“The biggest mistake is to consider olive oil as a mere condiment” It is a fundamental ingredient! It’s the first to go into the frying pan and the last that’s left on the plate, conducting and distributing the heat in a uniformly way. Olive oil connects flavors, transforms textures and provides nutrients. It is the definitive sauce and an obligatory requisite in Mediterranean cuisine.

“To choose a good EVOO well, we should look for three facts on the label: date of harvest, variety and origin”

Unlike wine, olive oil does not get better with the passage of time, its freshness is a key component of its quality. We should always check the date. As well, each variety of olive provides different organoleptic properties -flavor, color, aroma...and it is crucial to know which variety it is made of. There is a saying I always use: “what grows together goes hand in hand”. Make sure that the olives that have produced the oil in the bottle that you are about to buy come not only from the same country, but also from a specific and localized region of that country. The most important thing when choosing an oil is to smell it -when it is possible- and then taste it on its own, with no other food, so that you can test it and analyze its viscosity and its flavor profile. This will give you ideas on what to pair it with later. There are no rules in the world of sensations; it is a very personal matter. I recommend that you close your eyes and listen to your palate.

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EVOO Tasting

“If you’re taking an EVOO as a present to a dinner with friends, first find out what the menu will be”

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It depends a lot on what is served at dinner. Is it something raw? Roasted? Grilled? Fried? Each cooking method gives a different weight to what the food is made of, and can be paired better or worse, depending on the particular intensity of each oil. For example, a more robust oil would be the best option to use for grilling a sirloin steak, rather than for something raw, like steak tartar. It’s also useful to think “regionally”. If, for example, we were to cook a dish from Tuscany, we would get a more precise result if using a Tuscan EVOO; if the aim is to recreate a Sicilian dish, a Sicilian juice, etc.

“Always cook with extra virgin, but use a reasonably priced one” Reserve your expensive EVOOs to use raw, as much for dressings as for adding a final touch to each dish.

“You will know if it’s an early harvest EVOO if it gives off strong aromas of freshly mown grass and bitter spices...”

All olives begin their life in green, and mature to a deep purple-black; their color reflects their grade of maturation. Normally, early-harvest oils tend to emit strong aromas of freshly cut grass and bitter spices, that finalize with a hot and persistent touch of black pepper that spreads slowly to the back of the throat. Late-harvest oils, however, tend to be gentle, delicate and ethereal, with sweet nuances of almond or banana.

“... and that it’s a late-harvest oil or one of a lesser quality if it reminds you of black olive tapenade or vinegar” The presence of olfactory or gustatory defects degrades an oil that is in the extra virgin category. Tasting panels are trained to analyze and identify these faults correctly. For example, those oils that recall black-olive tapenade, or which emit certain aromas of wine or vinegar are showing us signs of anaerobic or aerobic fermentation. Also, an EVOO will never leave a greasy or disagreeable texture on the palate. There are, evidently, many more defects that can be appreciated in mouth -rancid, dirty, moldy, frozen sediments...-, but it’s best to leave that to professional tasters.

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EVOO Tasting

“Only one EVOO in your kitchen will not resolve all your culinary enigmas” One should always have at least one delicate EVOO in our kitchen, one that doesn’t mask the aromas of sweeter or plainer food; then another more robustly finished oil, so that its intensity will persist over the more emphatically flavored dishes; and, finally, a more affordable extra virgin for cooking.

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“Olive oil has no need to envy wine, it’s already a cool product” Olive oil is already cool, I don’t understand how the rest of the world isn’t obsessed with this product! However, for it to consolidate it would be good to see some influential celebrities jump on the wagon and promote it. It’s important to remember that olive oil and wine do not compete with each other; they complement each other as much on the land as on the table.

“The producer should work with Nature, without trying to re-direct it” The best producers plant the right varieties in the right climate to obtain a balanced fruit. They work in favor of Nature, without trying to re-direct it. It’s what I call aikido, not boxing. However, a very common problem I have observed among new producers is their obstinacy in trying to apply inverse engineering on their farms. They try forcing a cultivation to prosper in an environment where it has to maintain a constant battle to survive. This is a recipe that will only lead them to disaster, as nature will always win.

“Chefs should take a look at the immense variety of options that EVOO offers them, as an opportunity to demonstrate their culinary wisdom”

Some chefs know very little about olive oil, while others are really on the ball. Dave Pasternack, the executive chief at the Italian trattoria ESCA in New York, is a real olive oil fan. As much in the kitchen as in the dining area, there are many singlevarietal top quality oils available, from different regions in the world and, depending on which dish he is cooking, he will pair it generously with the appropriate juice. I sincerely hope that more and more chefs and restaurant owners begin to value the opportunity to show different olive oils on their menus. I think it is a simple -but effective- way to demonstrate their culinary wisdom.

in blu

To guarantee the quality of our olive oil we chose a cobalt blue glass, like the colour of the glasses used by the oil tasters of the Panel-Tests to judge the quality of the olive oil. To decorate your table we created an original bottle with the design of an anklet as the Etruscan musicians wore it. design Arch. Fabrizia Cusani

GOOD HEALTHY AND NUTRITIONAL EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL EXCLUSIVELY ITALIAN Buy on line www.frantoiotuscus.com

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Bibliothèque By Alfredo Briega Martín

Let’s talk -and learn- about cooking. Traditional and modern, Spanish, Italian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Of the pleasure of enjoying, and sharing the joy of eating well. But also the fight against the waste of food, social inclusion and individual well-being. Works to savor, but thought provoking. These books fit everything in...

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A Very Serious Cookbook: Contra Wildair

With 85 recipes from Contra and Wildair, the book is organized into three color-coded chapters: Always, Sometimes and Never. The first includes the basic dishes of the restaurant and the items that are not seasonal; Sometimes features collaborations of guest chefs and international-inspired hyper-seasonal recipes; while Never highlights the dishes that were once part of the menu or that may not yet even exist, but are equally important to the chefs. Each recipe is accompanied by a wonderful photograph and a story -often playful- from one or both chefs. The work, written in collaboration with the author of cookbooks Alison Roman, also has a pantry section, with instructions for recurrent ingredients such as dashi, garlic comfit and pickled jalapeños, short comments that reveal the opinions of chefs on various topics, from desserts to crabs, and notes about their love of native wines and stories of

guest chefs they have received or visited throughout their careers. The beautiful hand-painted lettering of the book's designer, Ariane Spanier, adorn the cover and are scattered in the colorful pages of a work full of energy and personality that, first of all, “is a story about friendship”, writes Fabian von Hauske. A Very Serious Cookbook: Contra Wildair. By: Jeremiah Stone & Fabian von Hauske. Publisher: Phaidon Press.

Photographs by Matty Yangwoo Kim

Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske are the owner chefs of Contra and Wildair, two famous restaurants in the Lower East Side of New York where they make food that is serious but fun at the same time. A Very Serious Cookbook: Contra Wildair their first work, embodies the spirit of collaboration and exploration that defines the style of seasonal cooking -ambitious but accessibleof the chefs and their boundless creativity expressed in a unique capacity to show familiar ingredients in interesting and unexpected ways.

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"These dishes could change the way we feed the world because they can be cooked by anyone, anywhere, with any budget”, categorically declares Massimo Bottura, the influential Italian chef who has become one of the most passionate voices on food waste and social inclusion in recent years. After the success of Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef (2014), Bottura offers in his new book inspiring tips to transform ingredients often discarded in the kitchen into delicious meals, raising awareness of food waste, encouraging experimentation and demystifying the kitchen with humble ingredients for the cook of the house, who will learn to prepare the dish that represents the whole spirit of the project and gives title to the work, Bottura’s ode to his grandmother: a recipe made from bread crumbs, warm milk and sugar. Bread is Gold documents the first six months at the Refettorio Ambrosiano, a soup kitchen that Bottura founded in 2015, coinciding with the Milan Expo, turning an abandoned theater into a cozy space to feed the body and soul, and inviting 60 chef friends who are among the best in the world -such as René Redzepi, Alain Ducasse, Ferran and Albert Adrià, Alex Atala, Daniel Humm, Ana Roš, Gastón Acurio or Mario Batali- to participate in this initiative, preparing threecourse menus from supermarket surplus delivered each morning to the Refettorio Ambrosiano. In 2016, after this gratifying experience, Bottura founded Food for Soul, a non-profit organization that seeks to combat food waste in support of social inclusion and individual well being, to which he allocates all royalties from the sale of his books to create and maintain community kitchens worldwide. Bread is Gold: Extraordinary Meals with Ordinary Ingredients. By: Massimo Bottura & Friends. Publisher: Phaidon Press.

Photograph by Food Editore/Piermichele Borraccia

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BibliothĂ¨que The Mezze Cookbook The Mezze Cookbook is a vibrant collection of more than 135 exciting and exotic recipes from across the Middle East -organized by the type of dish, vegetarian, meat and fish- from Lebanon, Israel or Iran to Turkey, Iraq and Syria. Fascinating flavors and colorful small dishes that can be easily mixed and combined to make a meal to suit all tastes and diets and able to excite all palates. In the book, Salma Hage, the award-winning author of The Lebanese Kitchen and The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook, and who has over 50 years of experience in home cooking and worked for many years as a professional cook, skillfully establishes the character of Middle Eastern cuisine and its fascinating social customs. The Mezze Cookbook is a mixture of traditions, demonstrating how the philosophy of this ancient way of eating resonates to this day. Some recipes remain faithful to their traditional origins, such as Babaganoush, Preserved Lemon and Bay-Scented Olives and Lentil and Bulgur Wheat Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;juderah; while in others, Hage adds her own touch of modernity, as in the case of Labneh with candied figs and nuts and Pistachio and Pomegranate Cake.

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The work, elegantly designed and illustrated with attractive images of the dishes, is completed with menu suggestions and a glossary of ingredients. A must for those who seek to increase their repertoire of tasty dishes while discovering this delicious way of sharing food. Photographs by Liz and Max Haarala Hamilton

The Mezze Cookbook: Sharing Plates from The Middle East. By: Salma Hage. Publisher: Phaidon Press.

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Naples and the Amalfi Coast Naples is known for its ancient culture, its architectural marvels and its breathtaking landscapes, but it is its varied and delicious cuisine that has made it one of the most interesting destinations in Italy. Birthplace of the Neapolitana pizza, ragĂš, San Marzano tomatoes and the espresso machine, its long influence in the rest of Italy has made Naples a must-see gastronomic destination. Naples and the Amalfi Coast, the latest title of the regional series of experts from The Silver Spoon -responsible for collecting hundreds of traditional Italian recipes and making them available to a wider modern audience- beyond Tuscany, Sicily and Puglia, is a beautiful and substantial cookbook with 50 new and easy recipes that involve a rich gastronomic journey throughout the region, in addition to being the definitive guide to contemporary Neapolitan home cooking, with traditional dishes and modern updates of the most recognizable classics. In addition, the book includes amazing photographs of this picturesque region of the southwest, full of culinary delights, but also captivating for its natural beauty and urban culture: from the lush hills and vineyards of Avellino and Benevento to the royal castles and ancient ruins of Caserta; through the attractive and glamorous brightly colored islands, cliffs and beaches of the Amalfi Coast; or the bustling urban cultural center of Naples. In short, an essential work for all those who want to learn how the Neapolitans cook today. Photographs by Simon Bajada

Naples and the Amalfi Coast. By: The Silver Spoon. Publisher: Phaidon Press.

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Spain: The Cookbook The popularity of Spanish cuisine has grown exponentially throughout the world over the past decades thanks to the unstoppable phenomenon of tapas and the innovation and creativity of Spanish chefs, currently enjoying a moment of splendor never before known. Spain: The Cookbook, by Simone and Inés Ortega, is a classic of Spanish cuisine, in addition to being the best-selling book of all time of traditional Spanish home cooking. A Bible with which generations of Spaniards have learned to cook and which chefs have trusted and continue to trust in since it was first published more than 40 years ago, under the title 1080 Recetas. True to its original name, it contains a complete collection of 1,080 authentic Spanish recipes that cover all dishes and regions, from appetizers to stews and soups, vegetables or desserts, from tortilla to codfish.

with an explosion of color and exuberance. An essential and timeless classic, “born of the pleasure of eating and perfect for those who have little time to cook but do not want to give up the joy of eating well and, therefore, feeding their souls and stomachs”, as Ferran Adrià states in his foreword. Spain: The Cookbook. By: Simone and Inés Ortega. Publisher: Phaidon Press.

In addition to its simple and easy-to-follow recipes, there are also menus of famous Spanish chefs -José Andrés, Ramón Freixa, the Roca brothers, Carme Ruscalleda or Santi Santamaría, among others- with helpful cooking tips and a glossary. The work is lavishly illustrated with photographs specially commissioned for this edition and more than 500 illustrations by the famous Spanish designer and illustrator Javier Mariscal, the originator of Cobi, the mascot of the Barcelona 92 Olympic Games, who, in his first cookbook, celebrates the vitality of the Mediterranean Illustrations by Mariscal

Patented Model

shapesinevolution

• Oliena Top

Bruni Glass presents a new line dedicated to olive oil with a capacity of 250, 500 and 750 ml. They are available in antique green and flint glass.

Bruni Glass presenta la nueva línea dedicada al aceite con capacidad de 250, 500 y 750 ml. Están disponibles en verde antiguo y blanco.

Thanks to our Innovation Center we can customize each bottle to create a unique and original container. The new line enriches Bruni’s collection which offers thousands of special products for the gourmet, spirits, wine and beer market.

Gracias a nuestro Innovation Center podemos personalizar cada botella para realizar un envase único y original. La nueva línea enriquece la colección de Bruni que ofrece miles de productos especiales destinados al mercado del gourmet, de los destilados, del vino y de la cerveza.

BruniGlass.com BruniErben.co.uk BerlinPackaging.com

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Olive Roads

The Diary of an Olive Tree Explorer Article and photographs by Eduardo Mencos

A fascinating Journey to the Many Places, Meanings, Expressions, Uses and Virtues of the Sacred Tree

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Olive Roads

olivatessen Ten years ago, when I was invited to Australia and New Zealand to give some talks on the gardens of Spain and their landscapes as historic footprints, I encountered a fellow lecturer, with an Oxford accent and an extraordinary nose for tasting sessions: Charles Quest-Ritson, the author of a book about olive oil (Olive Oil, Publisher DK). There, in the antipodes -and because, by a lucky fluke, I happened to have been born in the country of olive trees-, a spark was ignited and we decided to take on the infinite adventure of writing a book together about this emblematic tree, sacred to Humanity. I knew that the journey would be a long and ambitious one, because to show the thousands of ways in which -throughout history and across the world- this tree and its fruits have been expressed is a titanic task. But I thought that if we could manage to outline its magic, it would be a study that would be a surprise as much to those that already love and enjoy its qualities, as to those who do not yet know them. This tour throughout the world of the olive tree also had an emotional and

Olive Roads

educational purpose: to invite my children to travel with the olive tree as a guide, and an excuse to visit countries where we could hunt them down, and at the same time, explore our own selves. A journey of initiation, to discover and taste the flavors and aromas of my children, and that they would be doing the same with those of their father, leaving us all with the powerful flavor of happy memories. The olive tree is history and a symbol; it is persevering because it fights to the end and rises up from its ashes. Jesus walked towards death, having spent his last hours in Gethsemane, an olive grove, where some of the trees that shared his last hours still exist. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the tree of resurrection! It is also Noahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tree; together with the dove, the olive branch represents the end of the deluge and the tempest, the arrival of peace and the re-encounter between God and Humanity, after punishing Mankind with floods for its wrongdoings. A sacred and mythical tree, whose oil, or branches, were awarded to winners as a symbol of victory. It is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible, as an example of virtue.

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The olive tree across the world The olive tree already flies all over the world. In Ethiopia it has a biblical and spiritual flavor, full of magic and symbolism. These slender trees, that reach 15 meters (50 feet) in height, signal the Christian temples with their infinite silvery-green tones and twiggy shapes, and their hard wood is used to make furniture, coffered ceilings in churches and fences for the cattle. I even saw how its inhabitants use olive branches to clean their teeth.

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In South Africa I rediscovered the infinite colors and shapes of the olive tree world. I watched women of color squeeze out the olives onto their faces, to act as a sunscreen, and how the local Cape Town tribes pick their fruits one by one. And in the semi-desert regions of Sfax, in Tunisia, I observed how they are planted in wide plots, and how the families turn the harvesting into a great event, in the shade of these great ones of the desert.

Without leaving Africa, in the Siwa Oasis, in the middle of the Sahara desert in Egypt, the men climb up the really tall olive trees that prosper among palm trees and orchards to capture their precious fruits. To harvest the olives, the men crawl up long ladders to reach their highest branches, picking the olives by hand, reminding us that this fruit ad its magic elixir were already used in ancient Egypt, having even been found in the tombs of the Pharaohs.

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Near to Cairo, on land that has been snatched back from the desert during the past 50 years, the olive trees are watered with fossil water, lying for thousands of years under the subsoil. And as each place has its peculiarity, here the olives are crushed by hand, letting them fall into unusual cloth hampers.

extra virgin olive oil from Priego de Cรณrdoba

OUR BRANDS

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In Asia now, in Syria, I was fascinated to discover how the famous Aleppo soap -the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest solid soap- is made in huge bathtubs, with a base of olive juice, bay leaf, caustic soda and water; or how the sacred tree is protected from the wind and the cattle near to the Euphrates River, as if it were a treasure... And at the Archeological Museum in Palmyra, I recalled how the olive wreath was the highest prize awarded to the citizens and winners at the Olympic Games; and how the majestic eagle symbolizes power and authority with its olive branch, in an image much used by the Romans, and later copied by the United States with the bald eagle on their flag...

The Tuscan Design A R T, C R E AT I V I T Y A N D D E S I G N MEET THE TUSCAN TRADITION

GAIOLE

GREVE

CHIANTI

www.cantinivetro.it | cantinivetro@cantinivetro.it

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In Iran, ancient Persia, the olive tree is cultivated especially in the northern part of the country, and its olives are consumed as an appetizer, together with the pomegranate and other spices. I remember, as if it were yesterday, a solitary olive tree in Manjul, contemplated by a mysterious woman under her chador... Pure magic. In India, where olive tree cultivation experiments have

been successful under the guidance of Israeli engineers, and in the search for a healthier source of fats, olive oil has been introduced into the country’s gastronomy as another option. I was fascinated when contemplating the beautiful Indian women from Rajasthan pruning the olive trees, as if they were elegantly sculpting them, dressed in their beautiful princess’s saris... what a beautiful and evocative image.

“I was amazed at contemplating the beautiful Indian women from Rajasthan pruning the olive trees dressed in their beautiful princess’s saris, as if they were sculpting them”

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Or, how not to remember the remote Chinese tribes of Xichang, defying all the topics about the Mediterranean tree par excellence, when pressing, under the monsoon rains, their thick, oily Chinese olives? Returning to Ancient Europe, I was overwhelmed by the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, where the Jews

Olive Roads

imprisoned in concentration camps fed their vain hopes represented by an olive branch, pierced through the wire fence... And, of course, I went to the Mount of Olives or Gethsemane, where I watched a catholic missionary priest meditating and praying at the last place where Jesus Christ spent the night before his Calvary, among some of the olive trees that He contemplated...

MEDIA PAG OLIVEJAPAN_Maquetaciรณn 1 20/11/18 14:04 Pรกgina 1

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Olive Roads

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In Sicily I visited the temple at Agrigento, framed by the eternal tree, and in Selinunte I was able to contemplate how this Mediterranean symbol emerges proudly and perseveringly from among the ruins... or leans out over the sea as if it wanted to drink its waters on the island of Paxos...

And how to forget the immeasurable and powerful olive tree that Alexander the Great may have touched with his hands -in what is now Albania- more than 2,500 years ago, and that millenniums later still produces more than 1,300 kilos of olives? Or the striking image of people from the island of Pantelleria, crawling, on their knees, to capture each olive? Definitively impossible...

â&#x20AC;&#x153;And how to forget the immeasurable and powerful olive tree that Alexander the Great may have touched with his hands -in what is now Albania- more than 2,500 years ago, and millenniums later still produces more than 1,300 kilos of olives?â&#x20AC;?

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Olive Roads

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So many images remain in my retina and in my memory... No, I am not forgetting the combative olive tree growing at the feet of the Roman Aqueduct at Arles, in France. Nor the immense sea of olive trees in JaĂŠn, the red-hot fires provoked during the pruning of the olive groves in

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Olive Roads

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La Vera (Cรกceres), or the fields of olive trees, carpeted with poppies, in Guadalajara, in Spain, where they are a fundamental part of their cultural landscape. Like the olive trees and vineyards that live together in perfect harmony in the Alto Douro, in northeastern Portugal,

a World Heritage Site. Nor the olive trees in Provence, shaved to perfection... Only a few places like Provence have made them their flag and symbol: olive oil and derivative products like Marseille Soap and so many other cosmetics...

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Olive Roads

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The olive tree has become universal, and being the tree that rises from its ashes, I just ask the Goddess Athena, Goddess of Reason who made an olive tree sprout at the Acropolis in Athens, that she may concede me the time and health needed to get to know this sacred tree in all its forms and expressions, that she may illuminate me on its virtues and the places it inhabits.

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In Memoriam

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In Memoriam

Robuchon, Bocuse and Bourdain: Au Revoir aux Trois Mousquetaires By Alfredo Briega Martín

Our small, yet deeply felt, tribute to three great masters -two were French and one North American of French lineage- of French and universal cuisine who left us in 2018... Bon appétit...

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DID YOU KNOW THAT...?

HIS BOOKS

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HIS BEST QUOTES

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In Memoriam

“One shouldn’t need silver cutlery to win a third Michelin star. It’s the quality of the food that counts”

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Joël Robuchon, the Most Starry Visionary NAME: Joël Robuchon (32 Michelin Stars) PLACE & DATE OF BIRTH: Poitiers, 1945

Gourmet restaurants owner (L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, La Table de Joël Robuchon, Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon, Restaurant Joël Robuchon, Le Château Restaurant de Joël Robuchon, La Grande Maison de Joël Robuchon, La Cuisine de Joël Robuchon, La Cave de Joël Robuchon, Joël Robuchon, Robuchon au Dôme, Le Grill de Joël Robuchon, Yoshi) in three continents, in cities such as Paris, Monaco, London, Las Vegas, New York, Montreal, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Macao.

Holding none less than 32, Joël Robuchon is the chef with more Michelin stars in the world. This son of an astute and methodical construction worker, became the world’s most perfect cook, with an unmistakable style and unsurpassed virtuosity. He laid aside his religious vocation to commend himself to another religion, the gastronomical one, when he started cooking for his fellow seminarians. With his restaurant Jamin, opened in December 1981, he reached a peak never reached before, when he was awarded three Michelin Stars on three consecutive years. In 1994, the restaurant carrying his name was acknowledged as the “Best Restaurant in the World” by the International Herald Tribune. Just as he had promised, at the age of fifty he retired from the ovens to center himself on the diffusion and transmission of his vast knowledge and, together with his friend Guy Job, decided to put cuisine on television, to demystify it and make it more accessible to the wider public, reaching his objective thanks to programs like “Bon Appétit Bien Sûr” -which ran for more than 10 years- or “Planète Gourmande”. In each one of his establishments (gourmet restaurants, tea rooms, cake shops, etc.), Robuchon kept true to his principles and applied a savoir-faire that became art, which made French gastronomy shine brightly and still inspires generations of young chefs.

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FACTS AND FIGURES

EVOO&BEER TASTINGS BUSINESS TO BUSINESS MEETINGS

Visitatori / Visitors

59.267

Espositori / Exhibitors

326

FOOD PROMOTION

Eventi / Events

150

ITALIAN CUISINE

Area espositiva netta / Exhibition net area

4.901 mq

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In Memoriam

Food & Life (Le Goût et la Vie), La Cuisine de Robuchon par Sophie, Grand Livre de Cuisine by Joël Robuchon, Tout Robuchon, Robuchon Facile, Best of Joël Robuchon, Joël Robuchon: 155 recettes pour mincir et rester mince enfin!, The Complete Robuchon, Le Meilleur & Le Plus Simple de la Pomme de Terre: 100 Recettes, Le Meilleur et le Plus Simple de Robuchon, Recettes du Terroir d’Hier et d’Aujourd’hui, Cuisinez Comme un Grand Chef, Recettes de Grands Chefs, Ma Cuisine pour Vous…

“The best thing about cooking is dominating a combination of flavors in the best products ”

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“One shouldn’t need silver cutlery to win a third Michelin star. It’s the quality of the food that counts”

Potato purée, Prawn Ravioli with Truffles, Truffle Pie with Onions and Smoked Bacon, Cauliflower Cream with Caviar, Spider Crab served on creamed Fennel and a thin layer of Crustacean gelatin, Red Mullet loins with olive oil and Cilantro Eggplant Caviar, Frog Legs with Cream of Parsley...

* Robuchon was awarded the titles of “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” in 1976, “Chef de L’Année” in 1987 and “Cuisinier du Siècle” in 1990 by the Gault&Millau Cuisine Guide. * His two favorite restaurants in Alicante (Spain), the Nou Manolin and the Piripi, where he used to eat fresh fish at the bar, inspired him to create one of his greatest successes: the concept of a line of restaurants called L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, based on the Spanish tapas (appetizers) format and Japanese sushi establishments, with kitchens open to the eyes of the client, offering high-quality products in a more dynamic and relaxed atmosphere, creating a climate of coexistence and friendliness, and replacing the classical gold and white colors of many French luxury restaurants with black and red tones. Photographs of Joël Robuchon by Kasia Kozinski - Gourmet TV Productions, Gérard Bedeau GTV Productions and David Arous

Look out! High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil is on the way! It is bitter, pungent although well balanced. We guarantee its initial quality by collaborating with distributors and restaurants to ensure it is properly stored away from air, light heat and cold. When conserved correctly, its antioxidant properties will be assured and you will be rewarded with both nutrient content and taste.

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In Memoriam

“Classic or modern, there’s only one type of cuisine... the good one!”

L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges (Paul Bocuse), Les Chefs de France and brasseries in France, Switzerland or Japan.

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Paul Bocuse, the Chef of the Century NAME: Paul Bocuse (3 Michelin Stars) PLACE & DATE OF BIRTH: Collonges-auMont-d’Or (Auvegne-Rhone-Alpes), 1926

Paul Bocuse, the most famous of post-war French chefs, a father and source of inspiration for the Nouvelle Cuisine movement, headed a brilliant group of chefs who -encouraged by Henri Gault and Christian Millau, the editors of the influential Gault&Millau Guide- undertook a lower calorie re-interpretation of traditional French cuisine, in the late 60s and early 70s. Fewer sauces, less butter, more natural flavors and absolutely fresh foodstuffs. Born into the heart of a family of cooks -seven generations, going back to 1765-, he became known as the Pope of gastronomy and French cuisine’s most international figure, creating a gastronomic empire that includes some twenty restaurants and hotels across the world: France, Switzerland, USA, Brazil, Japan... He was the ideologist and creator of the Bocuse d’Or, the contest that takes place every two years in Lyon, in which 24 cooks from across the world compete between themselves, considered as being the culinary equivalent of the Olympic Games, or the chefs unofficial world championship. If chefs have become media stars, it’s above all thanks to Paul Bocuse, who did more than any other chef in the world to lift them out of the dark, give the profession respectability, and make them what they are nowadays.

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In Memoriam

La cuisine du marché (1976), Paul Bocuse’s French Cooking (1977), Paul Bocuse in Your Kitchen: An Introduction to Classic French Cooking (1982), Bocuse à la Carte (1989), Paul Bocuse: The Complete Recipes (2011), Le feu sacré (biography).

“Classic or modern, there’s only one type of cuisine... the good one!” “Not much is needed to do things well, but even less is needed to do them wrong”

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“Life is just a joke, so we should work as though we’ll be dying at 100, and live as though we’ll be dying tomorrow”

Salad of French Beans al dente, Longaniza Pork Sausage from Lyon, wrapped and cooked in a brioche loaf and meat sauce, Sea Bass in a crust of puff pastry, grilled River Crab -dedicated to his spiritual father, the chef Ferrand Point- and his famous Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (V.G.E.) Black Truffle soup, baptized thus in honor of the former French president, who distinguished him with the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor) distinction.

* In 1944, he enlisted in the First Infantry Division of the Free French Forces, to fight Nazi Germany, and was wounded in the battle of Alsace, and awarded the Croix de Guerre -an episode ratified by the tattoo he was given by the North American soldiers who looked after him.* On March 30th, 2011, he was named Chef of the 20th century by the Culinary Institute of America, the most important cookery school in the United States. * Bocuse remained settled in his homeland, despite his global stature and international projection, and slept in the same room that he had been born in, on the upper floor of his restaurant near Lyon. * His figure inspired the successful Disney Pixar film Ratatouille.

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In Memoriam

“I decided to become a chef because it was a way of joining the Mötley Crüe, without knowing how to play guitar”

Brasserie Les Halles, with headquarters in Manhattan and delegations in Miami, Washington D.C. and Tokyo. 212

Anthony Bourdain, the Life of Cuisine’s Enfant Terrible Lived to the Limit NAME: Anthony Michael Bourdain PLACE & DATE OF BIRTH: New York, 1956

Known for being one of the “bad boys” of cuisine, due to his unusual trajectory, irreverent style and rebellious and adventurous spirit. While still a child, this famous North American chef and TV presenter got to know the delicacies of Haute Cuisine during his many trips to France with his parents, a music industry executive and a The New York Times corrector. Before becoming a media star thanks to his cookery shows, Bourdain lived a life of dissolution and excesses in his youth, as he confessed to Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, a book of memories that stood out for its honesty and crudeness, where he openly admitted to his addictions to cocaine, heroin and L.S.D., and at the same time unveiled the culture of excesses in the world of Haute Cuisine. In 1975, after leaving his studies at the Vassar College, Bourdain enrolled himself at the Culinary Institute of America (C.I.A.), graduating three years later to embark on a career in several New York restaurants, starting off in the most humble positions and slowly climbing up until, in the 90s, he became the executive chef at the Brasserie Les Halles, in Manhattan. After the success achieved with his caustic autobiography, Bourdain landed on TV in 2001, to work in the Food Network channel and, three years later, jumped to the Travel Channel, with a program called Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, where he laid bare the dark side of the gastronomy business and the work of its protagonists, being awarded two Emmy’s for it. In 2013, Bourdain signed up for CNN to make the series of travelling and cooking Parts Unknown. To produce it, Bourdain traveled more than 250 days a year to show non-traditional angles of countless places in the world. His style on television was sharp and unique, often using of dirty language on camera, which the audience perceived as a sign of authenticity.

* Bourdain shared cold beers, roast pork and noodles with the former president of the United States, Barack Obama, while discussing the relationships between the United States and Vietnam, during a program that was recorded in Hanoi, for the series Parts Unknown (CNN). In another program recorded in Nigeria, the chef tasted sheep’s testicles, a local delicatessen. * Bourdain regularly practiced martial arts, especially Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the main Samurai discipline, a sort of mixed platter out of which judo, karate, and the other techniques, later emerged.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach, A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal, Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People who Cook, Appetites: A Cookbook, Bone in the Throat, Gone Bamboo, Typhoid Mary, The Nasty Bits, Get Jiro!

“I am condemned to having the best work in the world. How not to do it? I’ll probably die cooking” “I decided to become a chef because it was a way of joining the Mötley Crüe, without knowing how to play guitar” “If I die, I’d like to take my last bite at your restaurant” (a confession made to Juan Mari Arzak, at the San Sebastian Gastronomika Congress)

Photographs of Anthony Bourdain courtesy of CNN

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The Origins of EVOO

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An Obstinately Mediterranean Work of Art By Alfredo Briega Martín

From May 25th to 30th September 2018, the Picasso Museum in Barcelona put on the exceptional exhibition “Picasso’s Kitchen”, that gathered together more than 180 works of art by the Spanish genius -paintings, sculptures, engravings and drawings- covering several periods of his work, as well as displaying a selection of documents and photographs. The protagonists of this show were the kitchen, the utensils and the food itself. As the Museum director, Emmanuel Guigon, recalled during the presentation, “Heraclitus always said: the Gods are in the kitchen”.

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“An exhibition on Picasso’s kitchen? Why not?”, Emmanuel Guigon asked himself, as the curator of the exhibition, together with Claustre Rafart, the conserver of the Picasso Museum’s graphic works, and Androula Michael, a tenured professor at the department of Contemporary Art at the Jules Verne Picardie University and the Paris UFR des Arts. The exhibition is a part of “Picasso-Mediterranean”, an initiative that the Musée national Picasso-Paris has taken, beginning in the Spring of 2017 and going on until Spring 2019, in which more than 60 institutions have developed a program around Picasso’s “obstinately Mediterranean” works of art, bringing about an unprecedented cultural experience and a journey through the artist’s work and the places that inspired him. This is not an incongruent initiative in any way. The kitchen is a subtle factor that reveals Picasso’s art: painting, engraving, ceramics, poetry, theater. One should not forget the role played by the restaurants that were the places where the avant-garde met up, from the Els Quatre Gats tavern in Barcelona to the Au Lapin Agile, a cabaret on the hill at Montmartre, at whose tables sat the bohemians of those times and Picasso’s gang. The plates, the utensils and the places related to kitchens are strongly evocative and associative. For a creator, the actual act of eating and digesting is a metaphor. By what can eat be eaten, or even by the inedible, one can achieve the pleasant possibility of swallowing the world. “Picasso possesses this passion for the world and for the concrete, to the point of really setting his teeth into it and taking a liking to it. His permanent inventions and the euphoria of his imaginary are a testament to his insatiable appetite”, Guigon reflects.

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The Origins of EVOO

An Omnipresent Theme

The main axle of this exhibition is the kitchen, in its widest sense, an omnipresent theme in the whole of Picasso’s work, addressed for the first time in this show. Thus, nearly 200 works of art proceeding from museums, institutions and private collections illustrate a chronological route through Picasso’s life and work, enabling us to consider the artist from a new perspective.

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In effect, Picasso often represented the kitchen space, where one takes one’s meals and where childhood memories are lodged. The contents of his shopping basket -with an abundance of olives- to a great extent coincide with the contents of what we find in his paintings or in his writings. Different signs point to he domestic universe of his kitchen: plates, birds in a cage, flower-women... Chairs and tables become ideograms. The treatment of the space is with a basis of curves, by lines that are caligraphed writings. Thanks to the game played between the void and fullness, the kitchen loses its spatial anchoring, which becomes writing. The ceramic plates that decorate the walls suggest the present-day kitchen and allow us to condense into its spirit that of his childhood in Málaga. The grayish tones hold a relation to the slightly blurred images in his memory.

The kitchen and food are at the heart of Picasso’s iconographic and sensitive universe, playing an important role in the realization of his creative process. Linked to Time and eroticism, and holding an unquestionable anthropological dimension, the kitchen reveals as much the artist as the man to us, with equal intensity. Food, the authentic cultural syncretism, is -in Picasso’s case- a source of unconscious desires and constitutes a metaphoric language par excellence. The utensils and the culinary ingredients are the basis of many of his still life’s, that move in different registers. From the aesthetic and light-hearted representation to the metaphor of the privation and fear undergone during the German occupation, these still life’s follow the artist’s pulse and the historic context. Culinary ingredients, with their aromas, tastes and colors, abound in many of Picasso’s poems and theatrical works. As he often writes at the kitchen table, it is only natural that food and words intermingle. Tomatoes, peppers, eggs, gazpacho and chorizo, artichokes and leeks all make up a combination that is deeply rooted in daily domestic life. And olive oil, of course. “A play of parables, diversity of hyperboles, pure olive oil guaranteed unblended, orange tangerines, grayish sky-blue pears, green apples”, says a fragment of a poem written on February 20th 1937. Food and the kitchen are the best indicators of the permanent link between his creation and life. The objects themselves are the vehicles of his thoughts. In a flash, he captures their evocative capacity. Food, and all the objects and spaces that relate to it, are elements that deconsecrate painting and sculpture.

The kitchen and food are located at the heart of Picasso’s iconographic universe, and play an important role in the realization of the Spanish genius’ creative process

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The Origins of EVOO

A Dialogue Between Two Geniuses

The exhibit was supported by an exceptional collaborator, Ferrán Adrià, who established a dialogue between Picasso’s creative process and contemporary culinary creations, at the new Mauri space dedicated to Contemporary Art, which opened last year at the Picasso Museum.

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Thus, Adrià -who created a menu specifically for the exhibition- posed the question: "What is cooking?", convinced that the answer could reveal some essential questions of the human being as a creative being. That is why the hall is presided by Picasso’s text, where he explains why he sets dates on his whole production: to facilitate the emergence of a science that will take creativity as a fundament. This is the ambition of the elBulli team, who -since closing the restaurant in 2011- have lately been dedicated to a cuisine of ideas and who have developed a methodology, called Sapiens, that provides the understanding to create in any sphere or sector. Some of the Sapiens milestones applied to the gastronomic restaurant business are found in this space, from the Reasoned Catalogue of elBulli with its 1,846 dishes, to the carrousel of the kitchen’s functional system in its three dimensions: creative, reproductive and experiential. The carrousel presents diagrams of the flow connecting these three aspects and bestowing the diner with a creative power in line with that of the chef. Adrià’s drawings appear as plastic devices of gastronomic thought, that reflect on the human being’s knowledge, starting from the question that titles this space, and whose answer reveals the magic that feeds some of our everyday gestures.

Photographs by Arxiu Museu Picasso, Barcelona; Gasull Fotografia, Museu Picasso, Barcelona; RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national PicassoParis) / Hervé Lewandowski; Hugard & Vanoverschelde Photography; RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris) / Jean-Gilles Berizzi. © Succesión Pablo Picasso, VEGAP, Madrid 2018

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Living Among Olive Trees in Never-Never Land Park By Alfredo Briega MartĂn

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Testimony to what was for a long time the ancient Belvedere forest, the Parco dei Paduli (Paduli Park) in Italy covers 5,500 ha. of majestic centenary olive groves that share their terrain with simple buildings of rural architecture, in a sustainable model that endeavors a return to the roots and the re-establishment of the dialogue between Man and Nature.

Photographs by Francesco Buccarelli

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La Comune (Community) dei Paduli, made up by the municipalities of San Cassiano, Sanarica, Supersano, Surano, Nociglia, Botrugno, Scorrano, Giuggianello, Maglie and Muro Leccese, encompass a strongly interconnected territory, due to its physical, morphological, urban, environmental, scenic and historical-cultural characteristics. The Parco Agricolo Multifunzionale dei Paduli, in the ancient Bosco dei Belvedere (Belvedere forest) -up until 1800 a thick forest of oak trees, of which only a few survive today,- covers a rural area characterized by a landscape that is dominated by an immense extension of centenary olive trees, whose existence has been a historical influence on the lives and activities of the surrounding population. Located in the eastern part of Italy, crossed over by the ancient commercial route that connects the ports of Otranto and Gallipoli, the Park -that is listed on the London Stock Exchange- is known since the 17th century for producing 222

the oil that is used for the streetlights in the principal European capitals. At present, the greater part of these olive groves are in a state of decadence, provoked as much by antiquated agricultural practices, as by the crisis in the agricultural sector. Starting from the scenario defined by a combination of actions undertaken by participating laboratories -the LUA, an Open Urban Laboratory whose program for communitarian participation began in the summer of 2003and from public programs, a project of environmental and landscape interconnection was put into motion as the central strategy for the regeneration of the area, with the aim to recover the vital tight-knit relationship between its inhabitants, the city and the countryside.

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Never-Never Land Park However the Parco Agricolo Multifunzionale dei Paduli, the Never-Never Land Park, is not an institutional project: the idea of a “rural park” was born from lower down, from the awareness that arises from the local comprehension of the concept of common goods. The results are striking: local residents who are beginning to share the importance of the value of the landscape, and municipalities that are directing their urban development strategies in compliance with this value, while younger generations are introducing new alternative rural awareness.

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The hallmarks of Parco Paduli are creativity, contemplation and rural production Neither is Parco Paduli regulated by present-day laws. Its cultural and rural landscape of centenary olive groves stretching over 5,500 ha., has become a part of the collective imagery. Its hallmarks are creativity, contemplation and rural production. It is a word and an image that has rooted deeply in the language and perception of its proud inhabitants. That is where its real strength lies. The activities are handled thanks to spontaneous initiatives, the organizational capacity of the associations within the “Abitare i Paduli” (“Reside in Paduli”) project, the joy of working and living among centuries-old trees, the LUA and its participative workshops. The canals, the vore -natural

drains-, the diffuse hospitality of the old stone caseddhre -a typical rural building in Salento-, the biodegradable humansized “nests”, pedagogical games for children, strolling along the paths of slow mobility... all these elements and many others make up the Park’s unique landscape.

“Abitare i Paduli” (“Reside in Paduli”) In 2011, this project was included in the Regional “Bollenti Spiriti” Program, with the double objective of recuperating public properties and areas, assigning them activities and services (urban workshops), and to initiate experimental processes of good practice, as encouraging the involvement of young people in the valuation of the territory. Thus the cultural association “Abitare i Paduli” was born, coordinated by LUA and led by 30 young people coming from different associations and informal groups, materializing into five different sub-workshops. Today, “Abitare i Paduli” represents a small job alternative that provides income thanks to the thousands of people that visit the Park every year. The activities and services in the projects go from the management of a unique temporary and permanent hotel (“Nest the Paduli”) to the organization of alternative mobility, the identification of theme routes -like the one that follows ancient Bronze Age

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tracks between dolmens and stone monuments, or the route of the centenary olive groves, that goes along rural paths between canals, vore, ponds and canebrakes- and innovative typologies of landscape, and the enhancement of shared properties -like the imaginary geography that the “Creatures from Paduli” represent, the literary contest “Describing the Paduli” or the “Paduli Chorus”-, as well as the diffusion of rural production methods and a new formula for the care of the environment, called “Lampa!”; without forgetting other aspects such as the welcome and the sociability, the investigation, communication and promotion of the territory.

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The objective of “Lampa!” is to recuperate the abandoned olive groves in Parco Paduli and promote agricultural multifuncionality, in order to raise the consciousness of the value of the landscape in local communities, with a bet for sustainable agriculture, the consumption of autochthonous products and the capacity of self-reinvention. As a result of this initiative, Terre dei Paduli, a balanced and harmonious EVOO of high organoleptic quality is produced -thanks to the care employed in the collection of the fruits, of the Cellina variety, and the cold-pressing within 12 hours after harvesting- since the 2012 campaign, employing a productive method that respects the environment, hydraulic resources, the earth and the whole landscape. Available in 250 ml. and 100 ml. (8.5 fl. oz. and 3.3fl. oz.) bottles -their purchase is a way of collaborating with the project-, this green fruity olive oil, of medium intensity, lightly bitter and spicy, stands out for its aromatic richness, with notes that recall fresh grass and almonds, and contains a high concentration of polyphenols.

“Nest the Paduli” One of the central activities in “Abitare i Paduli” is “Nest the Paduli”, an international contest of ideas and a workshop on sustainable housing. The idea was to start up, within the grounds of a publicly owned olive grove -acquired thanks to the territorial regeneration program- a temporary biodegradable hotel -aimed not only at tourists- in a rural park that can be covered on foot, on a bicycle or on horseback. Inside a small casseddhra, that has been restored and converted into a zero-emissions lodging, equipped with all the services that are expected of a rural shelter, the making of “nests” using recycled agricultural endproducts such as olive branches discarded after pruning, and the use of traditional construction techniques, invite us to think about sustainable tourism and how artistic practices and architectonic research can become instruments at the service of the landscape.

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The Legend of Barbuto Natural By Alfredo Briega MartĂn Storing olive oil as it is currently done -in inert stainless steel containers and in a controlled light and temperature environment- is a process that entails high costs... Then, why not store it underwater in almost perfect conditions and maintaining its quality intact, as did the emperors, popes, kings and wealthy people in ancient Rome? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what Jean Paul Mifsud, the owner of Barbuto Natural, thought during a moment of inspiration. This is how The Legend was born.

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Organic farmer, consultant, journalist and television producer, Jean Paul Mifsud is certainly a peculiar person. And his ideas -at least some of them- are also unusual. “There are no problems, only challenges. Life is easy but we tend to complicate it”, says his LinkedIn profile. A philosophy that he applies to his lifestyle and his work. Created in 2009, his company of products and organic foods Barbuto Natural -result of his passion for food and the countryside- has won several international awards related to the design and presentation of the final product. With The Legend, the firm goes a step further, perfecting a process that is unique in the world: the storage of olive oil underwater, in special containers and conditions. An innovative procedure -acknowledged with a Special Award for Innovation at the fifth edition of Le Forme dell’Olio, the visual and olive oil packaging design contest, that threatens to revolutionize the industry in the coming years and which, in any case, will open up a path that deserves to be thoroughly explored.

The storage of olive oil in amphora’s, underwater, in an adequately equipped cave, would not only be able to maintain the industry’s current standards of quality, but would also considerably reduce the levels of economic and energy consumption costs. The Barbuto Natural extra virgin olive oil The Legend is stored in specially handmade ceramic amphoras, that are first hermetically sealed with a special tap, and later with laquer or wax. The amphoras are placed underwater on stainless steel shelves -we must remember that oil floats in water-, in wells or submarine caves, that stay at an almost constant temperature of 14ºC (57ºFarhenheit), thus dispensing with the need for all the energy used for cooling, or heating, the storage space, as ocurrs at present. The process begins with the artisanal manufacture of ceramic amphoras, which is carried out by an important ceramics factory in Malta. The container should be perfect, to avoid any possible contamination or leakage, as well as be made to endure the passage of time adequately. This is a crucial phase, which requires multiple testing, but the company already has a work prototype available.

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The same happens regarding the design and manufacture of the shelves where the amphoras are stored underwater, inside an underwater cave or well. These should be functional and able to endure the passage of time.

The underwater storage of olive oil would not only maintain the current standards of industrial quality, but would also considerably reduce the levels of economic and energy consumption costs The company has received the support of some of its final clients, who have already reserved their own vintage EVOO from the 2017 underwater harvest, which means big news worldwide. The winning of the Le Forme dellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Olio Award has obliged them to speed up the final packaging design of The Legend, to be received by the clients who decide to move the amphoraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stored underwater to their own installations, or cellars. This is why Barbuto has designed and manufactured their own glass box for their The Legend amphora. Thanks to that, whenever he wishes, the client can dispose of, and enjoy, a vintage extra virgin olive oil from a certain harvest, at a much lower cost than if it had been stored in the tra-

ditional manner, resorting to the latest technology. And more so, when one considers that the norm is that olive oil should be consumed before 24 months after its harvesting and pressing. At this point, one should remember that olive oil -unlike wine- does not age well, and loses its quality and organoleptic attributes. And should one choose to freeze it, once defrosted, its product life is estimated at 10 days.

Important economic and energy savings The revolution caused by this pioneering method of underwater storage gives important benefits that affect the financial balance of an enterprise, but also imply sustainable development. With The Legend system, the annual cost of conserving the extra virgin olive oil in excellent conditions is reduced, with no renouncement of excellence for this reason. The main enemies in this phase are the air, the temperature and the amount of light. All of these are eliminated by the ancestral technique of underwater storage. The ambient of a controlled temperature is achieved at a low cost, or with no cost at all. Contact with the air is practically inexistent, if the amphora has been properly sealed to start with. As far as the lighting factor, in a cave, well or closed cellar, the problem also disappears.

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Currently, depending on the size of stainless steel tanks or storage tanks and the square meters of the warehouse, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the costs to achieve a controlled temperature environment are very high, reaching even tens of thousands of euros a yearâ&#x20AC;?, they highlight from Barbuto Natural. The initial investment is also quite expensive. Not to mention that each time the tanks are emptied, all of the inert gas insertion process -such as nitrogen or argon- needs to be re-done, increasing the already high operating expenses. In Barbuto they say that the challenge for the upcoming season is double: on the one hand, it consists of continuing to carry out more tests to perfect the process, both in the physical-chemical and organoleptic aspects. On the other hand, it refers to the final phase of sending amphoras packed with vintage EVOO underwater to customers. We must not forget that this shipment, with the courier services currently available on the market, is a challenge in itself, given the delicate nature of the glass packaging containing the amphora and the weight of the water, which significantly increasese its cost. What will they do? Will they save storage costs but increase them in the shipping? Knowing Jean Paul, we are sure he will come up with a brilliant solution...

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FR EVOO Fernando Ruiz A World of Sensations in a Universe of Flavors By Alfredo Briega MartĂn

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The FR EVOO Fernando Ruiz extra virgins were born right at the heart of the La Loma region, and thanks to the special care given to their production -as much on the terrain as at the modern oil mill- their aspiration is to conquer the most demanding palates, flying the flag of maximum environmental sustainability, traceability and making a bet for the highest quality.

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La Rueda Casa Baja, S.L. is a private business within the international sphere, captained by Fernando Ruiz Catena, an entrepreneur from Baeza who is acknowledged for his vocational entrepreneurial spirit, endorsed by a long and successful commercial trajectory in the industry of meat by-products -becoming its world leader- and now aims to refocus on EVOO production. A real self-made man, with a subtle vision for business, who believes that humanist values, and labor constancy, to be the principles that signal the road to success.

The company aspires to become an international reference point for the production of top quality extra virgin olive oil La Rueda Casa Baja is also the name given to the farm comprising 600 ha. of olive trees, one of the largest in Jaén, acquired by Fernando Ruiz on July 13th 2016. Located at the heart of the La Loma region, this plantation comprises 200,000 olive trees, of the Picual, Hojiblanca, Manzanilla and Arbequina varieties. After undertaking the recuperation of the trees -which were very deteriorated after years of abandon-, as well as the clearance of the farmland and the implantation of underground irrigation, a modern 6,000 m2 (6,550 sq.yds.) oil mill was built at the center of the farm, equipped with the latest technological advances and conceived with the idea to obtain oils of excellent sensorial quality -endorsed by their own laboratory as well as by an external one- taking meticulous care of the environment, and employing machinery from top companies such as Pieralisi, Olmos, Esteryfil or Parcitank. These installations are also characterized for meeting the most demanding standards of hygiene and quality: the oil mill possesses the Food Safety Certificates ISO 22.000, FSSC, BRC, IFS and SQF, all awarded by Aenor, and will be obtaining the Certificate of Integrated Production when the present campaign comes to an end. The company’s philosophy is to be involved in the whole productive process and equip itself with the latest innovative technology used in the cultivation, harvesting, production and storage of oils. The aim is none other than that of the production and commercialization of Premium EVOOs, and is being very well received by the market ever since their first harvest, obtained in November 2017. The estimated volume of olive production reaches 12,000,000 kilos (12,000 tons) which produces 2,000,000 liters approximately of extra virgin olive oil -bottled on their own installations- that is marketed both on a national and international level. Having just passed their first year of existence, the company has built up an extensive portfolio of clients from the HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant, Café) channel in the USA, South America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

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The company aspires to become an international reference for the production of top quality extra virgin olive oil, that it commercializes under three brands: Fernando Ruiz (FR) AOVE, La Rueda and La Rueda Casa Baja. Thus, the FR AOVE range is presented in shiny glass 500 ml. (16 fl. oz.) bottles, in vivid metallic colors that differentiate between each variety: Manzanilla, Picual, Arbequina, Hojiblanca and Royal, and a coupage that varies with each harvest; as well as another spectacular blend, limited to 15,000 500 ml. (16 fl. oz.) bottles -numbered and signed before a notary- dressed with an exclusive oval packaging design -in imitation of the globe of the world-, designed by Luisa Rodríguez, Fernando’s wife, together with Jesús Mendoza, from the Mendoza Estudio. On the other hand, La Rueda is a more economical range, consisting of Picual and Manzanilla monovarietals, presented in black glass 500 ml. and 250 ml. (16 and 8.5 fl. oz.) bottles, with same color bottle cap (for the Picual) and white cap (for the Manzanilla). Finally, La Rueda Casa Baja is produced in PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) packaging, in 250 ml. 500 ml., 1, 2, 3 and 5 liter volumes (8.5 and 16 fl. oz., 33, 67, 101, 169, and 1,690 fl. oz.); and in a metallic can packaging, in 1, 2, and 5 liter volumes (8.5, 16, and 169 fl. oz.). In order to guarantee the traceability of the product to a maximum degree, all the bottles are marked in batches, using an indelible and un-manipulative laser method -that is applicable as much on glass as on plastic or metal-, as well as incorporating a QR code.

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Avant-garde technology

A few months before the harvesting of the olive, the technicians from FR EVOO Fernando Ruiz analyze the fruit and, once it reaches the optimal moment of its maturation, they proceed to select the most adequate plots. Only a couple of hours go by from the harvest to the obtaining of the precious juice. The whole production process takes place in the own oil mill located inside of the farm, so as to guarantee its freshness. Here, stainless steel reigns. The whole reception patio, as well as the mixers, decanters, deposits, etc. are made of this material. The oil mill has four hammer-mills, with sieves, and a Pieralisi ProtoreattoreÂŽ system for reconditioning the olive paste, as an alternative to the traditional mixers, thus reducing the mixing time, yet at the same time preserving nutritional qualities intact. The technology provided by the Italian giant is completed with the Leopard decanter, which improves the quality of the extra virgin obtained, and the centrifugal separator Saturno, that avoids any period of inactivity due to the Mister Cip system. Thanks to DMF technology, the Leopard -that represents an evolution in the two-phase system, uniting in one machine the value of production with no addition of

water, and the simplicity of a three-phase decanter- enables the production of a superior quality oil, maximum output, and important hydrological and energy saving. The spectacular cellar deserves a special mention -40 tanks made in inert stainless steel, with the capacity to hold a volume of 4,500,000 kg. (1,170 gal.)-. It has an inner lining of 15 cm. (5.9 in.) thick refrigerator panels, and a lighting system that allows for color changes, with tones that oscillate from pink to blue, going through green, red and yellow -that all together produce an attractive rainbow effect-. The olive-growing dream held by Fernando Ruiz, La Rueda, has become enjoyably true. This is a project that required an investment of more than 40 million Euros, on which he has also embarked his son, Nando, a 23 year-old youth who has grown up from airport to airport, accompanying his father on many business trips across the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I made this investment thinking of my son, who will be managing La Rueda in the futureâ&#x20AC;?. The replacement is assured. www.fernandoruizaove.com

For more than 200 years. Noble the Earth, Noble the Olive Grove: Noble Lineage. And in 2019, A Piece of Art will be unveiled.

History became Legend and the Legend became Myth.

Pure Oleic Art

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