Diary of an Olive Oil Somellier
Stories of Flavor, Travel, and Transformation
Category: Uncategorized
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There’s a quiet kind of magic that happens when people gather around a table. Not a fancy table. Not a perfect one. Just a table—maybe a little crowded, maybe mismatched chairs, maybe a loaf of bread torn by hand instead of sliced neatly. The kind of table where stories spill as easily as olive oil…
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Most people know that Chardonnay doesn’t taste like a Cabernet.Different grapes, different flavors, different personalities — that’s the magic of wine. But olive oil works the very same way. Olives aren’t interchangeable. Every bottle of real extra virgin olive oil begins with a cultivar — a specific olive variety — and each one has its own character…
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Every November, we’re reminded to slow down, gather, and give thanks. And while Thanksgiving looks a little different for everyone — big families, small tables, Friendsgiving, beach picnics, or even a quiet dinner for one — the heart of it is always the same: we show love by feeding each other. In the olive oil…
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If fruitiness is the soul of olive oil, and bitterness its backbone, then pungency is the spark—the wild card, the unexpected friend who barges in with boldness and refuses to be ignored. Pungency shows up as that peppery kick in the back of your throat, the fiery tickle that makes you cough once, twice, maybe…
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We spend so much of life avoiding bitterness. In food, in memories, in relationships—we equate bitter with unpleasant, something to be pushed aside. But in the world of olive oil, bitterness is not something to fear. It’s something to savor, even to learn from. Olives are born bitter. You can’t pluck one off the tree…
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When most people hear the word fruity, they think of apples, citrus, or maybe a bowl of berries. But in the world of extra virgin olive oil, fruitiness has a very different—and very special—meaning. Olive oil is, at its heart, a fruit juice. Pressed from fresh olives, it captures the essence of the fruit itself. When we talk…
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The first time I found my way to Hilton Head Island, I was thirty-two and sick with a stubborn case of bronchitis. I slept fourteen hours that first day, twelve the next — my body refusing everything but rest. By the third morning, I willed myself upright and slowly walked the two short blocks to…
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I have a confession: this Greek Chickpea Salad is my absolute favorite. I make it several times a week, and it’s just as perfect for a quick solo lunch as it is for sharing at the table. Simple, vibrant, and endlessly satisfying, it’s also one of the biggest crowd-pleasers at my Mediterranean diet classes. Chickpeas—like…
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I didn’t come to the Lowcountry looking for a new career—but the tides had other plans. After thirty years in the fast-paced world of publishing and graphic design—logos, deadlines, late nights—I found myself craving something quieter, slower, more rooted. When a long chapter in New York closed, I packed my bags and landed on Hilton…
Diary of an Olive Oil Somellier 