Attending this dinner, I didn’t know what to expect besides sampling olive oils and eating some delicious food. After buying my ticket for the event, I also learned that there would be a change of plans with having Tavernetta host a pop-up at the dinner in the form of cooking all the food for us. Tavernetta is a new and upcoming Italian restaurant in Denver and we got to sample their dishes before they were even open to the public. So when the day arrived to actually attend the dinner, I wandered around downtown Denver trying to find the entrance. Tucked away in a well kept alley way, I found a professionally dressed woman standing outside the lobby. I must have looked confused, because she thankfully asked if I was looking for the Olive Oil dinner and sent me up to the fifth floor of the office building. I walked in and was presented with my choice of a wine spritzer cocktail and I anxiously choose one; uncertain of what I was even being offered since many of the words seemed unfamiliar to me. I continued past the kitchen to the balcony area and was introduced to the coordinator of the event, who informed me to look for my name card to find out where I would be sitting. Luckily, I didn’t have to walk up and down the long table in order to find it, since it was right in front of me. I nursed my drink and looked around at all the people deep in conversation. Perhaps I had made a bad choice by coming, since I was obviously the youngest person there and my ensemble seemed a little too ‘Seattle grunge’ for this dinner. Before I had time to let all of my self-conscious thoughts seep in, Bob came to my rescue. Bob was a retiree who volunteered for many wine auctions/events, lived in Napa Valley, accepted interns for some unknown reason, and was the head of a Slow Food Chapter. Our idle small chat filled the social hour nicely and I was thankful to not be a wallflower. After awhile we were advised to take our seats and the event officially began. I stared at the tastefully ribbon bound box sitting in front of me and wondered if I would get to take my own mini bottles of olive oil home.
The anticipation for opening my small present was killing me, but I tried to wait patiently. Meanwhile, the coordinator talked about the importance of the California Olive Oil Council and what they do. Board members on this council have well-trained palettes and can distinguish unique tasting notes within the olive oil. They also check for purity, perfection, and certify that it is in fact extra virgin olive oil. Many olive oils are blended with canola oil or are not extra virgin at all. Buying anything with the California Olive Oil Council seal ensures that you are buying oil of the highest quality with no defects.
Finally, we were instructed to open the box and there were four small containers of labeled olive oil in each one. We would be sampling four different types of oil that night, paired with dishes that were made with that specific oil as well. The owners/farmers of each oil were present as well and would talk shortly about their business and taste of their olive oil.
While waiting on our first course to arrive, we snacked on roasted vegetables and charcuterie. The vegetables were roasted using olive oil from Calivirgin and I just so happened to be sitting across from the couple who owned that brand. As we sampled their olive oil by slurping, breathing in, and letting it coat our tongues (similar to tasting wine), I listened to them talk with pride about how they process their olives and operate their business. After they sat down, I complimented them on their delicious oil and unique packaging, making a mental note to use their oil for basic recipes since it had no strong flavor notes (at least none that stood out to me).
Before our first course (antipasto) arrived, we were once again treated to a appetizer that was not on the menu: a dish of raw fish served with a creamy chevre. Incredibly light and divine. When our “antipasto” finally arrived, we received a pouring of a white California wine to accompany it. It was a delicious insalata with summer lettuce, snow pea, turnip, bagna cauda, and Calivirgin Olive Oil.
As my hunger had not yet been satisfied and my taste-buds craved more gastronomic delights, I made small talk while waiting anxiously for the next course. Before it arrived though, we had to sample another olive oil. This one was Ascolano from Wild Groves; originally used for table olives Ascolano produces complex and tropical flavors as an olive oil. (This was my personal favorite.) Wild Groves olive oil was used to produce our second course of summer squash and chive pictured below. The squash was another culinary success that ended to soon and left me anticipating the next course; one could easily call me an overeager, yet appreciative eater at this point.
All this time, our glasses of white wine seemed bottomless as servers continuously poured more whenever we were below half a glass. Yet at this time, our glasses were swapped out and replaced with glasses containing a California red wine. This prominent transition only meant one thing, it was time for the main course and what pairs better with red wine than steak. Our beef ribeye came local from Colorado state and was served with lacinato kale, pancetta, and fava bean. Umami and rich in flavor, my hunger was finally contained and my palette satisfied. The olive oil pairing was the “medium” courtesy of ENZO Olive Oil Company; it paired perfectly with the steak, because of it’s buttery, nutty notes and peppery finish.
All good things must come to an end, so with our final olive oil tasting came our final course. The olive oil we tried last and included in our dessert was the Arbequina by Seka Hills. Notes of ripe and green fruit with hints of pepper characterize the flavor profile of this olive oil and it paired well with the pistachio cake, yogurt, and peach.
As the wine stopped pouring and I took my last few bites of cake, we gave a round of applause for all who had contributed to this amazing dinner. I said my goodbyes to my fellow diners and slipped out the back door down to the elevator. Tired, buzzed, and full of olive oil ladden food I climbed into my Lyft and dreamed of a future where olive oil was appreciated by all and bought from local producers instead of generic containers from Costco. Who knows…my daydreams may not even be that far off considering the goals of the California Olive Oil Council.
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Below I have included the olive oils mentioned in this post: