The EU’s program, “Add Extra Quality to Your Life” – based on the importance of quality olive oil – has just successfully ended its first three-year campaign in the United States. Founded by the European Union with the support of CEQ Italia and QVetra!, this program promotes the penetration of European extra-virgin olive oil in the United States market through a series of training and educational courses for staff and dinners involving culinary schools like New York Culinary International Center.
Two non-profit organizations passionately dedicated to raising the standards of extra-virgin olive oil produced in Spain and Italy, QVExtra! International and CEQ Italia have joined forces in a special campaign to share this knowledge with chefs and consumers in the United States, Spain, and Italy. The initiative is sponsored financially by the European Union, known for supporting ventures of this nature promoting high-quality agricultural production. The friendly competition between members of the European Union and its producers actually serves to push for continuous improvement and raising global standards. As part of their mission, the program also educates culinary professionals and consumers about the production and authenticity of extra-virgin olive oil through a series of lectures, demonstrations, and tastings.
Most Americans already love extra-virgin olive oil (also commonly known as EVOO) for its flavor and versatility. But it’s not common knowledge that there are a range of flavors and qualities attributed to extra-virgin olive oil – based on how the oil is produced and stored, the variety of olives that are used and where those olives originate from. The average person may not know how to distinguish the best quality extra-virgin olive oils (especially in an ordinary grocery store) or the best way to cook with it. And above all, they probably don’t know what they’re missing!
This campaign made up of seminars, training, tastings in Boston, Providence, and New York, discussed the production methods and standards of extra-virgin olive oil plus its benefits and the role it plays in the Mediterranean diet with the key elements for determining quality, how the land influences flavor profiles, and how to cook with EVOO. Depending on the variety, the extra-virgin olive oil has its own distinct character – fruity or aromatic, sweet or bitter with the differing intensity of the spicy aftertaste. These extra virgin olive oils all have their own nuances, contrasts and flavors – but what they have in common is that their production has been closely controlled from the flower to the bottle with the main goal to provide the highest possible quality for consumers. Expert growers and brands are Alfonso Fernández López from Spain, Natalia Ravida from Italy and Luigi Caricato, olive oenologist, journalist, and director of OOF International Magazine.
There were also cooking demonstrations as part of these seminars: Italian American Chef Marisa Iocco, cited as a “Distinguished Culinarian” in 2017 and named one of the best Italian chefs in America by Accademia Cucina Italiana. Her Boston restaurant Spiga is named one of the “Top Ten Restaurants in America” by Esquire magazine while Conde Nast Traveler lauded it as “One of the Top 80 Places in the World to Eat.” Chef Marisa also recently published her first book titled “Every Menu is a Love Story – Ecco Perché Amore.”
During the interactive culinary seminars, students and industry professionals had the opportunity to taste different EVOOs and dishes prepared by the chefs. Attendees could ask questions and engage in activities like developing, implementing and discussing their own recipes. Then they were asked to complete a true/false questionnaire to evaluate their newly-gained EVOO knowledge both before and after the training.
Almost more than 1,000 people participated – all with great feedback about the seminars and training. They pointed out how their knowledge about olive oil improved thanks to the seminars and activities, citing the importance of awareness about the olive oil world in terms of health, nutrition, and consumption.
Now the two organizations are gearing up for their next round set for 2020!