Olive oil bar is associated with a gastronomy narrative invested by restaurants with the purpose to showcase the affluence of mother earth.
Curation: Katerina Karsioti
OLIVE OIL BAR…Not just a trend but true value of restaurants
Executive Olive Oil Chef Vassilis Leonidou by AVLI restaurant in Rethymno, Crete and the Executive Chef Fanis Maikantis by Panigyri restaurant Festival Food, in Fira, Santorini, converse about the huge value of Olive Oil Bar at restaurants.
Olive Oil Bar…
A genuine value that can attire in restaurant spaces and cοmpile a totally experiential proposition with the extra virgin olive oil unfolding its own culinary narrative in Greek cuisine.
Olive oil, one of the most important goods of the Mediterranean nutrition, it essential, especially within restaurants, to play a dominant role.
What is an Olive Oil Bar?
A different bar at the restaurants showcasing and promoting locals producers as well as Greek brands with the extra virgin olive oil in the foreground.
Varieties such as Koroneiki, Megaritiki, Athinoelia, Kolobi but also Mavroelia, Tsounati, Lianoelia, Manaki, Tsampidoelia, convey with charm way their profile, personality and aromatic characteristics…
An authentic “implement” where a visitor is in connection with the Greek culture, different varieties of the olive along with aromatic and taste characteristics.
Moreover, discovers how each variety is combined with the appropriate dish, the so-called food pairing which is a completely interactive experience.
To a great extent, the induction of an olive oil bar within restaurants, acquires a multifactoral character.It creates high value, promotes it’s identity and the proper use of e.v.o.o in a kitchen, trains with an utterly experiential pattern as a visitor actively participates and connected directly with the travel know-how, as the restaurant’s team has the ability to create actions such as tastings and seminars simultaneously.
The Olive Oil Bar, in addition to the culinary aspect, acquires also an educational character. It is an experience through which a visitor travels to each region of Greece, which promotes its own extra virgin olive oil and unique terroir.
Vassilis Leonidou, Olive Oil Executive Chef – ΑVLI Restaurant Rethymno, Crete
You were one of the first Chefs in Greece to occupy with the extraordinary virgin olive oil…When did the recognition and distinction as Best Executive Olive Oil Chef “come” from global olive oil guide FLOS OLEI?
There was an olive oil festival in Rome in 2017 awarding producers, olive oil importers.
I believe it was something that neither I expected nor anyone in Greece imagined that such an award wοuld be on the way.
It was one and only feeling. I was acquainted with the Flos Olei carrier before along with foreign labels in general.
The level of olive oils was bang-up and I am of the opinion that we are by no means inferior.
The award came after 8 years of being intensively involved with olive oil, the transmission of knowledge about it and its use in the field of gastronomy.
How many varieties of olives are pinpointed in Greece and which of them can be used effortlessly in a kitchen?
I reckon there are at present over 140 edible table olives as well as for olive oil.
The largest percentage of cultivation pertain to koroneiki, but now rare and old ones varieties have stepped out , which we were not widely spread such as tsampidoelia, mirtoelia mavrolia.
There are not easy and hard variations in matches. I think all of them have a match and uniqueness.
Presently, Greece produces excellent olive oils and surpasses other countries in taste.
What do I mean by that? Even very bitter, spicy and intense olive oils remain “sweet” on the grounds of climate.
It is a fact that in recent years in Greece, significant Greek brands made an appearance on the market…
Is this what makes an Olive Oil Bar grow successfully?
I remember back in the day there weren’t many labels available.
Some of them had issues after a while in regards to taste. Nowadays, you don’t know what to add in an olive oil bar.
Huge variety, even from the same variety of olive you will experience different characteristics in taste.
I always acclaimed that the producer is the one who plays a leading part, but let’s not forget that olive oil derives from nature and the field initially.
Now, I feel safe and it is easy to find what one wishes to cater the needs of a restaurant.
How can restaurants slowly move from Wine Cellar to… Olive Oil Bar?
It doesn’t need to go from one to the other but to get the wine cellar know-how, needs to do something similar to olive oil.
Something I have definitely adopted from wine is product’s presentation, origin, variety but also the special characteristics presented to the client.
Most certainly, olive oil cannot be aged, but it needs to be stored properly, preserved, etc. but in order to achieve this, we must first overcome old pathogens such as spoiled olive oils in cooking, thousands of restaurants still serving in bulk and keeping product in bottles unprotected by weather conditions.
There is a dire need for professionals to be trained and make use of the already existing legislation.
Olive Oil Bar…not just a trend but a true value! How can it be established in Greek restaurants and under which conditions?
It definitely requires knowledge, before you place, before you present, you should first and foremost know the product itself.
Pairing is constantly changing and prone to errors. You can’t serve defective olive oils. To name an olive oil bar a few olive oils are simply not enough.
It has nothing to do with the number of bottles that someone will have in his possession, this can be achieved with 6-8 different olive oils , without defects and be familiar with.
The last few years several restaurants and chefs do a great work. I just admire their boldness to integrate quality olive oil in their restaurants.
Let it not become a trend. I hope it becomes an integral part of a restaurant! After all, trends fade rapidly…
When did we first witness an Olive Oil Bar in a restaurant globally ? Its dynamics in Greece…
Without wishing to offend anyone, I think we first witness it in Italy and at the restaurant owned by Gino Celletti, an olive oil connoisseur. For 12-14 years now.
An entire menu made on top of every single olive oil that was in the olive oil bar.
Here in Greece I embarked on it in 2010 with a dose of exaggeration, reaching up to 85 olive oils originated both from Greece and abroad.
Again, I don’t wish to be unfair to anyone, already have an olive oil bar at his disposal. As for the dynamics in Greece, although great steps have been taken, I think we still have a long way to go.
“Extra virgin olive oil… at its exceptional service of gastronomy
Fanis Maikantis, Executive Chef – Panigyri Festival Restaurant Food Fira Santorini
What should be paid special attention to properly set up an Olive Oil Bar?
Indeed, this is a huge value that can be highlighted through the restaurants. At the same time, such an endeavor requires special attention in order to get great results and naturally continue to do so.
In other words, training, in order for someone to be able to represent an Olive Oil Bar, is of utmost importance.
It is vital to be aware of the organoleptic characteristics, the varieties, the aromatic and taste characteristics to combine an olive oil with a certain dish.
Food pairing is not an easy task, requires knowledge and then experimentation to master it.
Attending seminars constantly in the olive oil sector are also necessary for the continuous knowledge and personnel development to properly represent the specific project.
We also have to pay special attention…when do we procure an olive oil but how we maintain it in our restaurant. It needs infrastructure and absolute respect and commitment to the producer and to the product itself.
With the induction of the Olive Oil Bar at the restaurants, does a new job vacancy also “becomes available”?
Exactly and this is quite important. There can’t be an Olive Oil Bar without an Olive Oil Expert.
This brings to the fore how important it is to be specialized in a specific field as well how beautiful it is to support , highlight and project it.
New actions and collaborations that are dehisced through Olive Oil Bar and Olive Oil Experience?
When you have created an Olive Oil Bar with professionalism and absolute respect for the product, future can be brighter.
Furthermore, staffing with professionals such as olive oil experts who also represent the olive oil experience, is also a key element.
This essentially “opens up” collaborations not only within the catering business but also with the hotel industry.
As we mentioned before, the Olive oil Bar within a restaurant disposes a great educational character.
This actually means that chefs from other restaurants, sommeliers as well hotel professionals share the opportunity through a comprehensive seminar held in the restaurant business to be adequately trained so that they know how to evaluate a olive oil until it reaches the kitchen of their own restaurant.
Olive tourism can be “enhanced” and “promoted” through the restaurant and of course the Olive Oil Bar?
Although much still needs to be done for olive tourism aiming to take the shape it deserves, indeed through the Olive Oil Bar and the Olive Oil Experience, tourism is promoted thanks to this specific thematic format.
A visitor, directly and experientially, gets the opportunity to be introduced to the product itself, understand the possibilities as well as the perspectives that open up, to get to know different olive varieties and not to mention local producers through their products.
What will one gain by participating in an Olive Oil Experience?
It is clearly a unique and interactive experience with many benefits.
It is worth mentioning that it is also linked to tourism as foreign visitors bespeak with great love as far as the experience is concerned.
An Olive Oil Experience can include extra virgin but also defective olive oils tasting in order for the participant to perceive the differences between them, cooking lessons based on olive oil as well as a degustation menu where each dish is combined exclusively with its own olive oil.
Consequently, this kind of experience, a visitor gets to know the organoleptic characteristics of each olive oil as well as the philosophy of each Greek olive oil brand.
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