Recalling my serendipitous discoveries of Todd & Holland Tea Merchants, our indisputably premier purveyor of fine teas over on Madison Street (in Forest Park), and Penzey’s Spices on Lake Street, let me now welcome and acquaint you with Olive & Well, the enticing new olive oil and balsamic vinegar shop that recently opened in the Scoville Square building on Oak Park Avenue near Lake Street.
Olive & Well is the brainchild of proprietor Sondra Elder, whose passion for olive oil and balsamic vinegar is certainly “alive & well” as she deftly answers questions about these two seemingly common-yet uncommon-kitchen staples. After 20 years in the corporate world working for Aramark Corporation, a professional food services and management organization, followed by a stint at the Culinary Institute of America, Elder wanted to “taste” something else. The something else turned out to be fresh olive oil. “My passion began when I saw it in Europe,” explained Elder. “Once you begin tasting, you realize that every olive oil tastes different. And fresh makes the flavor!”
Like wine grapes, the flavor of olives is affected by soil, climate and methods of production, but fresh is surely the key word when it comes to the impressive array of fantastic-tasting olive oils you can sample at Olive & Well. Selections from Italy, Greece, and Spain; California, South America and Australia; as well as flavored oils from Tunisia are featured-all lined up and stored in stainless steel tanks from Italy called fusti. Your selection is bottled on the spot, ensuring the freshest oil possible.
Olive oil, of course, is used extensively in cooking, as well as in the making of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and even as fuel. However, when I think of olive oil, it’s only natural to pair it with the exquisite balsamic vinegar that comes from Modena, Italy.
Balsamic vinegar, unlike ordinary vinegar, is dark, thick, and slightly sweet with a complex flavor. Unlike olive oil, age is a key factor and true balsamic vinegar must be aged for a minimum of 10 years. All of the balsamic vinegars at Olive & Well are aged for 12 years and are also available with additional flavors, such as fig, black currant, white pear, and pomegranate.
Tasting these vinegars is a revelation and much different from what you might expect, especially if you are used to the less expensive and often phony balsamic vinegars that you find at the supermarket. If you think you don’t care for the taste of balsamic vinegar, stop by and I guarantee you’ll think again.
My emphasis as a chef is, of course, on taste, but the health benefits derived from a diet containing olive oil and balsamic vinegar are certainly the icing on the cake. Recent research into the Mediterranean diet indicates that ingesting extra virgin olive oil helps lower harmful LDL cholesterol. It is full of antioxidants, as is balsamic vinegar, and hinders artery clogging and other chronic diseases, including cancer.
Getting back to taste, currently there are 72 terms-such as herbaceous, fruity, fragrant, peppery, spicy, nutty, and grassy-currently used by experts to describe the nuances of olive oil.
I encourage you to delve deeper into the pleasures of this versatile staple while I heartily welcome Sondra Elder of Olive & Well to our culinary community.