For all of my fellow olive oil aficionados and lovers, if, like me, you hadn't heard of Toronto's Olive Oil Emporium, you're in for a pleasant surprise (and a few incredible bottles of olive oil).
Open since 2008, Olive Oil Emporium recently moved from their original space on St. Clair West to beautiful new digs in Mount Pleasant; the shop continues to sell their curated selection of 70 olive oils and vinegars in-store, as well as offer their service of being an olive oil and vinegar tasting bar so you get to choose your perfect oil.
When you step foot into the Olive Oil Emporium you'll immediately notice rows of big stainless steel containers (fusti) that host their various olive oils and balsamics. They bottle to-order from bulk because the oil stays much fresher in the fusti; you can also customize your bottle size.
The shelves are also brimming with complementary pairings to your oil purchase: 30 different types of jarred olives and spreads, 10 different types of tapenades, olive wood products (boards, bowls, salad servers, olive forks, spreading knives, etc.), marinated vegetables like artichokes, grilled peppers, preserved lemons, etc. crisp breads and breadsticks, dried, organic pasta directly from Italy, salts, truffle oils, and a small selection of books. The Mediterreanean-themed shop also has a lot of gift packages which are perfect for a hostess gift, they come in various budgets.
Andreas and Mary Voulgaris started as an online business in 2008 and opened their first store in 2012; all of their oils and vinegars are available for sampling in the store because they wanted to pair people with their perfect flavours. The oils and vinegars are then bottled right in front of you, it's really a boutique experience (to add to the exclusivity, there are also olive oil and balsamic pearls that look like caviar you can buy).
Everything that Andreas and Mary sell has been carefully sourced and selected; they don't just bring in items as a tick-box exercise, but base their choices on chemistry using certifiable high-standards. They focus on the seasons and harvests, even the quality of trees based on the year. The Olive Oil Emporium partners with an excellent group of folks who undergo an objective lab analysis to find the best olive oils of the season. Each season will produce its own set of oils with unique flavour profiles and fragrances, this year one of Andreas' favourite oils is the Hojiblanca (creamy, grassy Spanish olive oil that is beautifully strong).
They have oils from both the southern and northern hemispheres (Greece, Italy, Spain, Tunisia, California, and Portugal in the north, and Chile, Peru, continental Africa, and Australia in the south). Because the growing seasons are opposite, they get stunning young olive oils twice a year.
What most people don't know is that olives are fruit: they grow on trees, produce an annual crop, and are super resilient. There are trees in the Mediterranean that are ancient, some olive trees are over 1000 years old and still producing fruit. In the northern hemisphere the olives trees start blooming in May which eventually become full grown olives in September/October when harvest begins. They will be typically green at that point, and as they mature on the tree they will darken into the purply black olives.
All of Olive Oil Emporium's olive oils are harvested from early-olives; science has tested when olives reach their peak in terms of health benefits and flavour: the optimal point for harvest and pressing are when they're still green but starting to pink. The longer you wait, however, the more oil that can be pressed per olive, which is why there can be differences in price points for olive oils. Olives also need to be crushed within 3-4 hours after being harvested, you could have your olives sitting for a couple of days, and even though you won't get a bad olive oil at that point, you won't get to capture its full potential. After the olives are "crushed" that paste undergoes a kind of kneading process with a controlled temperature to get the oil. The liquid is settled naturally then filtered for sediment. Olive oil, simply, is just pure olive juice.
Going to Olive Oil Emporium is a special experience, especially for those who appreciate quality ingredients and like to play in the kitchen. Anyone who spends time with food can appreciate the curated selection, the deeply knowledgeable staff, and an array of products that represent high quality.
