Hail, hail! 14th Annual Olive Festival celebrates tiny, powerful fruit
We’re lucky here in Sonoma Valley: we live in a Mediterranean climate and with that comes not only great weather, but a plentiful amount of wine and olives. While the grape is dormant, the olive comes out to play – it’s olive season and the Sonoma Valley Olive Festival is in full swing. “This festival is an opportunity for Sonoma Valley to celebrate the bounty of the olive and the artisan community that makes up such a large part of the culture of the Valley,” says Wendy Peterson, Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Visitor’s Bureau.
This is the 14th year for the festival, which showcases olive cultivation and harvest process, olive oil and food, and olive themed arts. The event attracts olive fans from around the world and according to Peterson, “It brings together the entire community, and showcases the people, businesses, organizations and environment that make Sonoma Valley so special.” The olive is the “second harvest” of Sonoma Valley. Olives are the second most exported product from the Valley, just behind grapes. A combination of wine and olives makes Sonoma Valley a unique place in the United States. Dana Jaffe, Executive Chef at Saddles Steakhouse, couldn’t agree more, “I feel blessed to live in an area that not only produces great wine, but also amazing olive oil.”
For olive oil lovers, it’s overwhelming – many wineries now make their own olive oil and when you stop by the market to simply pick up some olive oil for at-home cooking, you’re faced with a vast selection of locally made products. Many are award winners, helping to put Sonoma Valley on the map as a quality region for producing artisan olive oil. As a home cook, my cupboard is never without B.R. Cohn Organic California Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($14.50). I’m also a big fan of infused olive oils, which are a simple way to add an extra boost of flavor to a dish. My favorites are Figone’s Garlic Olive Oil ($12) and the Olive Press’ Hot Chili Olive Oil ($20). In the kitchen at Saddles, Chef Jaffe is never far from her favorite McEvoy Ranch olive oil and Castelvetrano olives, “I always have both of them on hand.” Her guilty olive pleasure? “I have a place in my heart for the little shriveled black oil cured olives.”
The Olive Festival continues now through President’s Day weekend. Don’t miss the Feast of the Olive Dinner (1/31, $175 a ticket), which brings together 19 of the best chefs in the Valley, including Chef Jaffe, to collaborate on a multi-course olive-obsessed dinner, and An Olive Odyssey at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards: a two day extravaganza of olive and olive oil tastings, talks, and tours of the Olive Press (Free!). Learn more about the festival at www.olivefestival.com
