Olive Oil of the World

Marco Eagle 03/20/2011, Page B07

AT THE MARKET

TAKE YOUR PICK OF EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OILS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

By Jenine Ouillette

Special to the Eagle
Winter or summer, autumn or spring, Ersilia Moreno, owner and chef of Olive Oil of the World, runs her business on a seasonal clock in sync with the olive trees that grow the fruit that is converted into liquid gold called extra virgin olive oil. Moreno is a vendor at Marco Island Farmers Market and a knowledgeable olive oil expert who travels to find countries that produce the best tasting olive oils and makes them available to her local and mail order customers.

“My goal is to have one extra virgin olive oil from each the 26-plus countries that produce it and one from each of the 16 olive oil producing regions of Italy, and one extra virgin olive oil from California, Texas and Arizona in the United States,” declared 

Olive Oil of the World owner and chef Ersilia Moreno is always happy to explain the benefits of extra virgin olive oil to customers Beth Phelan and Elizabeth Rechtin at the Marco Island Farmers Market booth.

Olive Oil of the World’s booth at the Marco Island Farmers Market displays a wide selection of extra virgin olive oils from countries around the world and the United States.

Moreno, noting that she has been searching her whole adult life, from a hobby that started in college to the present, to find the best tasting olive oils.

Related to that quest, Moreno said she’s always looking to add to her inventory and is planning to introduce a new varietal extra virgin olive oil from Italy at her booth sometime soon before the Marco Island Farmers Market closes April 13. Truly, a visit to her booth is almost like a tour through the olive groves. Moreno takes the time to cheerfully explain the obvious benefits derived from cooking with olive oil and really enjoys helping customers choose one perfect for their palate as well as their cooking needs.

“I only want to deal with extra virgin olive oil because it’s always from the first pressing when no c hemical solvents are used to extract the oils. Then, there’s the IOOC, the International Olive Oil Council that set the guidelines that reputable member countries adhere to, and they (countries) are the ones obligated to monitor the growers’ quality and whether or not they are actually producing extra virgin olive oil.

Moreno noted she is a sponsor of an upcoming Taste of Home Cooking School show being held in West Palm Beach. She invited readers, who may in the vicinity at the end of March, to come visit her booth at the cooking show presented live at Northwood University in West Palm Beach on Thursday, March 31. The pre-show takes place from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by the cooking school from 7 to 9 p.m. For information about the show please call Moreno at (561) 386-0756.

Another show Moreno is looking forward to is the Festa Italiana 2011 Peekskill where she will have a vendor booth and will be conducting cook ing demonstrations with her son and partner Rasheed, a graduate chef of Florida Culinary Institute. The traditional second annual Italian street festival, held Aug. 12 to 14 in Peekskill, N.Y. draws exhibitors and crowds of participants worldwide said Moreno, adding that even more information can be found though a link on her Website oliveoiloftheworld. com. In addition the site is a valuable resource for finding information about the company’s gourmet food items and gift baskets as well as the olive country tours Moreno will be conducting in October and November 2011.

Olive Oil of the World also offers a variety of organic fruit jams at the Marco Island Farmers Market booth.