Olive oil maker earns gold-medals at L.A. County Fair - Christy Lochrie
This originally ran in the Redding Record Searchlight in July 2005Brian Kenny doesn't have time to gloat. He's too busy tending olive trees in Gerber.
TENDING: One olive tree produces about 150 pounds of olives, enough to make about 15 bottles of olive oil, said Brian Kenny, sales and marketing manager for Pacific Sun Olive Oil. Here Kenny hangs fly traps in an olive tree at Pacific Farms in Gerber.
The orchard, owned by Pacific Sun of Gerber, earned some Southern California recognition recently at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona. The Olive Oils of the World competition includes both California and international extra virgin olive oil judging.
Four of the farm's olive oils took gold-medal awards and one a bronze in the domestic extra virgin olive oil categories. Kenny expected the oils to do well -- last year they earned several silvers. But with just three years' fair experience, which pits olive oil producers against the best in the state, he didn't expect to take so much gold.
"I thought Wow!' That works," Kenny said. "I would have been elated with one."
Gold medal-winning oils include: Manzanilla blend, Sevillano, Ascolana Proprietor's Select and Ascolano blends. Bronze was earned for the medium oil in the Frantoio, Leccino, Pendolino, Maurino and Moraiolo olive oil categories. The names refer to the species of olives.
ONE AT A TIME: Rather than a mechanized production system, Pacific Sun Olive Oil is hand-labeled and boxed in a chilled room.
Kenny said Pacific Sun keeps temperatures low when making its oil and uses a single-press process, which yields extra-virgin olive oil. Rather than pressing olives a second time or extracting residual oil with chemicals, the leftover olives and pits are recycled into a soil amendment, Kenny said. Some olive oil producers, by contrast, mix first press oils with the lower quality oils and sell it as extra virgin olive oil. The difference is the fresh taste, Kenny said.
During a recent tour of the Gerber farm, Kenny, a former freelance writer and software engineer, said he and longtime friend Brendon Flynn decided to venture into olive oil production in 2000. Historically, the farm has produced prunes, peaches, walnuts and such. Still does. But they wanted to stretch into olive oil, which yields about 15 bottles of oil per tree.
But production is both time intensive and costly. Rather than compete on price, a near impossibility with a small operation, they educated themselves and crafted the best product they could, Kenny said.
The farm cold-presses the olives on site and maintains even temperatures both during the milling and in storage. Kenny said the process has taught him the subtleties of olive oil taste, which he insists should be tested straight -- not on foods -- similar to wine tasting.
HARVESTED: A hand-dipped and packaged bottle of olive oil ready for shipment.
Kenny's biggest pet peeve: A deregulated olive oil industry in the United States. Blends, which can include oil extracted with solvents, don't have the same flavor profile as a single-press, extra virgin oil. But an oil may be labeled extra virgin, even if it truly isn't.
Roberto Zecca, chairman of the L.A. County Fair's olive oil competition states on the competition's Web site: "Most people don't realize that the production and sale of olive oil is totally unregulated. As a result, quality and production practices vary greatly. Our organization is trying to change this situation by imposing quality standards for production and judging. The L.A. County Fair Olive Oil Competition is a key part of our strategy to improve the industry."
Kenny said raising the standard of olive oil production, and reaching out to educate connoisseurs is the cornerstone of Pacific Sun's quality-standard. But it's hard work.
He, along with the farm's three full-time and two part-time employees, work long days during oil production and then they hit markets to showcase and sell the product. This Friday, for instance, Kenny is slated to offer an olive oil demonstration at Sunset Marketplace in Redding. There, he'll offer up advice about cooking and seasoning with the oils, which sell for $11 to $20 a bottle. And on Aug. 6, he's offering an olive oil class at That Kitchen Place on Hilltop Drive in Redding.
"Specialty food is exclusive a lot of times and it doesn't need to be," Kenny said.
Meanwhile, here are a few Pacific Sun-created olive oil recipes:
TOP-SECRET PESTO
Chef's note: Requires a food processor or a mortar and pestle. This is more of a conceptual sketch than a scientific formula. Black walnuts and arugula make an exciting substitute for basil and pine nuts. Use this pesto sauce as a bread dip, vegetable condiment or sauce for chicken.
2 Handfuls fresh arugula
6 to 8 ounces extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces black walnuts, chopped and crushed
4 bulbs fresh crushed garlic
Sea salt to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Shaved Parmesan cheese
Place washed arugula in a food processor and add black walnuts, garlic, and olive oil. Process until the mix has a uniform consistency. Transfer mix to a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle over pasta and cover with shaved Parmesan cheese.
BASIC OLIVE OIL DIP
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Mix all ingredients together and place in a small saucepan. Heat on low for about 1 minute or until oil is warm to the touch. Pour into a small serving bowl and serve with baguette pieces or rustic bread.
GREEN BEAN SALAD
1 pound fresh green beans, snipped
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
2 ounces almond slivers, toasted
2 ounces olives
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
Salt to taste
Vinegar to taste
Cook the beans in boiling water with a little salt for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness and cooking preference. Drain and cool. Mix the olive oil, parsley, cumin and vinegar. Add salt or additional spices to taste.
Toss the beans in some dressing, reserving the rest. Place tossed beans in a serving dish. Add almonds and olives. Toss with a bit more dressing. Decorate with the hard-boiled egg slices and add remaining dressing.
PACIFIC SUN PORTERHOUSE STEAKS WITH TAPENADE AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR
¾ cup tapenade
4 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 porterhouse (each one about 2 inches thick) steaks
2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper both sides of the steaks and place on a platter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle steaks with olive oil. Add two tablespoons olive oil to a skillet large enough for both steaks. Please on high heat. Brown the steaks for approximately 2 ½ to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat. Drizzle steaks with balsamic vinegar. Divide tapenade evenly and spoon over the two steaks. Bake steaks for 20 minutes; adjust time to suit your taste. Reserve juices in pan for au jus and drizzle over steak, if desired.
Currents reporter Christy Lochrie can be reached at 225-8309 or at clochrie@redding.com.
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