Ihsan and Valerie own and run the Formaggio Kitchen family of stores. As is true of any folks passionate about their jobs, work intertwines throughout all aspects of their lives. Their travels – frequent and far-flung – are largely dictated by the food producers they want to meet or to revisit, by rumors of new and exciting foodstuffs and/or food conferences such as “Cheese,” the biennial Slow Food festival held in Bra, Italy. Their larder and wine cellar are stocked with favorite items they have imported or new items they are testing out. Even when on holiday, they are in direct communication with all three stores, coordinating deliveries from Europe and generally checking to make sure everything is on track. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Olive Oil & Specialty Oils’ Category
Introducing Ihsan and Valerie: Owners of Formaggio Kitchen
Posted in About Us, Cheese, Christmas, Gift Giving, Gifts & Wares, Grains, Rice, Flours & Beans, Hanukkah, Herbs, Spices, Salts & Peppers, Holiday, Jams & Preserves, Meats & Charcuterie, Olive Oil & Specialty Oils, Pasta, Staff Profiles, Wine, tagged Arraya, Bleu des Basques, Comté, food, food gifts, gift ideas, Ihsan Gurdal, rillettes, robiola, Sainte-Maure Belgique, Saveur du Maquis, Vacherin Mont d'Or, Valerie Gurdal on December 12, 2012 | 4 Comments »
New-harvest Olive Oil from Liguria
Posted in Italy, Olive Oil & Specialty Oils, Producer Profile, tagged extra virgin olive oil, Giuseppe Cotta, Italy, Olive Oil & Specialty Oils, travel on February 3, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
In northern Italy, the olive harvest happens late in the growing year, usually during December and January. We’ve recently gotten in the first bottles of the new-harvest olive oil from our friends the Cottas, who live in the hills outside of Imperia in the Liguria region of Italy. Giuseppe and his twin daughters, Simona and Monica, live in an apartment above their frantoio, the traditional mill they use to press their oils.
Their “Inprimis” oil is pressed from Taggiasca olives that are harvested a little earlier in the season. The slightly underripe green olives produce an oil with a bit of a peppery finish, similar to oils from further south in Italy.
The Cottas traditional organic olive oil comes from darker, riper olives. It is mildly sweet and fruity — more characteristic of oils from Liguria and the south of France. Both are organic, and both are great for finishing pasta or fish (staples of Ligurian cuisine), or a plate of fresh greens.
For more on our visit last year to the Cottas’ estate, visit our travelogue page.







