L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2014 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 8 Producing High-Quality Olive Oil at Oregon Olive Mill The Portland-Bologna Sister City Association Celebrates a Milestone Located about 45 minutes south of Portland in the rolling hills above Dayton, Red Ridge Farms spreads out like a piece of Tuscany. The Farm is home to the carefully tended grapes of Durant Vineyards and the unlikely scene of thousands of olive trees growing in the cool Yamhill Valley. This is the Oregon Olive Mill, the only commercial olive oil processor in the Pacific Northwest. Each fall, the fruit from the Farms' 13,000 olive trees, as well as other olives brought in from northern California, are milled and pressed into five styles of oil. On a recent afternoon, the Tuscan Association of Oregon gathered for a tour of the mill and an olive oil tasting. Their guide was Libby Clow, a native of Vancouver, Washington but a devotee of Italy, the slow food movement, and HQEVOO – high quality extra virgin olive oil. She oozes enthusiasm and knowledge when it comes to re- educating Oregonians about olive oil. Part of that education takes place in the Blue Glass Tasting Room with a unique tasting experience. It starts with a blue, tulip- shaped glass, the better to warm its contents in your hands. It continues with a sniff, a sip and a slurp. Well, really more of a slurrrrrp! Sometimes, immedi- ately after the slurp, it's fol- lowed by a cough, cough, cough! "In Italy, when tasting olive oils, they ask 'Is it a one-cough, a two-cough or a three-cough?' because that will tell you the region the oil comes from," Clow explains. "That's the pun- gency of the oil. It can come across as peppery or prickly in the back of your throat." "Someone's dying over here," jokes one of the tasters, as those who aren't coughing break into laughter. "The American palate is geared toward rancidity. Rancid oil won't hurt you but you lose the health benefits – the antioxi- dants and the heart-healthy prop- erties," she says. Clow learned about artisanal extra virgin olive oil, the impor- tance of local production, and the Slow Food movement during an internship in rural Tuscany. She spent three years in Italy, part of it on a farm internship through Portland, Maine's Spannocchia Foundation. It was a transformative experience, which eventually led her to Red Ridge Farms and the Oregon Olive Mill. It takes eight years for an olive tree to bear fruit. "You grow grapes for your children, but olives for your grandchil- dren," says Clow. That's a good thing, because Clow needs that lead time to retrain taste buds. Libby is bold, assertive and hard to ignore, just like the oils she's so passionate about. "Americans are rather dis- jointed about our relationship with food. In Italy, they have a different approach – it is very visceral. I want to bring that relationship to America," she says. "There is an ephemeral nature to food that we should appreciate every day. No meal we eat will ever be the same again!" So Clow works the tasting table at Red Ridge Farms, or takes her Oregon Olive Mill show on the road, doing tastings for clubs and groups around Portland. "It's about getting people to see olive oil not as a commodity but as a seasoning. It something that you don't just cook in, it's something that changes the fla- vor of food," says Clow, who uses terms like "fresh cut grass" and "walnut skins" to describe the taste and aroma of the Tuscan, Frantoio, Arbequina and Koroneiki varietals which Oregon Olive Mill produces. There is a price – a relatively high one – for locally made HQEVOO. "Our trees are young; our yields are small so our oil is not cheap! Price point is the biggest obstacle. But if I get people to try it, they can taste the difference," she says. "Convincing people to try local- ly produced olive oil isn't a hard sell because Portland supports artisanal food producers. At the end of the day, it's about turning people's palates around, away from rancidity, and wanting them to experience fresh, high quality extra virgin olive oil again and again." Clow advocates for local oil, with its unique flavor character- istics, consumed quickly for peak enjoyment. Olive oil is sensitive to time, light, oxygen and temperature. As the Oregon Tuscans' tasting progresses, the coughing subsides and the appreciation for small-batch, locally made oil grows. Clow is changing the way Americans see olive oil, one slurp at a time. In addition to its daily tours and tastings, Oregon Olive Mill also holds their annual Olio Nuovo Festa, a free event open to the public in November. It is a chance to get a first taste of the season's freshly milled olive oils right at the source. Visitors also enjoy mill tours, traditional Italian bruschetta, and the latest wines from Durant Vineyards. More information is available at www.redridgefarms.com. KeN KANe KeRRy-lyNNe DeMARINIs BRowN Libby Clow explains the correct way to taste olive oil The Portland-Bologna Sister City Association celebrated their 10 th anniversary this month. Since organizing in 2003, PBSCA has raised awareness and appreciation for each city, connecting people and business- es in the sister city alliance. Through their annual Youth Exchange, Educational Exchange, and community events, PBSCA nurtures an international friendship with Bologna. "PBSCA started with a civic bang," remembers President Phil Potestio. "As a new sister city, the first in quite some time, founded by some Italian American heavy hitters there was a lot of buzz. It has settled into a hard-working, less publi- cized entity. Portland and Bologna are of similar size, have similar priorities and are about the same place on the interna- tional radar." Bologna Deputy Mayor Matteo Lepore and Francesca Martinese, the Mayor's International Director came to town to share in the celebration. Massimo Antinucci, Sara Colombazzi, Silvia Bronzi and Chef Giorgia Lambertini of Lavitabella also arrived, setting up home in downtown Portland. "Casa Bologna" became the venue for many of the week's events, including din- ners, book showcases, pasta and bread classes, and a screening of the 2009 movie, "The Man Who Will Come (L'uomo che verra)." Some of the biggest high- lights of the week came at the Portland Rose Festival, an annu- al civic event going on during the PBSCA activities. The Royal Rosarians ceremonially knighted Deputy Mayor Lepore, and Massimo Antinucci led the Portland-Bologna group in the Grand Floral Parade. Delegates also met with Portland Mayor Charlie Hales in a ceremony honoring Portland's sister city organizations. "My favorite event was the magnificent spread set out on the roof of Casa Bologna by Chef Giorgia," Phil shares. "It featured foods and vino of Emilia-Romagna presented in a very modern, completely deli- cious manner. It was their open- ing reception." With festivities over, PBSCA looks toward the future. "Our goals remain the fusion of our cities, both as a citizenry and as formal civic units," Phil says. "Our short term goals include expansion of exchange opportunities - business, com- merce, and especially cultural." More information about PBSCA is available online at www.portland-bologna.org Bologna Deputy Mayor Lepore and International Director Francesca Martinese meet with Portland Mayor Charlie Hales June 29, Sun. – Italian Hour on KBOO 90.7 FM from 9:00 to 10:00am. Contemporary and classic Italian music, featuring news of the local Italian community. Listen online at www.kboo.fm July 8, Tues. – Italian Businessmen's Club meeting at 6:30pm at DeNicola's Italian Restaurant, 3520 SE Powell Blvd. in Portland. For information, contact Robert Iannacone at robert202@comca- st.net, or Guido LaCesa at oaktreelo@aol.com July 10, Thurs. – Amici d'Italia meeting at 7:30pm, St. Michael's Catholic Church, 424 SW Mill Street in Portland. For informa- tion, contact Kerry-Lynne Demarinis Brown at 503-287-3255 or difamiglia@aol.com July 10, Thurs. - Vancouver USA Sons of Italy meeting at Family of Christ Lutheran Church, 3500 NW 129th St., Vancouver, WA. Dinner at 6:30 pm; meeting starts at 7:30pm. Contact Barbara Blair (360) 253-7984 for more information. July 13, Sun. – 10th Annual Aldo Rossi Bocce Tournament at Paesano's Cedarville Park, 3800 West Powell Loop in Gresham. Tournament begins at 8:30am. For further information and team sign-up, contact Larry Cereghino at 503-201-4585. July 13, Sun. – Italian Hour on KBOO 90.7 FM from 9:00 to 10:00am. Contemporary and classic Italian music, featuring news of the local Italian community. Listen online at www.kboo.fm July 16, Wed. – Festa Italiana Association meeting at 7:00pm in St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 424 SW Mill Street in Portland. For information, contact Barbara Blair at (360) 253- 7984. July 19, Sat. – Amici d'Italia Annual Picnic and Bocce Tournament at Mary S. Young Park in West Linn. Lunch begins at 11:30am; bocce starts at 1:00pm. For information, contact Kerry-Lynne Demarinis Brown at difamiglia@aol.com

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