OLIO NUOVO DAYS, January 2017

The SAFIkala olive oil was selected for the OLIO NUOVO DAYS in Paris in January!

Preparation of fresh olive oil tasting samples

Last November, I sent samples of the olive oil of my new harvest to the OLIO NUOVO DAYS committee, which decided to select my olive oil after tasting it. They then submitted it to a panel of chefs for feedback and inspiration, alongside a dozen other fresh olive oils.

The restaurants run by these chefs are very prestigious, as you can see from the following list: AKRAME, Gennaro Nasti's BIJOU, DROUANT, Alan Geaam’s AG LES HALLES, LA CAVE A MICHEL, ITINERAIRES, LA CLOSERIE DES LILAS, LA RESERVE, LAPEROUSE, LE PETIT LITTRE, LOUIS, LUCAS CARTON, MENSAE, TABLE, PASSERINI, Yoni Saada’s BAGNARD & MINIATURES, TONDO, Pâtisserie BO Olivier Haustraete and even the PARIS POLICE PREFECTURE whose chef Carlos Marsal is also the Secretary-General of “Toques Françaises”, an association promoting French gastronomy and awarding yearly prizes to the most talented new chefs in France.

This is the list of olive oils that were selected at the Olio Nuovo Days in Paris (as you can see, SAFIkala appears as the number 3 for the blind taste):

The Olive Oils that were selected for the Olio Nuovo Days

The samples I sent for tasting were of the SAFIkala olive oil of my first harvest of the season, before filtering. Its flavours and aromas are typically more intense. You can read more about my fresh olive oil here.

Take a look at the tasting session that took place at Antoine de Macedo's in Paris.

My olive oil was chosen in this context by the famous restaurant DROUANT.

DROUANT owes its reputation to its Chef Antoine Westermann, 3 stars in the Michelin guide.

The restaurant is also the official headquarters of the Prix Goncourt, the most prestigious prize for French-language Literature.

It has hosted the monthly meetings of the Goncourt jury since 1914* and one independent salon in the restaurant is named after the prize (“Salon Goncourt”). Since 2004, Bernard Pivot, a highly respected figure of the French cultural and literary media, has been the Chairman of the Goncourt jury.

DROUANT is located at 16-18, place Gaillon, 75002 Paris, close to the Palais Garnier, the historic Opera House of Paris.

* Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drouant

DROUANT’s Executive Director, Antony Clémot, prepared the Goncourt Academy’s first meal of the year with my SAFIkala olive oil! On the menu that day were vegetables in a “pot-au-feu” style.

Between Tuesday 17th January and Saturday 21st January, the OLIO NUOVO DAYS team also organised in Paris a series of events promoting fresh olive oil.

The participating venues were a mix of restaurants, gourmet stores and bakeries which presented culinary creations based on fresh olive oil as well as tasting sessions and olive oil-themed workshops.

My SAFIkala olive oil was featured at the bakery PANIFICA. Visitors were encouraged to taste it alongside three other olive oils, with the guidance of Jade Helaine, one of the olive oil tasting experts from OLIO NUOVO DAYS.

You can find more details about the event at www.olio-nuovo-day.com/parcours-hemisphere-nord-2017-2/ (in French).

I visited DROUANT a few weeks ago when I was in Paris. Antony Clémot gave me a very warm welcome and confirmed his appreciation of my SAFIkala Olive Oil by placing his first former order for it and announcing that he’ll put it on his menu all year round!

I had the pleasure to have lunch at DROUANT’s a few days later. The atmosphere was really pleasant, with a warm setting and a beautifully set table, and the service was flawless without being intrusive. Each dish in my 3-course meal was exquisitely presented and the combination of textures and flavours was absolutely outstanding! I would certainly recommend it to any visitor in Paris who is eager to experiment a taste of French Gastronomy!

I am very grateful to Emmanuelle Dechelette, the founder of OLIO NUOVO DAYS, without whom I couldn’t have been able to take part in the event; and to Antony Clémot, who allowed me to become the supplier of one of the best restaurants in Paris!

Thank you so much to both of them for their trust in me and my SAFIkala Olive Oil!