Aug 22, 2008

Art of the olive: Q.C. mill presses for gloryBy Michael GradyEastValleyTribune.com

Most of us observe a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy when it comes to our food these days. We open our vacuum-packed containers — knowing countless preservatives and middlemen have already come and gone — and we dig in, preferring not to know the specifics.

The Queen Creek Olive Mill is a pleasant departure from that. A stone’s throw from Schnepf Farms, the pistachio-colored structure looks factory-esque from afar. But come closer and you’ll notice the tidy demonstration grove, the fountain courtyard for cool-weather dining; and you’ll meet people who are passionate about the artistry of olives.

“We’re a boutique manufacturer,” mill owner and master blender Perry Rea explains. “We don’t work on a huge scale, so we get to be more creative with the varieties of olive oil we produce.”

Olives, it turns out, make an expressive culinary canvas. Harvested between October and December, they are blended with other types of olives and an almost infinite combination of fruits, herbs and spices to produce the bottled oils that line the mill’s gift shop walls. “Freshness is important to the character of the oil,” general manager Rob Holmes explains, “so, we only pick what we will press the next day, and we start pressing within 24 hours.”

The process can be seen in a half-hour that follows the olives from the branches of the demonstration grove, through the warren of stainless steel pressing equipment, out to del Piero, the Mill’s restaurant, where a bar full of boutique oils, stuffed olives and tapenades await inspection. “We’re just starting the tours up again now,” says Holmes. “They tend to get crowded in October and November, when we’re pressing and all the machines are running.”

Read complete article.