Last month our team of intrepid pizza tour guides assembled at Table 87‘s Gowanus location for an olive oil lesson from Corto, a California-based company. We’re always looking to expand our knowledge and luck delivered a glorious solution in the form of Lisa Pollack of Corto Olive Oil. Lisa has been the head of education for this California-based company for about 5 years. Before working for Corto, Lisa worked at the California Olive Oil Council. When I emailed Lisa about hosting a virtual olive oil tasting for my crew, she was excited to tell me that she’d be in NYC and could run the tasting in person!
Setting the Table
We gathered at Table 87, which has two full restaurant locations and one kiosk, all in Brooklyn. Table 87 also sells a line of frozen pizzas at over 5,000 grocery stores across the US. All of their pizza is baked in coal-fired ovens, even the frozen stuff. It’s a pretty big deal, which is exactly why they got featured on Shark Tank.
Our group got together at the Gowanus location, located at 3rd Ave and 10th Street. This is a common stop on our Sunday pizza bus tours, especially if we’re concentrating on Brooklyn. They have two ovens, both of which are modern gas-assisted coal ovens built by a Woodstone. Both locations have full Italian-American menus and a full bars. The other location, the original, is located at 87 Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn Heights (the address explains the pizzeria’s name).
Corto Olive Oil
Whenever we do one of these educational sessions, we partner with an expert in the field. Lisa Pollack is director of education for Corto olive oil, a California-based company that grows and mills their own olives. There are loads of great olive oil companies we could have worked with, but we chose Corto because they’re a younger company. Unlike other oil companies, they don’t have a long history to hide behind. Their technology and methods are all focused on producing quality oil. Corto is the sister company to Stanislaus, a tomato company that’s been around since the 1940s. They’re a huge supplier to the independent pizza industry. We’ve done wine tastings and tomato comparisons, but this was our first olive oil session.
Corto actually hosts virtual tastings for home users, which you can purchase here. The tasting includes a lit with samples and you can even purchase a version of the kit that includes a bottle of Corto’s extra virgin olive oil, Truly. Professional chefs can get a free virtual tasting by applying here.
Takeaways
- Olive oil is a fresh product. It has a short shelf life once opened. That shelf life decreases if stored improperly.
- Olive oil’s main enemies are heat, light, and oxygen. Storing in a sealed container away from sunlight in a cool place is key.
- The best oil comes from olives harvested early in the season.
- Fresh oil smells like grass, peppers the back of the throat, and does not leave a greasy film on the palate or lips.
- Labeling for olive oil isn’t standardized or trustworthy. “Extra virgin” isn’t an enforced standard.
- Olive oil is best used on pizza after the bake because it retains its flavor.
