By Emily Shartin, Epicurator When I moved to California from Massachusetts, I knew one of the main things I wanted to learn about was olive oil. We had access to great European oils in Boston but, as you might surmise, the New England climate is not exactly conducive to growing olives, which thrive in a more Mediterranean environment. I am a passionate supporter of artisanal foods and the people and traditions that surround them, and have happily been able to fashion a career out of learning about everything from cheese to chocolate to coffee. In California, I wanted to add olive oil to that list, and to be able to…

By Emily Shartin, Epicuring As a recent transplant to California and a lover of both cheese and beer, I’ve been excited to start learning about all of the great things this state has to offer with regard to two of my favorite fermented foods. However, I was also admittedly happy to discover recently that the Cheese School of San Francisco was welcoming two of Vermont’s finest artisan producers (ones whose products you can’t always find on the west coast): the Cellars at Jasper Hill and Hill Farmstead Brewery. Zoe from Jasper Hill and Shaun from Hill Farmstead create cheese and beer pairings that are an authentic representation of place: the…

By Emily Shartin, Epicuring In California wine country, “harvest,” for the most part, refers to grapes. But in just over a month, after all the Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys has been picked, another important crop will be harvested in wine country: olives. If you’ve spent any time around wineries, you may have noticed that olive trees often grow alongside grapevines. This is because the two plants share similar growing conditions, and olive trees are often seen as a way to add some biodiversity to the vineyards. The trees may also be planted around the perimeters of vineyards to help protect vines against wind.…