The Culinary Institute of America

In this interview, Anissa Helou discusses how olive oil is an absolute essential ingredient in the Mediterranean kitchen for its health benefits, richness and wonderful flavor.
Anissa Helou (www.anissas.com) is a chef, food writer, journalist, broadcaster, consultant and blogger focusing on the cuisines and culinary heritage of the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa. Born and raised between Beirut, Lebanon, and Mashta el-Helou, Syria, she knows the Mediterranean as only a well-traveled native can. Anissa is the author of numerous award-winning cookbooks, including Sweet Middle East; Levant; The Fifth Quarter, an Offal Cookbook; Modern Mezze; Savory Baking from the Mediterranean; Mediterranean Street Food; Café Morocco; and Lebanese Cuisine, which was a finalist for the prestigious Andre Simon awards and chosen as one of the Los Angeles Times’ favorite books in 1998. Lebanese Cuisine remains the classic and most comprehensive work on this increasingly popular cuisine. Her new book, Feast: The Food of the Islamic World, was published to great acclaim by Ecco in May 2018. It has been short-listed for the very prestigious Art of Eating award and was on “Best of the Year” lists in numerous publications. It has also won the James Beard Foundation award in the International category and was nominated for the IACP awards in the General and International categories. An accomplished photographer and intrepid traveler, she runs culinary tours to various Mediterranean countries and also teaches cooking classes. Anissa was the featured chef in the travel/cooking Show, Al Chef Yaktachef (meaning the chef discovers), shown on Abu Dhabi TV in 2010. She has also featured as one of the judges/mentors to a team of chefs in Taste Arabia, which aired on Al Nahar TV in Egypt and OSN all over the Arab world and was one of the guest judges in the final of one of the series of Top Chef Arabia. She was also listed in 2013 in Arabian Business as one of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women and on the 500 Most Influential Arabs. Anissa was also the first ever chef-in-residence in Leighton House during their Nour festival in November 2011. In 2013 she helped a group of Egyptian entrepreneurs open Koshari Street in Covent Garden, where they serve her gourmet version of Koshari, the ultimate Egyptian street food. Koshari Street was chosen by the Financial Times as one of London’s five best street foods. She is no longer associated with Koshari Street and she now divides her time between Sicily, where she will eventually have a teaching kitchen, and London. 
In this interview, Anissa Helou discusses how olive oil is an absolute essential ingredient in the Mediterranean kitchen for its health benefits, richness and wonderful flavor.
This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service, thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.
Learn more about olive oil at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/olive-oil-and-the-plant-forward-kitchen 

Harold McGee writes about the science of food and cooking. He started out studying physics and astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, and then English literature at Yale University. In 1984 he published On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Twenty years later, the revised and enlarged edition of On Food and Cooking was named best food reference of 2004 by the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. In 2005, Bon Appétit magazine named McGee food writer of the year, and in 2008, Time magazine included him on its annual list of the world’s most influential people. Along the way McGee published The Curious Cook: More Kitchen Science and Lore (1990), and has written articles and reviews for many publications, including The World Book Encyclopedia, Nature, Physics Today, Food & Wine, and Fine Cooking. He writes a monthly column, “The Curious Cook,” for The New York Times. (San Francisco, CA) November 2010
This video was produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service to the International Olive Oil Commission. 
Learn more about olive oil at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/olive-oil-and-the-plant-forward-kitchen 

In this interview, Mercedes Fernández Albaladejo discusses the health benefits of olive oils, different categories of olive oils, factors that go into olive oil varieties, pairing the right olive oil with the right dish, and more!
Mercedes Fernández Albaladejo works for the executive secretariat of the International Olive Council (IOC), the United Nations-brokered international commodity organization for olives and olive oil. After qualifying and working as a doctor, she joined the IOC where she was initially in charge of overseeing IOC-funded scientific research. Since 2005, she has headed the Standardization and Research Unit, which is responsible for developing and updating standards and methods for the physicochemical and sensory analysis of olive products in partnership with experts and specialist agencies and for harmonizing product standards in line with the objectives of the International Olive Oil and Table Olive Agreement. The focus of her work is on quality control, fair international trading, consumer rights protection, and fraud prevention. She liaises actively with international standards agencies and participates as a speaker in international congresses and seminars besides writing publications and articles on olive oil and table olives.
This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service, thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.
Learn more about olive oil at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/olive-oil-and-the-plant-forward-kitchen

In this Olive Oil Master Class, Mercedes Fernández Albaladejo gives us an overview of olive oil technical standards of quality and flavor insights for chefs and culinary professionals.
Mercedes Fernández Albaladejo works for the executive secretariat of the International Olive Council (IOC), the United Nations-brokered international commodity organization for olives and olive oil. After qualifying and working as a doctor, she joined the IOC where she was initially in charge of overseeing IOC-funded scientific research. Since 2005, she has headed the Standardization and Research Unit, which is responsible for developing and updating standards and methods for the physicochemical and sensory analysis of olive products in partnership with experts and specialist agencies and for harmonizing product standards in line with the objectives of the International Olive Oil and Table Olive Agreement. The focus of her work is on quality control, fair international trading, consumer rights protection, and fraud prevention. She liaises actively with international standards agencies and participates as a speaker in international congresses and seminars besides writing publications and articles on olive oil and table olives. (Madrid, Spain)
This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service, thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.
Learn more about olive oil at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/olive-oil-and-the-plant-forward-kitchen

In this interview, Gemma Pasquali and Jean-Xavier Guinard discuss sensory research on olive oil as well as the customer experience. 
Jean-Xavier Guinard, PhD, is Professor of Sensory Science and Co-director of the Coffee Center at the University of California, Davis. He is a sensory scientist and a consumer researcher. His research focuses on sensory properties of foods, how humans perceive foods, and how they affect food choices and consumer behavior.
This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service, thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.
Learn more about olive oil at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/olive-oil-and-the-plant-forward-kitchen

In this interview, Daniel Olivella discusses the role of olive oil in Spanish cuisines at his restaurant, Barlata Tapas Bar.
Daniel Olivella is the chef-owner of Barlata tapas bar in Austin, TX. A native of Barcelona, he has been cooking in the U.S. for the past 35 years. Daniel started his career in Chicago at family-owned restaurant La Paella in 1979 as an all-around family member. There, under the supervision of his French-raised uncle, he was trained on traditional French and Spanish service and food preparation. In Chicago he went on to work for the Lettuce Entertain You group, before moving to San Francisco in 1987. There, he worked as a line cook at Delfina, Zuni Café, Zazie, and the Maltese Grill before becoming the opening chef of Thirsty Bear Brewing Co. In 1999, Daniel opened his own restaurant, B44 Catalan Bistro, specializing in Catalan cuisine. He was named a “Rising Star Chef of the Year” in 2001 by San Francisco Magazine. Daniel opened his first Barlata concept in March 2009 in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland. In 2013, he moved the Barlata Tapas Bar to the South Lamar district of Austin, TX. His book Catalan Food, was published by Clarkson Potter in September 2018.
This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service, thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.
Learn more about olive oil at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/olive-oil-and-the-plant-forward-kitchen

In this interview, Aglaia Kremezi discusses the role of olive oil in Greek cuisine from her home in Kea, Greece.
Aglaia Kremezi is co-founder of Kea Artisanal. She is a journalist, food historian, and author whose books include Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts; The Cooking of the Greek Islands; The Foods of Greece (which won the Julia Child Award); and Mediterranean Hot & Spicy. Born in Athens, for the past 11 years she has lived with her husband in Kea, where she gardens, cooks, writes, and teaches cooking to travelers. She was a consultant for Molyvos, the first upscale Greek restaurant in New York. She blogs often at the Atlantic’s food/health website, and writes regularly in Greek, European, and American publications such as Saveur, the Los Angeles Times, BBC Good Food, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, and Food Arts. She takes part in and gives papers at the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, and has taught at The Culinary Institute of America, Macy’s Degustibus, the French Culinary Institute, and many other U.S. cooking schools.
This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service, thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.
Learn more about olive oil at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/olive-oil-and-the-plant-forward-kitchen

In this interview, Kyle Connaughton discusses growing his own olive trees, making his own olive oil, the importance of quality, exploring the different flavor profiles of olive oils, and finding the right olive oil for the dish.
Kyle Connaughton is a chef, culinary educator, and cookbook author. He and Katina Connaughton, his wife, opened SingleThread Farm-Restaurant-Inn, in Healdsburg, CA, in December 2016. The restaurant received a perfect four stars from The San Francisco Chronicle in March 2017 and a James Beard Foundation Restaurant Design Award in May 2017. It was awarded two stars in the 2018 Michelin Red Guide, one of only a few restaurants to earn the rating in its first year. The restaurant then received three stars just a year later in the 2019 Michelin Red Guide. SingleThread is also a member of Relais & Chateaux, an international organization of the world’s top restaurants and hotels. In 2018, SingleThread received the Miele “One to Watch” award from World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Kyle's culinary background includes working for Michel Bras in Hokkaido, Japan and as head chef of research and development at The Fat Duck in Bray, England. Kyle worked with Heston Blumenthal and the Fat Duck team to complete the IACP award-winning The Big Fat Duck Cookbook. He also contributed to Nathan Myrhvold’s Modernist Cuisine series. Kyle is professor emeritus at The Culinary Institute of America, and has developed the curriculum for the college's bachelor’s of culinary science program. In 2015, Kyle co-published Donabe - Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking and co-founded the culinary research and development firm, Pilot R&D.
This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service, thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.
Learn more about olive oil at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/olive-oil-and-the-plant-forward-kitchen