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Pizza Talk, Season Two, Episode 5: The Future of Olive Oil with Corto’s Lisa Pollack and David Garci-Aquirre

Written By Peter Reinhart
Tuesday, 03 August 2021 Pizza Talk

Welcome Back to Pizza Talk!

In our never-ending quest for, and celebration of artisanship wherever we find it, whether in pizza or anything related to it (which means pretty much everything!), we inevitably cannot avoid the golden liquid that is olive oil. And who better to guide us than the “Master Miller” at Corto Olive Oil, David (pronounced Daveed) Garci-Aguirre, and Corto’s “Education Ambassador” Lisa Pollack. I think it is safe to say that, unless you’ve already been through Corto’s education program, you are about to learn things about olive oil that you absolutely never knew before and that, frankly, will totally alter your perception of it. Corto, as you will hear, is part of an exciting new global movement that totally revolutionizes how olive oil is produced, including how the olives are grown, harvested, and pressed. This is not your grandma’s olive oil (not there was anything wrong with it — well, maybe there was, in light of what I learned here), but in this session, I was reminded of a favorite guidance regarding bread baking: “The baker’s mission is to evoke full potential of flavor trapped in the grain.”  Here, you will discover how producers like Corto have taken on the same mission, only this time it is how to evoke the full potential of flavor trapped in the olive. You’ll see what I mean after you hear Lisa and David explain it all, as they take us deeper into olive oil than most of us have ever gone before.

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Pizza Quest is a site dedicated to the exploration of artisanship in all forms, wherever we find it, but especially through the literal and metaphorical image of pizza. As we share our own quest for the perfect pizza we invite all of you to join us and share your journeys too. We have discovered that you never know what engaging roads and side paths will reveal themselves on this quest, but we do know that there are many kindred spirits out there, passionate artisans, doing all sorts of amazing things. These are the stories we want to discover, and we invite you to jump on the proverbial bus and join us on this, our never ending pizza quest.

Peter’s Books

American Pie
Artisan Breads Every Day
The Bread Bakers Apprentice
Brother Junipers Bread Book
Crust and Crumb
Whole Grain Breads

...and other books by Peter Reinhart, available on Amazon.com