Carm originates in the same region of the Portugal that brings us Madeira. We started carrying Carm over the summer and could barely keep this organic gem on the shelves.

Carm is unique because the Portuguese seldom export their oils – it is the only Portuguese oil we carry. The estate is very old and follows the traditional practices for harvesting and milling the olives. Olives are removed from the trees and often milled that same day, ensuring minimal bruising and deterioration that could effect flavor.

The oil starts very buttery and smooth, hits its stride with a slight flush of spring green, jumps in with a high note of pepper right as you swallow, and then finishes with a lingering fullness of butter – circling you back to where you started.

This classic northern Italian olive oil is made from Taggiasca olives. Grown in the hilly terrain of Liguria, it is light and delicate with a hint of sweet olives. Perfect for pesto, a must for every cupboard!

Gurpin is a very subtle oil, a quiet tower of strength from the north of Italy – easily holding its own against the bold peppery oils of the Southern part of Italy. Single varietal Taggiasca olives are picked by hand and pressed within five hours.

The floral aroma leads the way into a fullness of texture that rolls around your tongue evoking the essence of butter with a white pepper finish.

It is the nuances of this oil that make it extraordinary – nuances that could make it one of your favorites as well.

Citrus fruit oil has a brightness, a sparkle, a flavor that dances on your tongue. Unlike most infused oils, where the infusion is added to the oil after the oil is pressed, Mara Colonna presses together the organic lemons, the oranges, or the Calabrian bergamot and the olives.

Originally intended as a method of cleaning the presses (very similar to putting a lemon down your garbage disposal to clean) the byproduct was tasted and deemed amazing.

I adore the sparkle, the bite, the extra layer of flavor from the citrus oil. The orange oil is fabulous on top of grilled fish, the lemon oil brings chicken soup to a new layer of sophistication, and the bergamot oil is smooth and very floral – great drizzled right as dishes are served.

The best part is that one can try all of the oils we carry in 250 mL bottles in a convenient sampler. Enjoy the sparkle!

The care that goes into Il Molino olive oil is tremendous.  The olives come from centuries old Sciuga family farm that adheres to organic farming standards.  The family had the olive oil press right at site so there is not much time elapsed from the harvest to press.  What comes next is pretty unique even for our standards.  The olives get de-stoned first!  Then the oil is extracted.  Taking the pits out and extracting olive oil rather than crushing the whole olives with pits result in a higher level of hydroxytyrosol, phenols and low acidity (read: better antioxidant.  Again, read: better for you.  High phenols are why olive oil is such a healthy food).  But all chemistry and health talk aside; I love the flavor of this DOP oil.  It’s what you’d expect from a single varietal Frantoio olive oil from Tuscany–green, bold with good pepper at the end.  Yet this oil also displays such subtle herbaceous notes without any unpleasant or aggressive bite.  I love it on my arugula, tomato and parm sliver salad and I love it drizzled over toasted Italian bread with garlic rubbed on it.  Simple and delicious.

Pepperoncini Tondi are my favorite accidental find at the deli. They’re spicy peppers from Calabria, a region of Italy known for its peppers. I was first introduced to them when I accidentally opened a new jar that I thought was a sample jar. I felt guilty and bought them (don’t ever feel that way at the deli∑I just have an especially strong guilt reflex. Thanks, mom!), and it was one of the best decisions I have made for my pantry in a while. Honestly, my boyfriend and I just pop them in our mouths and eat them like very spicy popcorn, but you can do amazing things with them. They’re really easy to hollow out, so you can fill them with cheese (try the city goat) or tuna for an easy appetizer. Keep the filling for mixing into pasta sauce, or even a spicy pico del gallo salsa. They’re a cool pizza topping. Roast ‘em up with other veggies. There’s tons of ways to eat them. When you’ve eaten all the peppers, don’t despair! You have a jar full of amazing spicy oil that can add zing to pastas, salads, and soups for months to come!

The full name of what we call Maussane is, Moulin Jean Marie Cornille Huile D’Olivede la Vallee des Baux de Provence and then the address states Maussane Les Alpilles, which, one could argue, is quite a mouthful. It is fitting that this oil has such a big name.

Maussane is the exemplar, the zenith, the hero, the pinnacle of the buttery, full-bodied, voluptuous French oil.

Yes, we directly import the oil. Yes, the oil is pressed with granite stones in a 17th century building. Yes, they keep the oil in vats to allow the sediment to settle naturally. And yes, the olives are grown in an AOC protected area.

All you really need to know is that adding Maussane to your meal – whether it be on pasta, fresh arugula, drizzled on a grilled steak, or with warm bread – adding Maussane elevates that meal to the realm of poetry.

Okay, so I have a long history with this cheese.  When I was a college student in the days of yore, I went into the deli and one of the guys behind the cheese counter reached over and handed me a piece of the strongest cheese I had ever tasted – it was love at first smell.  Later that year, Epoisses was in an Esquire article titled “The best cheeses you’ve never tasted.” About a year ago on the splendid table, renowned cheese monger Steven Jenkins described Epoisses as being “excruciatingly delicious.”

A perfectly ripe Epoisses can be a life altering experience.  It gets its stink from being a washed in Marc de Bourgogne (a local brandy)- the alcohol bath allows for the cultivation of the stinky cheese bacteria.  The rind is bright red and sticky, and if you let it warm up on your counter the texture will turn into silken goo.  I love this cheese served at room temperature with seeded grapes and a warm crusty slice of our Pain de Montagne.

Ask for a taste next time you are in the Deli, I’ll be happy to sing its praises any day!