Lucero Olive Oil Winter Crush draws 1500
CORNING – At least
1,500 people smelled,
tasted and experienced a
bit of Tehama County
produce and culinary
delights Saturday as
Lucero Olive Oil hosted
its first Winter Crush
event.
Lucero offered cooking
demonstrations, vendor
booths, live music and
tours of the olive oil processing
mill.
Guests were
given a chance to put on
hair nets and actually see
how Lucero adds fresh
citrus to the olives before
they are crushed to create
the company’s mandarin
orange and Meyer lemon
olive oils.
The event drew crowds
from all over northern
California.
Many came as
part of tour in which several
buses from Lincoln
dropped passengers off at
the event.
Lincoln residents Bonnie
Rink and Judy Peck
met on one
of the bus
tours and were enthusiastic
about heading inside
for the olive oil mill tour.
The women had
already been inside the
gift shop sampling products
and visited with vendors
inside the mill.
“So far its been great,”
Peck said.
They were especially
excited about dark chocolate
walnut prune treats
they’d bought from
Bianchi Orchards.
“It sounds strange, but
they were fabulous,” Peck
said.
The group had started
the day with a visit to the
Abbey of New Clairvaux
in Vina before heading to
Lucero’s.
Although Rink had
gone on wine tours, she’d
never done anything like
this before, she said.
She
saw the advertisement in
her local newspaper and
thought it was a
great
idea.
Author Carol Firenze
Anglin of Los Gatos came
for different reasons.
Owner and writer of
The Passionate Olive, she
was signing copies of the
8th edition of her book, a
virtual encyclopedia of
uses and praise for olive
oil.
Along with her book,
she was excited to offer a
new iPhone app that
allows anyone to find
great olive oil vendors and
producers in any area
within seconds.
The app
also gives links to many of
the tips and ideas in her
book.
Although Anglin lists
Lucero Olive Oil as a
quality vendor in her book
and on the iPhone app,
Saturday was the first time
she’d actually made it to
the mill in Corning, she
said.
“It’s a wonderful
event,” she said. “This is a
great community.”
There’s a growing
interest in olive oil, she
said.
She brought along her
friend Say Ota, president
of Passionate Sweets, Inc.
of Los Gatos, who gave
samples of Dolce Amore
candies made with olive
oil instead of butter and all
natural ingredients.
Many people from
Chico joined in the event
as well.
Steve and Debbie Sohn
of Chico saw a poster
about the event while having
tea one day, they said.
They went online and
found out more about it.
It sounded like fun,
Steve Sohn said.
“Everybody loves olive
oil,” he said.
The couple lived in the
Bay area and Sacramento
before they moved to
Chico about four years
ago. This event offered
them similar culture and
atmosphere as some
events they might find in
the cities, but it was just
the right amount of people
and a great atmosphere,
they said.
It was hard to hear on
the tour but it was very
informative, Steve Sohn
said.
However, the couple’s
favorite part was the tasting
room, he said.
“I would have never
thought they could put so
many types of flavors in
olive oil,” he said. “Never
would I think to just drink
vinegar, but there was
enough of a taste to do
that.”
There was something
for the locals too.
A Red Bluff mother,
Melinda Richardson,
brought her three boys,
ages 2, 4 and 6, to the
event.
Although her mother
knows some of the
Lucero family, this was
the first time they’d come
to the mill, she said.
“It’s bigger than I
expected,” Richardson
said. “They have a really
nice gift shop and it’s
beautiful out here.”
They sampled oils and
treats while the boys made
bead and uncooked colored
pasta necklaces in the
children’s craft area.
Richardson waited outside
while her mother was buying
a gift for her grandmother
who lives in the
Bay area.
The whole family
enjoyed it, she said.
“It’s a nice, calm environment,”
she said.
The tour was interesting
too.
“It smelled delicious
inside, especially with the
mandarin oranges,” she
said.
For more information
about the company and/or
future events go to
lucerooliveoil.com or call
the customer service line
at 877-330-2190.
—
Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or or at awagner@redbluffdailynews.com