Olive Oil's Smoky Side

Al Hartman was born into the food industry. Raised by his grandparents, who were chefs and owners of several San Francisco restaurants, he inherited his grandfather’s intuition for combining food and flavors. Smoking food products for nearly 40 years, Al has experimented extensively with various wood combinations to create distinct flavor profiles. The idea for The Smoked Olive, he says and swears to this day, came to him from his grandfather in a dream. Influenced also by his work as an abstract artist, Al’s Smoked Olive creations, used and endorsed by chefs like John Ash and Tyler Florence, are a wild convergence of both food and art.  The naturally wood-smoked extra virgin olive oils are made from premium gold medal award–winning California olives from Napa, Sonoma and the Central Valley. The patent-pending process Al developed allows him to smoke the oil without exposure to heat, air or light, preserving the integrity of the oils’ flavor.

The company currently offers three different flavors. Sonoma, a bold and smoky versatile oil with a subtle finish elevates the flavors of meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, egg and pasta dishes. It can be used with corn on the cob and even popcorn. Napa is a lightly smoked olive oil with a robust olive finish, which complements roasted and fresh vegetables such as heirloom tomatoes. According to the company, some chefs are even creating smoked olive oil ice cream with it. And Santa Fe boasts a balanced blend of smoky heat that is a perfect match for meat, seafood and pasta dishes. At Tyler Florence’s Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco, Santa Fe Smoked Olive Oil complements the grilled calamari. The Smoked Olive got its start at the Santa Rosa Farmers Market, where it sold out in a single day. The line is now available at Williams-Sonoma stores nationwide (Visit Store Locator) and online (Visit Online Store). –Nicole Potenza Denis

Nicole Denis is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s foodie-mom blog.

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