September 01, 2014
In honor of the American Labor Day this weekend, I am dedicating this blog to my Italian friends, who continue to work, seek employment and strive to be resourceful in the midst of Italy's continuing financial crisis and to compete in a global market while protecting their country's heritage and traditions. Italy just would not be the same without slow food, regional cooking, musicians, and artists of all kinds. I hope they can keep it alive as the world becomes smaller with technology.
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August 25, 2014
It was a whirlwind and fantastic 30-day trip to the West Coast this summer visiting friends and sharing Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (CCEVOO) through numerous events, dinners and tastings. The cool, green forests and valleys of vineyards of the Pacific Northwest certainly contrasts with our life in the sub-tropical Italian region of Le Marche where it is blue as far as the eye can see with little separating the Adriatic and the sky. The air, energy and vistas are charged so differently.
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July 16, 2014
This summer marks two years living in Italy and this July is the First Year Anniversary for Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (CCEVOO)! We embarked upon our new venture with great enthusiasm, aiming to share our love of real extra virgin olive oil and to bring the Ponzi Italian-American connection full circle. From the Balcony of the Adriatic to the Heart of Oregon Wine Country, Join us on Saturday, August 2nd for our 1st Year Anniversary Celebration Dinner at The Dundee Bistro.
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June 23, 2014
Everything is better in the summer; the sunshine and warmth, colorful flowers, blue skies and explosion of fresh fruits and vegetables! It seems everyone is happier with beautiful weather and food that flourishes so easily for our enjoyment. It's not a chore to make healthy and delicious meals when flavor is at our fingertips.
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June 17, 2014
Here's a peek into our Italian life for the last month, it's been challenging and exciting! So in case you are not on our email list, "ecco lo!" Here it is! Enjoy!
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May 12, 2014
It's never too early or too late in life to take the lead of your own health. So many different health fads come and go but if you take a look at history, our European ancestors found a cure to many ailments. Going back to the Roman times, it was discovered that pressing the olive fruit created a lovely oil that not only tasted wonderful, but it had health benefits too!
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April 17, 2014
The week leading up to Easter in Italy is an occasion of much fanfare and numerous events. This holiday is dominated as a religious celebration but that does not stop the Easter Bunny concept one bit. Chocolate Easter eggs of all sizes (gigantic ones nearly as tall as me) are filled with surprises for the lucky recipient. The grocery store aisles are packed with varying themes and quality.
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April 02, 2014
Life is a dance between observation and participation. Making choices from information we've gleaned and the experiences we've lived all determine that decisive moment for grand and monumental decisions like marriage, children, college, etc. down to what appears to be simple choices like ... what goes in the grocery basket, selections from a menu and quite possibly determining good (and real) extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). In the end, it's not all that simple ... or is it?
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February 24, 2014
..... there is one thing that foodies have in common .... they enjoy the immediate gratification of good food, usually with first bite. Often it sends conversations into superlative descriptions as though one was describing fine art....
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February 13, 2014
After sampling the freshly pressed Casal Cristiana Extra Virgin Olive Oil with lunch, we felt our lips tingle with the lingering oil and could imagine days past of lovers using EVOO to enhance their sensuality. It is noted in ancient times "one of olive oil's most conspicuous uses in antiquity was to make the skin softer and more sensual."
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January 31, 2014
This week the New York Times published "Extra Virgin Suicide", a very simple and graphic explanation of the corruption in the olive oil industry, specifically, Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Just yesterday they made some revisions to the original article due to it's sensational nature and inaccuracies. This infographic went viral worldwide and ended up in our small, local newspaper in Porto San Giorgio, Italy. Michel and I touched on this very issue at our Launch Party on January 12th with Viva Verde Founding Members for Casal Cristiana during our U.S. visit.
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January 28, 2014
Grazie infinite to our Founding Members of
Casal Cristiana Viva Verde Club who made it possible for us to follow our project all the way through from idea to reality. It wasn't even a year ago when we sat down at our friend's kitchen table in Torre di Palme to discuss the possibility of working together to bring high quality extra virgin olive oil to America from our beautiful zone in Le Marche, Italy.
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