Much the way Roman emperors once feasted and celebrated after military or architectural victories, the simple, unstoppable Olea europaea – that’s botany speak for the olive – will be similarly feted during the 15th annual Feast of the Olive, to be held at Ramekins Culinary School on Saturday, Jan. 30.
The yearly event, sponsored by the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, is one of the highlights of olive season in the Valley, just one of many such celebrations taking place throughout the month of January.
The seven-course meal, created by more than 25 of the area’s most celebrated chefs, will feature dishes, appetizers and desserts utilizing the mighty olive, the region’s second-largest agricultural crop, following, of course, grapes.
The fruit of that vine, no surprise, will be on hand, as well, with wine offerings designed to enhance the Mediterranean flavors and smells of the above-average, exceptionally well-prepared olive.
This year’s assemblage of chefs includes Glen Ellen Star’s Ari Weisswasser, the girl & the fig’s Sondra Bernstein, Café La Haye’s Saul Hopman, Santé’s Bruno Tison, Carneros Bistro’s Andrew Wislon, and La Salette’s Manuel Azevedo. Others may be added to the all-star chef lineup between now and the event, which begins with a reception at the General’s Daughter.
The reception will, per tradition, include martinis (the olive’s favorite cocktail) created by the martini-makers from HopMonk Tavern who won MacArthur Place’s annual Martini Madness competition on Jan. 8.
The feast itself will take place at Ramekins’ opulent Vineyard Room, where each table will have its own dedicated team of executive chefs. With more than 2,000 varieties in existence, the olive is known worldwide as a kind of “super food,” celebrated for over 6,000 years in many cultures.
Though less celebrated in the Sonoma Valley than that other crop, the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau has stated that the olive is increasingly becoming a major tourist draw to the area, and events like the Feast of the Olive assist in spreading the reputation of the Valley as one of the finest olive growing areas in the country.
This year’s Feast of the Olive takes place Saturday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m.
Tickets are limited, and are $175, available olivefestival.com and by calling 996-1090.
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