Rodrigo Garcia, an Argentinian chef, developed his passion for Mediterranean cooking while working in Spain and Greece, before moving to Vermont in 2011. Upon arriving, Rodrigo immediately began to search for good quality olive oils, essential in his cooking. Rodrigo's search ended as soon as he met Paul Hatz. Paul imports his family’s high quality Extra Virgin olive oils, as well as olives and fe
ta cheese, directly from their farms in Greece. These authentic, family-produced, high quality products can be found being used by chefs in many of Boston's finest restaurants. Last summer, Rodrigo and Paul, partnered up to create La OLIVA in Vermont. In the summer and fall, Rodrigo can be found at farmers markets in southern Vermont (Manchester, Ludlow and West River), serving up La OLIVA's marinated Greek olives, dips, and of course, great Extra Virgin olive oils. Rodrigo uses Paul's authentic Greek ingredients to make a variety of Mediterranean foods like oil Kalamata Olive Tapenade, ‘Greek-style’ Pesto (with Tahini and Feta cheese), Tzatziki (with local goat’s milk yogurt), Split Pea and Mint ‘Hummus,’ as well as Mediterranean spice mixes, and infused olive oils. La OLIVA's products are for sale in Vermont, from May through mid-October, at the Manchester Farmers Market (Thursday, 3-6pm), the Ludlow Farmers Market (Friday, 4-7pm) and the West River Farmers Market in Londonderry (Saturday, 9-1pm). At these markets, you can try all of La OLIVA's products, and learn more about what makes REAL Extra Virgin olive oil so great!
