The
Olive Program FAQ
What is your olive course?
Our olive program is the result of melding
two, formerly very different courses together- a professional-level
olive lecture series given by one of the field’s leading
consultants, and a wine and culture-heavy, culinary school,
held in a part of the world virtually unknown to most non-Italians.
The joint venture works to tear down the walls between the
two fields, teaching non-professionals not only how to make,
choose and discern quality through analytical tasting, but
also how to enjoy the final product, culinarily, set in its
proper setting…where the olive trees grow, immersed
in the culture that produced , them along-side the wine that
evolved in response to it.
So
the program is just about olives, extra virgin olive oil
and how to cook with it?
As with all of our courses, culture, history and geography
play integral parts in all we do, as does the wine, which
is all the world-famous, quirky southern IGTs, DOCs or DOCGs
, many unavailable outside of Italy. We believe one need
study olives and extra virgin olive oil to really understand
their complexity, but that that study only comes into its
own when one sees how it all comes together in the kitchen
and at the table.
How much actual cooking will we do?
Generally-speaking, our lunches during the week
are designed to showcase the olive oils in question, and, while
long and leisurely, lunches tend to feature simple dishes chosen
for their ‘blank canvas’ qualities, rather than representing ‘dishes
to be learned’. Bruschetta. Pasta with garlic and oil.
Grilled vegetables. Grilled fish. All of these dishes are
in the local style, but the emphasis is on the extra virgin
olive oil, versus the passing on of information.
Dinners on the other hand, are full-on cooking lessons, with
the meals coming together, completely prepared by you the students.
These meals feature 100% local dishes from the sunny south
of Italy, complete with high-quality, southern Italian wines.
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We're
small and intimate-we limit our Italian cookery courses to only
six participants a week, more for our castle weeks, so we fill
up early, Reserve a
place now. We'd love to have you at The Table.
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Is
it the same price as your normal week?
No, due to our increased costs of the castle,
visiting lecturers and additional transportation, there is
a 250 Euro supplement. But aside from any expenses you may
incur on Wednesday day (your free morning and afternoon)-
and any possible souvenirs or personal items- your tuition
covers everything from the time we rendezvous on Sunday afternoon
until the following Saturday. Coffee, breakfast, all meals,
all drinks, all transportation, all lessons, etc. We even
recommend against hiring a car (rental cars).
Who
are the teachers?
Our olive lecturer is Chris Butler, an international olive industry
tutor, writer and consultant, as well as a registered professional olive oil
taster. Chris, an Italian citizen from Tuscany, has been working in the olive
industry in three continents for over two decades and heads a company called
Olive Matters Pty. Ltd.
Silvestro Silvestori is the owner and director of The Awaiting Table Cookery
School in Lecce, Italy, and along with Chris Butler, the two created the courses,
each drawing on his specific field of expertise. For further questions you
can write Chris at butler@olivematters.com,
and Silvestro at ssilvestori@awaitingtable.com. For best results, copy both
on all questions, as many of the answers will overlap.
How
often is it held?
Each of the unique courses is held once or
twice a year, based on demand. A second course will be added
only when the first is full, normally at around 18 people.
You can write Silvestro at ssilvestori@awaitingtable.com
regarding whether this will happen or not in any given season.
How is the course different from that of the cooking school?
Potential olive students should pay special notice to the olive program, without
assuming that what is true of the Lecce school is also true of the olive courses.
There are major differences, from the arrival hour, the typical day and typical
week. When in doubt, look for the olive header at the top of the page.
And please read on.
 Is
the course held in Lecce?
No, it is held at the castle, 40 minutes
south of Lecce. We meet in Lecce on Sunday morning, and
we’ll drop you back in Lecce on Saturday. The castle
is vast, containing our living quarters (both single and
double bedrooms), several massive halls, nine kitchens,
an Olympic-sized pool, sprawling grounds, complete with
an herb garden and hundreds of fruit trees, all of it inside
the castle walls. The town is small and very southern,
with white-washed walls, several cafes and lots of old
men sitting around the parks and main piazza.
What
is the difference between the olive courses held in the
spring versus that held in the autumn?
The harvest. Olives are an autumnal product
and come into season later in the year. The Contadino,
The Cook and The Extra Virgin is an olive and olive oil
appreciation class with cooking, held in the warmer months,
to advantage of Italy’s excellent weather. The Agronomist,
The Alchemist and The Extra Virgin is a harvest course,
featuring a hands-on opportunity to Extra Virgin make your
own extra virgin olive oil, following the fascinating agricultural
and mechanical processes, past and present.
Do
I need to be a professional olive grower to attend?
Absolutely not. You only have to be interested
in the extra virgin olive oil, the food and wine you consume
and where it comes from. The olive course is different enough
from The Awaiting Table’s normal course that many students
return for the other.
Is
there a final exam?
No. But, along with your colleagues, you’ll
be asked to assess extra virgin olive oils as part of a
formal participants’ tasting panel and be awarded
a certificate of attendance at the end of the course.
And, most particularly, you’ll have some of your own extra virgin olive
oil to take home with you, proof of the special knowledge you’ll have
gained!
What
would I expect to achieve by doing to course?
We would expect you to complete the course
with a highly detailed working knowledge of how extra virgin
olive oil is produced, how to assess it accurately for
quality and flavour, as well as how best to use it on your
food. We also expect you to have a lot of fun.
A
Note from Silvestro Silvestori on
The Olive Programmes. |
