Lucero Olive Oil Winter Crush draws 1,500

Vendors from several north state counties such as Bianchi Orchards of Dairyville and Tri-L Mandarin of Oroville offered samples and sold locally grown and made products during the Lucero Olive Oil s Winter Crush event Saturday. Guests were offered tours of the mill, cooking demonstrations and live music among other things. ( DN-Wagner )

CORNING - At least 1,500 people smelled, tasted and experienced a bit of Tehama County produce and culinary delights Saturday as Lucero Olive Oil hosted its first Winter Crush event.

Lucero offered cooking demonstrations, vendor booths, live music and tours of the olive oil processing mill.

Guests were given a chance to put on hair nets and actually see how Lucero adds fresh citrus to the olives before they are crushed to create the company's mandarin orange and Meyer lemon olive oils.

The event drew crowds from all over northern California.

Many came as part of tour in which several buses from Lincoln dropped passengers off at the event.

Lincoln residents Bonnie Rink and Judy Peck met on one

Visitors enjoy samples from the complimentary mustard and tapinade table Saturday during Lucero Olive Oil s Winter Crush event. ( DN-Stevens )

of the bus tours and were enthusiastic about heading inside for the olive oil mill tour.

The women had already been inside the gift shop sampling products and visited with vendors inside the mill.

"So far its been great," Peck said.

They were especially excited about dark chocolate walnut prune treats they'd bought from Bianchi Orchards.

"It sounds strange, but they were fabulous," Peck said.

The group had started the day with a visit to the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina before heading to Lucero's.

Although Rink had gone on wine tours, she'd never done anything like this before, she said.

She saw the advertisement in her local newspaper and thought it was a

great idea.

Author Carol Firenze Anglin of Los Gatos came for different reasons.

Owner and writer of The Passionate Olive, she was signing copies of the 8th edition of her book, a virtual encyclopedia of uses and praise for olive oil.

Along with her book, she was excited to offer a new iPhone app that allows anyone to find great olive oil vendors and producers in any area within seconds.

The app also gives links to many of the tips and ideas in her book.

Although Anglin lists Lucero Olive Oil as a quality vendor in her book and on the iPhone app, Saturday was the first time she'd actually made it to the mill in Corning, she said.

"It's a wonderful event," she said. "This is a great community."

There's a growing interest in olive oil, she said.

She brought along her friend Say Ota, president of Passionate Sweets, Inc. of Los Gatos, who gave samples of Dolce Amore candies made with olive oil instead of butter and all natural ingredients.

Many people from Chico joined in the event as well.

Steve and Debbie Sohn of Chico saw a poster about the event while having tea one day, they said. They went online and found out more about it.

It sounded like fun, Steve Sohn said.

"Everybody loves olive oil," he said.

The couple lived in the Bay area and Sacramento before they moved to Chico about four years ago. This event offered them similar culture and atmosphere as some events they might find in the cities, but it was just the right amount of people and a great atmosphere, they said.

It was hard to hear on the tour but it was very informative, Steve Sohn said.

However, the couple's favorite part was the tasting room, he said.

"I would have never thought they could put so many types of flavors in olive oil," he said. "Never would I think to just drink vinegar, but there was enough of a taste to do that."

There was something for the locals too.

A Red Bluff mother, Melinda Richardson, brought her three boys, ages 2, 4 and 6, to the event.

Although her mother knows some of the Lucero family, this was the first time they'd come to the mill, she said.

"It's bigger than I expected," Richardson said. "They have a really nice gift shop and it's beautiful out here."

They sampled oils and treats while the boys made bead and uncooked colored pasta necklaces in the children's craft area.

Richardson waited outside while her mother was buying a gift for her grandmother who lives in the Bay area.

The whole family enjoyed it, she said. "It's a nice, calm environment," she said.

The tour was interesting too.

"It smelled delicious inside, especially with the mandarin oranges," she said.

For more information about the company and/or future events go to lucerooliveoil.com or call the customer service line at 877-330-2190.

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Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or or at awagner@redbluffdailynews.com

Source: http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/ci_19530018?source=rss_viewed

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