I must’ve been Italian in my past life because anything that has to do with Italian indulgence is my absolute kryptonite. Pasta, pizza, olive oil, wine and everything in between was made to make me weak in the knees. So when I heard about a night of all of the above, I knew I had to be there!

On a cool summer night in New York City, food lovers from all over gathered for an intimate dinner with the Redoro family for an exploratory conversation about the olive oil and wine making process.

Set high above in a beautiful penthouse at the Hotel Giraffe in Manhattan’s Kips Bay neighborhood, the night began with a lovely lesson in olive oil making by  Lou DiPalo, an expert in the field. As he spoke, we tasted three different oils, each processed in its own particular way, slightly changing the taste and texture of the product.

As we indulged in various samples of  Redoro’s “liquid gold,” we were treated to creamy heaps of freshly made burrata and freshly sliced prosciutto. The wine (also from the Redoro family land in Italy), flowed freely and was the perfect pairing for the additional decadent dishes in abundance including marinated chicken cutlets, two types of pasta and delicious salads drizzled with only the finest of olive oils (Redoro of course!).

It was an entertaining and enlightening night, and now I know never to skimp on a good olive oil…. it makes a world of difference. Bravo!