county Farew19
Diana Cercone
I’ve been hearing good things about Olive With A Twist in Frenchtown from friends lately. Well, actually, not so lately. More like for this past year. “Yes, yes,” I would tell them. “I’ll get there.” Have to admit, my interest was piqued from its first mention. Tell me about a shop that specializes in gourmet foods, especially olive oils, balsamic vinegars and cheese, and I immediately add it to my to-do list. As the name Olive With A Twist inched its way to the top of my list, I knew the time had come to pay a visit.
Greeting me this day from behind the ample-sized cheese counter is Chris Robinson, co-owner of Olive With A Twist with his partner, Brian Terry. Though possessing a baronial stature, he’s surprisingly soft-spoken and moves with the grace of a dancer. Over the shop’s sound system, the Sirius XM radio station ’40s Junction sets a party mood.
Commenting to Chris, I say that it’s hard not to sway to the beckoning rhythms. “It’s not unusual for customers to break into a dance,” he says, with both amusement and pride in his voice. “It’s that kind of music … and we’re that kind of a shop.”
Brian, he says, grew up in Bethlehem and was in the cosmetic business before he and Chris decided to open Olive With A Twist in 2014. Of the two, Brian is the better gourmet cook, Chris says, although he admits he’s no slouch in the kitchen as well. Recently the two opened a second store in Easton, where Brian is this day. Chris grew up in Portsmouth, NH, and worked for Stop-n-Shops in New England, managing the organic and healthier-eating sections. Going into the gourmet food business for the two of them was a natural.
Olive With A Twist bills itself as a gourmet pantry. But rather than shelves stacked chock-a-block with products and aisles barely maneuverable for one, let alone two people, there are attractive stations airily spaced bearing their wares. You’ll find none of the usual hectic pace of shopping here. Instead, you’re encouraged to take your time. Smell the roses, if you will. Or more to the point, stop and smell— as well as—taste the shop’s variety of extra virgin olive oils, 40 to be exact and just as many balsamic vinegars. Customer’s favorites include the Tuscan Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Tuscany Garlic Balsamic. But do try a selection when you’re there, including the teriyaki balsamic—wonderful for marinating fish, chicken, pork or vegetables.
I found myself especially fond of the Sangiovese Wine Vinegar, made from the famous Italian wine grape. So smooth, it could pass for a glass of vino. Then there are other goodies to sample, such as the small-batch barbecue sauces and special blends of spices. Other customer favorites include herb oil dips, especially the Tuscan Tomato Oil.
The stations are arranged by collections or themes. For example, imported dried pastas might share a station with pasta sauces; spices with herb dips and sea salts with black pepper; appetizer/meze offering jars of tuna stuffed tomatoes in olive oil, grilled artichokes, roasted peppers with olives; barbecue sauces with like spices; and bar/cocktail fixings in another. In addition, you’ll find an array of gluten-free pastas, muffin and pancake mixes.
Aesthetically pleasing, Chris says, there was another motive when designing the shop’s floor plan. The limited number of each food item ensures that items stocked are always fresh.
A one-stop gourmet shop, Olive With A Twist also offers a fine line of imported Italian linens, olive wood bowls and cutting boards. The Beekman Boys have their own stand, Farm to Skin, which offers goat milk bath and body lotions and creams. Rounding out the array of delicacies and gift items are assorted crackers, Homestead coffees, locally fresh baked breads, cookies and Torres, potato chips from Spain (“the best,” claims, Chris) and imported cheeses.
“A lot of the companies we use,” Chris says, “are small, family-owned ones that only use quality ingredients. You won’t find corn syrup added to any of the products we carry.” In addition, he says, since both Brian and he are good cooks, they make a point of trying out each product before deeming it worthy to offer to their customers. “If we don’t like it,” he says, “we won’t carry it.”
No surprise then that it’s not unusual to find professional chefs stopping by to pick up products and to see what new items Chris and Brian are offering. The same goes for their regular weekly—if not daily—customers from both sides of the Delaware.
Quality and flavor of their products are tantamount in their decision-making. But so is price, Chris says. When they find a product that meets their first two criteria as well as with a lower price tag than the more well-known, quality product, they’ll stock both. “Because everyone deserves to have something nice,” says Chris. It’s his take on Virginia Woolf’s admonition that “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
Even if you don’t like to cook, there’s much here to fulfill Woolf’s wise words. For example, you’ll find an ample array of packaged, pre-made gourmet pastas. Two stands to be exact. Each offering one-pot pasta gourmet meals from Tiberino. Complete with sauce, they come in a variety of pasta shapes and sauces, as well as risottos. For example, on this day, the selection included Black Spaghetti Marinara with Capers and Paprika, Bucatini Amatriciana and Trofietta and basil pesto.
“The directions are simple,” Chris says. “They even give you suggested wine pairings. Lots of parents buy them for their kids in college—or to entertain.” When too busy to cook, he says, he often defaults to them for a quick and easy gourmet lunch.
At any time of the year, you’ll find gift baskets of specialty items, especially boxed sets of their best-selling olive oils and balsamic vinegars. But come the holidays, Olive With A Twist turns into a virtual Santa’s workshop, with something for everyone on your foodie list. Of course, they also specialize in custom-designed and corporate gift baskets. They’ll even ship your gifts.
Walking out with a heavy bag filled with my purchase of gourmet goodies, including a lovely camembert, I chided myself for having taken so long to stop by Olive With A Twist. Don’t you make the same mistake.
Olive With A Twist in located at 12 Race Street in Frenchtown, NJ; 908-628-3188; www.olivewithatwist.com.
Diana Cercone is an area freelance writer who specializes in food, art and travel.