Johnny Madge arrived in Italy in 1982, and his passion for oil began almost immediately.
Telling us when and why he fell in love with oil, Johnny recalls an invitation to a lunch in Umbria.
He finds a bottle of new oil at the table, and notices that his diners, in addition to using it on bruschetta (which he already knew), also use it on a bean soup, and later, to his surprise, on a grilled steak! He then realized that for many Italians, oil is not just another ingredient.
In the English culinary tradition, in fact, oil was not widely used; Johnny remembers that when his grandmother wanted to buy it to cook her typical Greek dishes, she had to go to the pharmacy and buy small bottles.
Four years after this famous lunch, Johnny decides to buy a house in Sabina, near Rome.
He finds an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of an olive grove, starts tasting various local oils, and tells his wife that before he buys a house there, he wants to taste the oil from his farmhouse.
The oil is good and Johnny buys the house. He continues to make oil for years, but admits that it was not really very good.
In 2002 he decided to open an oil shop, where after a short time a Slow Food expert visited, who realizing Johnny's passion for the product, suggested that he make some oil presentations to locals.
His first assignment was in a restaurant, and it involved covering bottles with aluminum foil so that the tasting would be in the "dark."
As the only Englishman, he himself admits to feeling uncomfortable, as if the others did not trust him.
The following year they test him, and offer him a few tastings. Again he feels a lot of pressure, but shows that he is very capable.
Step by step Johnny makes the acquaintance of many experts and continues to work for Slow Food another 6 years. With them he participates in an event where he makes the acquaintance of the editor of Gambero Rosso, who asks him to participate as a taster at event in Molise, an event where he meets Curtis Cord, who in turn invites him to New York for the New York Olive Oil Competition, to talk about oil.
In the Big Apple he met an American juror who invited him to Japan on the jury.
Next he was invited to Greece, London, Turkey, Berlin, and now he is also on the jury in Australia.
From November he will work in Lesvos, Greece, as a food guide, particularly in the oil sector.
It is evident that from his small farmhouse in Sabina, Johnny has come a long way.
Now Johnny to pass on his passion to others, he organizes online tastings, where he uses the Opera Olei Box in order to take a virtual tour of the whole of Italy, from North to South.
In fact, the Box features six different oils, six different regions and six different cultivars.
This makes it possible for him to have people taste very different products.
Johnny during the tasting tries to use very simple language so that it is understandable even to novices.
He talks about the producers, the difference in the various cultivars, and explains all the benefits of the oil, but is keen to point out that it can also have flaws, such as sludge.
He gets right back on the "positive" as he puts it, and directs customers on how to use it in the kitchen. Because every oil has its own dish, as the brochure inside the box set perfectly illustrates, which Johnny suggests reading and studying carefully!
For more information, visit:
http://www.johnnymadge.com/
http://www.johnnymadge.com/online-olive-oil-tastings/