Sommelier Program Returns to New York for 10th Edition

The Olive Oil Times Education Lab’s Sommelier Certificate Program will return to its flagship home in New York’s Flatiron District for its 10th annual New York edition.

The five-day course has become one of the most recognized olive oil education programs in the world, bringing together producers, retailers, chefs, buyers, food professionals and enthusiasts for intensive instruction in sensory analysis, production, health, culinary applications and quality assessment.

The New York program holds particular significance for the Education Lab. Developed in 2015 by Olive Oil Times at New York’s International Culinary Center, the course was created to provide rigorous, multidisciplinary training in extra virgin olive oil.

Participants learn to evaluate oils through structured tastings, identify positive attributes and defects and better understand the factors that influence olive oil quality, from cultivar selection and harvest timing to milling, storage and packaging.

The curriculum also examines nutrition, culinary applications and the marketplace, while giving participants valuable training in sensory evaluation and quality assessment.

Over the years, the program has attracted participants from across the olive oil sector and beyond, including growers, millers, chefs, retailers, quality control professionals, journalists and entrepreneurs seeking a deeper understanding of quality.

The return to New York for the 10th annual edition marks a milestone for a program that has helped broaden olive oil education for an international audience. While the Education Lab now offers courses in other locations, New York remains the flagship setting for the Sommelier Certificate Program.

As interest in high-quality extra virgin olive oil continues to grow, the New York course will again offer participants the opportunity to build practical knowledge, refine their tasting skills and become an expert in one of the world’s most important foods.

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