Another Phabulous Pharm in Phoenix - OK, I'll stop now. Phinally.

A view of the groves

“Former Detroit auto industry worker becomes olive farmer”
Isn't that a headline for the ages? Lucky for visitors to the area, That's exactly what Perry Rea did. After a period of study in Italy, the Rea family (wife Brenda and four and a half kids - Brenda was expecting) moved to Queen Creek (southeast Phoenix), planted olive trees and began their own business eleven years ago. Now, Queen Creek Olive Mill is a thriving concern, selling three grades of excellent quality olive oil, flavored oils, tapenades, and lots of other goodies, including beauty products (Olivespa) as well as edibles.
Olive oil lip balm, how do I love thee? Here in the desert, humidity is hard to come by – even in this fertile area, prunes not only grow on trees, but humans can turn into one with very little effort. The new line, created by one of the Rea kids, is fabulous.

Take the tour to find out how olive oil is made, the processes, differences in quality (you may never go to Safeway again), and how to really taste the stuff (hint: you warm it up before you swish it around). The Rea family has also published a pretty and practical take on Italian cooking with plenty of EVOO, of course.

Then order at the counter and wander out to the front shaded area to enjoy a tasty, inexpensive Italian-inspired meal among the groves: lunch every day, dinner on weekends. The Estrella pizza is sublime, the warm olives a meal in themselves. Good-sized portions, casual atmosphere and…most European of all… no tipping unless you force it on the busboys. It’s no wonder the Olive Mill has grown over the years and remains a local favorite.

We tried to leave some food on the plates, but it wasn't easy

The Olive Mill is not far from Schnepf Farm, so make a day of farm stops. Just try to avoid S. Rittenhouse Rd. during commute hours; The former 2-lane farm road hasn't kept up with all the new development in the area, and delays are unavoidable during those times.

Queen Creek Olive Mill
25062 S. Meridian Rd.
Queen Creek, AZ 85142

480-361-9860
https://www.queencreekolivemill.com/

The Handsome Thief of Sarlat

A love letter on a back street in Sarlat

Got up at my usual ridiculous hour (5 AM—thanks, jet lag!) planning to go to the public market in the nearby church at 9AM). Antsy, I walked up the hill to where I left the car parked overnight (the desk clerk at the Remparts assured me it was OK to leave my car in the public lot on the main road. “it's a small town, nothing happens”, he said, and he was right—at least about parking). I drove down, circled a bit until I got a space right in front, loaded up and went in search of truffles. This region, the perigord, is famous for a couple of things, first and foremost, foie gras. It's everywhere, usually accompanied by statues or drawings of happy geese (obviously before they got “the treatment”—being force-fed through a funnel to fatten the liver). Duck comfit--duck parts preserved in their own grease--is big, and the area produces a lot of noisettes—filberts/hazelnuts--hence a lot of oil. But I was after the white truffle.

I walked around the nearly deserted streets and waited for shops to open. My only companion was a well-dressed young man who was also window shopping. I saw him 20 feet away, across the lane, then 10 feet away on my side of the street. I bent to look at another window display, turned around suddenly, and he was about 10 inches from my face. I apparently had foiled yet another pick-pocket. We excused ourselves, and I didn’t realize what had happened until later.