A Talk About Tuscany, Color, and the Art of Making Great Olive Oil

Tuesday, August 6th, 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Zingerman’s Events on Fourth
415 N. Fifth Ave in Kerrytown

Every few years we’re fortunate to welcome a very special visitor. A person particularly insightful and talented, creative and caring, and  eager to share what he or she has learned with our community. Michael Zyw is one of those people. His art is internationally acclaimed. His olive oil is terrific. And he does it all—pruning, painting, picking, pressing and choosing his color palette—on his small farm near the picturesque Tuscan coast.

Poggio Lamentano was a pioneer; it was already winning acclaim back in the early ’60s, an era when extra virgin olive was just a gleam in the eye of most of the world’s gourmets. The food writers of that era fell in love with it. Elizabeth David called it, “one of the supreme pleasures of my life.” MFK Fisher was a big fan as well: “Excellent in every way and exactly to my taste.” The oil is classically Tuscan—peppery, green, big, beautiful, delicious.

Crafting a world-class oil is a huge achievement, but working with olive trees is Michael Zyw’s morning work. In the afternoon, his artistic endeavors with canvas and  glass are as exceptional as his oil. Michael’s art, as was that of his father, Alexander Zyw, has been praised throughout the art world, inspiring such quotes as, “extraordinary paintings incarnate the essence of the art of Aquarelle, in which profuse colour diluted in water arrives at its perfected image. It can be likened to a photo, which can instantly manifest delicate visual impressions born of an observation of reality in continuous movement,” and ” . . . has realized blocks of Murano crystal within which colours have been captivated . . . communicating the living visual impressions of his bright imagination.”

Clearly, this is a man of many talents. On August 6th, the worlds of art, olive oil, and the food of the Tuscan countryside will converge at the Zingerman’s Deli for a very special evening. Please join us.

Seats are limited, so sign up today!

$30/person, call 734-663-3400 to reserve a seat or online below.