Extra Virgin an Olive Ovation

Specialties

While preparing to open St. Louis’ first olive oil market we considered the various franchises and single distributor companies that operate the bulk only olive oil shops across the country. Although these options are an easy way to get a store started we decided that they were too limiting for our customers. Several of our best selling olive oils and vinegars are available «on tap», but we are proud to offer St. Louis’ best selection of artisan produced and estate bottled oils and vinegars. Our focus is quality and customer service.

Meet the Business Owner

Marianne P.

Business Owner

I am a retired physician (pathologist) who has studied the health benefits of a diet rich in olives and olive oil. That, plus my love of cooking led me to start An Olive Ovation to share my knowledge and love of all things olive and to provide a means for you to share your culinary experiences.

Prior to medical school at the University of Illinois I earned a bachelors degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I raised my family in St. Louis while working for the nation’s largest reference laboratory for over 18 years. I retired in 2007 as the Medical Director of the St. Louis laboratory to start this exciting and fulfilling project.

I want to thank the excellent faculty at U.C. Davis for their Sensory Evaluation of Olive Oil class which gave me the technical foundation for this venture. The class covered the anatomy of taste; the scientific approach to tasting; food pairing; agricultural aspects; methods for pressing olives, and an histori