Taste of Crete, a gourmet food company, won Gold for its marquee Taste of Crete PDO extra virgin olive oil from Greece in the prestigious International Olive Oils of the World Competition. September 15, 2006 Taste of Crete PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil, from Greece, won a Gold Medal in this year’s 2006 competition, recognizing it as one of the best extra virgin olive oils. It also carries the DOP or PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) classification which means that it has been recognized by the European Union with highest distinction in quality and adherence to traditional production methods in its geographical region. Taste of Crete’s fine artisan extra virgin olive oil with an extremely low acidity of 0.3% is from the region of Sitia, Crete, Greece. The International Olive Oils of the World Competition is a special competition open to olive oils produced throughout the world. Since its inception in 2000, it has quickly grown to world stature and is now the largest olive oil competition in the United States with major participation from Spanish, French, Greek, Californian and Italian extra virgin olive oils and all other olive oil producing countries. It is held in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Fair, The California Olive Oil Council and their panel of international tasters. Esther Psarakis, President of Taste of Crete, based in Bridgewater New Jersey, states: “We are extremely honored to be awarded Gold in this competition. It gives well deserved recognition to the farmers in Sitia who take exceptional pride in their extra virgin olive oil’s careful cultivation and production. Last year, our first year in business, Taste of Crete won a Silver medal” Esther Psarakis started the company because her husband is from Crete and she has developed a passion for the culture, food and people of Crete. She elaborates “I have known for years that some of the finest extra virgin olive oil is from Crete, Greece, and I am dedicated to importing its finest quality natural food products”. In addition to her Gold winning extra virgin olive oil, she imports raw varietal honeys from various areas of Greece and she has created a line of traditional Greek cookies based on her mother in law’s recipes. Ms. Psarakis is a 2005 Success Award Winner for the Small Business Development Centers and a 2005 Stevie Award Finalist for Best New Company. Do you know that the people of Crete have the highest consumption of olive oil in the world? she asks. The nutritional benefits of extra virgin olive oil are an important component of the diet of Crete, one of the healthiest versions of the Mediterranean diet. My goal is to bring Taste of Crete PDO extra virgin olive oil to health conscious and gourmet food loving Americans. Winning again, and this time the Gold, in this prestigious competition, is wonderful recognition for Greek extra virgin olive oil. Taste of Crete will be participating in the Summer Fancy Foods Show being held at Jacob Javits in New York City from July 9-11. They will be at booth 3061 and are also represented by Steiner Foods at booth 1036 and Importika at booth 176. Taste of Crete products will also be showcased at the European Union’s European Authentic Tastes Pavilion and the New Jersey Pavilion. Additional information on Taste of Crete can be found on their website, www.tasteofcrete.com, or by calling 908 685 2035. Author : Travel to Crete