August 2014: ROSTO’s New Look and The Australian Women’s Weekly Magazine
Introducing great people, places and produce…
A Quick Intro…
I am Tori, the one who does all Sales and Marketing for ROSTO. My sister Ali, brother Brodie and I set up ROSTO back in 2004. Yes, 10 years ago. Crazy how time flies. There have been multiple countries, babies and wonderful times over those years but ROSTO has been plodding on, waiting for our return. We’re back!! Well, kind of. My accounting guru, Ali, returns from living in Asia but we lose our brother to his film calling over in Europe.
Harvest Wrap
Our olives took a pummeling throughout the year with high heat and high wind. The pressure was on for Mum and Dad (Ro and Steve Higgs) to press the best olives around the clock to produce an award winning EVOO. Around the clock means Dad took the midnight shift and mum, the 5am start. Remember, fresh is best when it comes to EVOO. Good news is that with lower than average oil yields, a superior quality EVOO is produced. We’ve entered lots of olive oil shows this year so hope to receive quite a few awards like previous years.
News Flash
We just won 3 silver medals in the Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards. Other show results are to be announced soon.
I love the judge’s description of our ROSTO Extra Oomph EVOO
Fresh crisp complex aromas
of green grass and sweet
aromas of perfumed flowers.
Well balanced bitterness and
pungency with a clean finish
and good fruit charactistics
on the palate.
Our Harvest
Watch our super short clip showing how olives are harvested. Made by Brodie Higgs. The Life of an Olive:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLZ2HJ3Rr-M
ROSTO’s New Look
New labels, new website. www.rostogrove.com.au
Check out our new labels. Geeze, we hope you like them as the only similarity between the old and new is our talented Graphic Designer, Toby Jones, who managed to decifer my long winded creative speal into something we love. We hope you love it too…. clean, fresh and looks darn good on anyone’s kitchen bench.
ROSTO Mellow Extra Virgin Olive Oil
ROSTO Extra Oomph Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Toby Jones is a really interesting guy – check out his website http://www.tobyjones.com.au/
The Australian Women’s Weekly team came to stay
What a great bunch of people. Absolutely biased though as Xanthe Roberts who’s now the Assistant Food Editor (you go you good thing) used to work for ROSTO. I knew we had great taste from the start! And the divine Michele Cranston captivated our attention, along with the uber cool Brett Stevens who was the photographer for the day. Thanks guys for driving nearly 4 hours to see our beautiful grove and for your great company over dinner. We hope you liked mum’s special Caponata Pasta. Click here for the recipe.
A lovely picture of our grove can be seen in the September Australian Women’s Weekly magazine, with great olive oil recipes and extra virgin olive oil facts. Out now!
Now, for the introductions…
Meet Michele Cranston who’s offered us some great tid bits below.
1. Who are you?
I’m a food stylist and recipe writer who has been working in the food industry for 25 years. I originally worked as a chef, however as I had several art degrees, I was drawn to the media side of food. I was the Food Editor at Marie Claire magazine for 5 years and I’ve written 11 cookbooks under the Marie Claire title. I’m presently one of the Food Editors at The Australian Women’s Weekly.
As well as writing for the magazine, I do freelance food styling and at the moment I’m also working on a new cookbook under my own name. http://www.michelecranston.com.au/
2. Who do you love following right now?
The only social media I indulge in is Instagram, as I’m drawn to the image and different visual viewpoints.
I follow a few food people but I mostly look for people who have an interesting visual slant. I see Instagram more as a way of looking into other places and spaces, a little travel hit in the middle of the day, rather than for work inspiration. Some favourites are:
rawveganblonde, arielealasko, briannyongesa, princesspantry, snapandstir, printscharming, floralsculptures
3. What is your favourite recipe at the moment?
That’s a hard question for someone who’s in the middle of writing a cookbook! Where do I start? My favourite recipe on the weekend was a baked ricotta with caponata (photo below) … a perfect starter to share, especially when drizzled with lots of yummy peppery olive oil.
My favourite ‘go-to- recipe is roast chicken. It’s the perfect comfort food especially with lots of crispy roast potatoes, sweet roast pumpkin and a preserved lemon and parsley sauce.
4. What is your favourite restaurant or cafe at the moment?
I love Brickfields café in Chippendale, which does a really interesting take on breakfast as well as baking the best breads and pastries. I always leave with a few extras for the day and week ahead tucked under my arm! I actually don’t eat out that much as I’m always cooking at home but when I do, I like to eat something I wouldn’t cook myself. My latest favourite is soupy dumplings so I’ll either go to Din Tai Fung or one of the great dumpling restaurants in Ashfield.
5. Where do you like to shop for your fresh produce?
My shopping haunts are quite varied as I seem to spend half my life shopping for food! Fruit and vegetables come from the local organic farmer’s markets and Norton Street Grocers. For meat and poultry, I try to mostly buy from organic suppliers or from a great company called Feather and Bone. I’m also lucky to live close to the fish markets so fresh seafood is just a pleasant bike ride away.
Brett Stevens has a really great take on where to find your produce…
1. Who are you?
Brett Stevens, Sydney based, globally orientated Food and Lifestyle Photographer. Working for clients both nationally and internationally. You can follow me on Instagram @brettshotwhat, Twitter @brettshotwhat, like us on Facebook @brettstevensphotography and search the interweb for www.brettstevensphotography.com
2. Who do you love following right now?
I am an Instagram fanatic and there are quite a few favourites, not all food related, but here is a selection – @biotadining, @rvstapleton, @janelawsonfood, @quayrestaurant, @mrandmrstom
3. What is your favourite recipe at the moment?
Always my wife’s slow roast Morrocan Lamb shoulder
4. What is your favourite restaurant or cafe at the moment?
Favourite Restaurant is Papi Chulo, Manly and Favourite Cafe is Le Progres, in the 3rd [Marais], Paris.
5. Where do you like to shop for your fresh produce?
I am not sure, it just magically appears!?!?!?
Contact ROSTO Grove
Interested in ROSTO blogs, please email sfhiggs@bigpond.com
Website – www. rostogrove.com.au
Instagram name – rostogrove
Facebook – www.facebook.com/RostoExtraVirginOliveOil
