I promised to feature more recipes from San Diego chef Patrick Dahms. So here goes.

Chef Dahms – the executive chef at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel’s signature restaurant, Vela – prepares an olive oil-poached tuna. It’s accompanied by cannellini beans and a lemon salad. The extra virgin olive oil is heated to 165 degrees and left to sit for 15 minutes. The tuna is then poached in the EVOO for four to five minutes, until the inside is rare to medium rare. It’s a stunning dish.

You may recall I met Chef Dahms during the “mini” Harvest Retreat we held in May. These periodic retreats typically are held for our chef and distributor customers. In this case, we took Chef Dahms and others on a tour of our mill and olive trees in Artois, in the Sacramento Valley. We also hosted a lunch and dinner featuring extra virgin olive oil.

Chef Dahms, by the way, is a big proponent of using local ingredients, emphasizing their freshness and positive environmental impact.

“We use local ingredients as much as possible,” he told us. “If it’s not available in San Diego, can we get it from California? And, if not, can we at least use an American product? As chefs, we have to get out of the ‘import everything’ business.”

I’ll second that.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

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