Food has always played an important role in my life. Not as you would normally consider it as sustenance and fuel, but as the center of a lot of emotion. Often, I tend to eat not because I am hungry, [...]

No matter how old I am, my life continues to follow the rhythm of the school year. Here we are at back to school time, so I am naturally trying to get more organized, be a bit more disciplined, and [...]

I was (rightfully!) chastised this week for getting so far behind on my blog postings, so here goes……. This post is much different than it was originally intended to be. F. Oliver’s was so busy in July and August that [...]

Yesterday I completed my first week working as a “shop girl.” Doesn’t that conjure images of a routine, mundane daily life? My week was anything but. As a quick catch-up for those of you new to the F. Oliver’s blog, [...]

F. Oliver’s now has 36 fustis full of incredibly fresh oils and balsamic vinegars! If you missed my previous post, a fusti is a stainless steel container specifically designed to store and pour oils and vinegars. Most of ours are [...]

I am amazed at the amount of work that goes into opening a business. Aside from establishing the brand, systems and processes, finding excellent employees and acquiring inventory, just getting the store physically ready to open requires more work than [...]

A friend once told me that it is important to “ride the wave” of the good times to carry you through the not-so-good times. It sounded a little too new-agey for me then, but I believe now that I understand [...]

“You’re going to open a store? In the middle of the recession? You’re going to sell Olive Oil and Vinegar? In Canandaigua? Have you lost your mind? What else are you going to sell? Nothing! What??” … then a polite [...]