Flavor infusion
From the moment Ashley Tarver first donned the intern’s chef apron in one of Buenos Aires’ finest restaurants, she knew she’d found her calling.
As the only American in her two-year cooking school program — and often the only female — Tarver relied on her Spanish major to thrive in a demanding environment made even more so by the language barrier.
“It was a demanding experience,” said Tarver, adding that she interned alongside people from all over central and South America as well as Spain. “Because of the cultural diversity, it was almost like receiving an education in world cooking.”
A core aspect of that education, cobbled together from Tarver’s collegiate time studying abroad and her post-graduate culinary schooling, still guides her cooking today.
“Great food does not have to be complicated,” she said. “Simple is good.”
The mantra led her to create from her home kitchen in Vestavia Hills a line of four infused olive oils that have recently found favor with customers in both boutique and mainstream food retailers across the country.
Tarver’s selections, packaged under the name Copper Pot Kitchen, include Honey Balsamic, Lemon Rosemary, Roasted Garlic and Spicy Chile.
To create the infusions, Tarver called on her travel experiences to Greece, Italy and Turkey, including stints working in three Michelin starred restaurants, and her own personal study of the origins and uses of olive oil.
After perfecting her efforts, Tarver was ready to share the infusions beyond her own supper table.
A call to Whole Foods led to a meeting with a buyer, who informed Tarver her product would be subject to a tasting and critique by the store’s employees.
“That was the most nerve-wracking part,” said Tarver.
She needn’t have worried though. The reviews were favorable. Bolstered by that early win, Tarver went on to pursue other Whole Foods locations. Today, Copper Pot Kitchen infused olive oils line the shelves in eight Whole Foods stores across the Southeast.
“It is an unbelievable feeling to walk into a store 500 miles away and see something you created on the shelf,” said Tarver, who credits the small brand trend with helping drive her early success. “It is reconnecting us all with the people who make the products. Whole Foods is great about that.”
Tarver is still finding ways to experiment with the infused oils, and encourages her customers to do the same. She assures customers they aren’t just for dipping bread.
She uses them as marinades, tosses them with pasta, and mixes them in salad dressings.”
For now, Tarver is focused on expanding the Copper Pot Kitchen brand nationally. Specialty retailers in Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Maine have already placed orders.
Meanwhile, she is working to expand nationally into Whole Foods and Fresh Market.
She said she is constantly thinking of products she’d like to see in store shelves, but is pacing herself until she knows the demand exists.
“Then the challenge is taking it from your home kitchen and making it safe and tasty for the consumer,” she said.
Given what she’s achieved so far with her homegrown infused olive oils, it’s likely that the contributions from Copper Pot Kitchen are just beginning.
Copper Pot Kitchen olive oils retail from $12.99 - $14.99. For more, visit copperpotkitchen.com.