Once my brother Bruce, Bill, and I arrived at the beautiful campus of the CIA at Greystone in California’s Napa Valley region, we were ready for our tour that would be given by Tyffani Peters, the school’s media rep.

But first, we would experience something  inside the school’s Spice Island Marketplace that we were told was unique to the United States-its Flavor Bar. While watching a 15 minute video presented by a chef instructor and by eating and drinking certain foods, we would be shown how to refine a specific part of our sense of taste.

The courses included, Calibrate Your Palate, The Chocolate Experience,Wine & Cheese Pairing and Oleoteca Villa Campestri.

We participated in the last of these presentations, and we learned how super premium olive oil can enhance so many dishes including chocolate!  The oil that was used was very special in part because it had been obtained directly from the crop to the CIA ‘s bar without ever being exposed to air.

The chef instructor taught us that flavor does not just involve taste, but also smell, and he showed us how to better experience the premium oil through a breathing method.

We then sipped the different oils by themselves and ate them with different combinations including cabbage, chocolate and cheese.

It was a great learning experience and, when we were finished, it was on to our tour of the building.

Next: The Tour