By Dr. Robert Urban – Connoisseur, Foodie, and Lover of the Freshest Olive Oil
PSSST… Want to learn a secret?
The Anointed Olive has the best olive oil I have ever tasted—hands down, no contest. I’m talking about liquid gold: high-phenol, first-press, cold-pressed perfection. Read on to find out why I believe this…and why your taste buds (and your health) will thank you.
From age 17 to 28, I served in the Marine Corps hopping across continents with a heavy pack on my back and a rifle in my hands. Between missions, chaos, and dust storms in places most people can’t pronounce, we’d occasionally get a break-short stints in cities, passing through countries on the way to other countries. And in those rare moments, I often found peace in the simplest thing: good food, shared with good friends.
In Greece, I dipped warm bread into golden olive oil under the Santorini sun, trying to look cultured while muttering, “Definitely some oregano… maybe a hint of Zeus.” In Italy, I wandered ancient olive groves watching farmers press oil like it was a sacrament. And in Croatia? I somehow walked away with a bottle of olive oil after bartering a pack of 15-year-old M&Ms from my MRE. We didn’t speak the same language, but a well-timed nod and some enthusiastic pointing sealed the deal.
And yet-nothing, and I mean NOTHING-has ever slapped my tastebuds with the same glorious, fresh, goodness as what I found right here in Deland, Florida at The Anointed Olive. I didn’t expect to have a religious experience in a boutique olive oil shop on the main street of a small town in America, hovering over a tiny sample, whispering, “Is this what salvation tastes like?” It was simply, by far, the best olive oil I have ever had.
But First, My Olive Oil Origin Story (Or: Why I Shouldn’t Be Allowed Near a DIY Kit)
Confession: I’m a foodie. Not the kind who says “mouthfeel” with a straight face or keeps a truffle shaver in the glove box. I just genuinely love food. And while I’ll never say no to an excellent restaurant, my real joy comes from cooking for other people.
Okay, maybe that makes me a Cheffie™-a term I’m trademarking immediately and will be using on all future aprons. Maybe it’s the South Carolina and Georgia upbringing in me, or maybe I just think feeding someone is the highest form of love. Like a warm hug… but with better seasoning and less awkward back-patting.
When my oldest son, Noah, was little, we had a two-year culinary tradition that, in hindsight, was basically Iron Chef: Fatherhood Edition. Every month, we’d pick a country, track down the spices, dig up some authentic recipes, and try to recreate the dishes at home-sometimes with applause-worthy success, and sometimes with the fire alarm acting as our unofficial timer.
My spice rack back then? More packed than most dudes’ garages. I had paprika from Hungary, turmeric from India, mahleb from the Middle East-made from cherry pits and wildly underrated. Urfa biber from Turkey added smoky heat, while Grains of Paradise from West Africa was always an interesting taste. There was berbere from Ethiopia, za’atar from Israel, and Ras el hanout (magic dust) from Morocco-a blend of 30 something spices that somehow never clashed. My personal favorite? Advieh from Iran. I still stand by the chili I make with cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg-don’t question it until you’ve tried it. And yes, fenugreek from India made an appearance, although that one went from “interesting” to “why does the whole house smell like syrup?” real fast. And don’t even get me started on rose water-you can make cake with it and other things that taste like it was kissed by royalty. One drop too much, though, and it is like eating your grandma’s perfume-soaked doilies.
Okay…Did I just get carried away? Absolutely. Did I just derail this paragraph into a spice catalog? Also, yes. Cheffie™ strikes again.
Was everything we made edible? Not always. Did we have nights where dinner ended in a frantic pizza order or emergency sushi? Definitely. But we laughed, we learned, and it is a great memory in both my son and my books.’ Since my son’s now out of the house, I’ve kept the spirit alive-making everything from pickles to jerky to tomato sauce that allegedly made a grown man weep (okay, it was me, but still- I count).
Since my wife is half-Italian, half-Cuban, I figured I’d pull off the ultimate romantic flex: making her a pairing of homemade olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You know, something classy-like “I love you” but in the love language of maybe she will make us something delicious with the things I made her.
Spoiler (Literally)- I failed. Spectacularly.
The olive oil turned out greasy in a sad way, not the luxurious, golden drizzle I imagined. The balsamic? Let’s just say I accidentally invented a new kind of cough syrup with vinegar in it. If love had a flavor, mine tasted like disappointment and burned toast.
So, I did what any self-respecting husband with a balsamic failure and an oil-stained ego would do: I waved the white napkin and headed to The Anointed Olive in Deland, a place I’d heard about from several friends.
And let me tell you-I didn’t just find great olive oil. I found God.
And He was wearing an apron and handing out samples of garlic basil and fig olive oil like communion for the flavor deprived.
Walking into The Anointed Olive feels like stepping into a well-seasoned dream. It’s warm, inviting, and smells like Italy, Greece, and a really well-organized pantry had a beautiful baby. Every oil and vinegar are more mind-blowing than the last.
Their flavor-infused olive oils come in bold, fresh options like Garlic, Tuscan Herb, and Basil-perfect for tossing with pasta, roasting veggies, or making your lunch feel fancier than your salary. But the real magic for me? The fused oils. Unlike typical infused oils that add flavor after pressing, these are made by crushing fresh olives with real ingredients-herbs, fruits, peppers-right from the start. It’s not flavoring, its full-on flavor fusion warfare, and it will win every battle in your kitchen.
And let’s talk about their Ultra-Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oils (UP EVOOs). These aren’t your average grocery store bottles with generic labels that should give you trust issues. These are globally sourced, first cold-pressed, antioxidant-rich game-changers. Packed with high phenols, these oils aren’t just delicious-they’re actually good for you. Phenols-are those antioxidant powerhouses that help reduce inflammation, boost brain function, support heart health… and in my case, provide much-needed cooking redemption.
(No surprise, then, that the Mediterranean Diet-rich in olive oil, vinegar, fresh fish, and vegetables-is consistently ranked the #1 healthiest diet by nutritionists year after year.
Turns out, drizzling your way to better health is not only effective… it’s delicious.)
Then there are the balsamic vinegars. Oh. My. Grapes.
Thick. Aged. Flavor-packed. These aren’t just vinegars, they’re full-blown elixirs. My personal favorites? Black Currant Dark Balsamic, Alfoos Mango White Balsamic, and Umeboshi Plum White Balsamic.
And the rest of the selection? Absolutely unhinged-in the best possible way. Sure, they’ve got all the classics, but if you’re feeling adventurous, brace yourself. Just as an example we’re talking things like Dark Chocolate Balsamic, Cara Cara Orange Vanilla Balsamic, and Denissimo Dark Balsamic-(dark balsamic is made from Lambrusco grapes, white is made from Trebbiano grapes-and no, despite the close name, there’s zero evidence it’s related to Joey Tribbiani from Friends).
Then there’s White Peach, Fig, Blackberry-Ginger, and a rotating cast of tons of other flavor bombs that’ll have you drizzling balsamic on everything from roasted vegetables to cheesecake, fruit and possibly your fingertips.
One taste and you’ll realize: that bottle in your fridge? Yeah, that wasn’t balsamic. That was sad, watery vinegar cosplay pretending to be something it’s not.
What Makes The Anointed Olive So Special?
Freshest Olive Oil You’ll Ever Taste
This isn’t some bottle that’s been lurking on a store shelf since the Kennedy administration. These oils are seasonally crushed, then they are pumped into specially designed bladders through a sealed system limiting its exposure to light and air, some of the biggest degraders of olive oil and shipped straight from these small farms to The Anointed Olive. And here’s the kicker: The team at The Anointed Olive?-they bottle it right in front of their customers. You don’t just buy fresh-you watch fresh happen. What a customer experience, right? Fresh. Vibrant. Legit.
Seasonally crushed.
Honestly, that’s how I want to describe myself in November.
First Cold-Pressed, High-Phenol Goodness
Pressed once. Cold. No chemicals. No drama. Just rich, golden oil loaded with those sweet, sweet health-boosting phenols. Reminder what phenols do again:
- Fights inflammation
- Supports heart health
- Helps your brain remember stuff, like where you left the olive oil
I haven’t bathed in it yet, but I’ve done the math. It’s possible.
Kindness Is Their Primary Ingredient
The staff at The Anointed Olive? Straight-up legends. There’s no pressure, no pushy sales tactics-just genuinely kind, knowledgeable people helping you discover your perfect oil-and-vinegar soulmate. Whether you’re a seasoned home chef or just stopping in for the free samples (No judgment), they treat you like family the moment you walk through the door.
And here’s the thing: that’s not some marketing gimmick. They are family. The Anointed Olive is proudly family-owned and operated-not some faceless corporate chain. Their recipe for success is as simple as it is powerful: they offer the highest-quality products imaginable and treat every customer like gold.
And they do. Every time.
To be clear, they don’t make the oil themselves-but they’ve partnered with another legendary family business that does: Veronica Foods. This is the premier name in the world of olive oil, with a reputation for setting the gold standard in quality. Veronica Foods has been forging relationships with small, family-owned farms around the globe for generations. In fact, the founder—current CEO’s great-grandfather—started it all back in 1924.
So, when you visit The Anointed Olive, you’re not just getting premium oils and vinegars. You’re tasting the legacy of two families, a culinary collective, united by a shared love of excellence, honesty, and good food. It’s a partnership-and a story-that’s as rich as the oil itself.
By the way, just in case you were wondering, why am I writing this post? Sure, the olive oil is that good, and yes, I could drink the balsamic straight from the bottle-but more than anything, it’s the people I mentioned above. They’re what make The Anointed Olive truly special. And I just want the world to know about all of it. The flavor, the warmth, the experience-every drop of it.
WARNING: Balsamics That Ruin All Other Balsamics
Now, once you’ve had their aged, barrel-thick balsamic, you can’t go back. I once made a salad so good with their peach balsamic, my young twins asked me to make it again. A salad. These are the same kids who think “gourmet” means nuggets shaped like dinosaurs.
Not Just a Store-It’s a Gift Goldmine
Shopping for someone? You just found their favorite present, whether they know it yet or not.
Mother’s Day, Christmas, housewarmings, birthdays, anniversaries, Tuesdays-this is it.
They offer curated gift sets, perfect pairings, entertaining essentials, specialty foods, sleek cruets, and more. For the real chefs, the home cooks, the flavor chasers, and even the folks who pretend they don’t like gifts-there’s something personal, something healthy, and something amazing here.
Can’t make it to the Deland or Ormond Beach locations? They ship nationwide. Notable chefs in high end restaurants across the US order from them directly and often.
(BTW- Free shipping to anyone on orders over $150)
Yes, really.
How Many Calories Did Writing This Burn, Because I’m Getting Hungry Again
You can circle the globe, wander olive groves, or-as I did-try to extract your own oil in a doomed kitchen experiment powered by misplaced confidence. But when it comes to quality, community, and flavor that smacks, The Anointed Olive wins.
Hands down.
So go.
Dip the bread.
Sip the balsamic like it’s wine.
Stock up on that antioxidant-rich liquid gold.
See what the best olive oil in the world looks like.
And if you ever catch me wearing linen pants at a farmer’s market, trying to sell jars of not-so-good homemade bootleg olive paste to recoup my losses from my failed kitchen experiment?
No, you didn’t.
No.
You didn’t.
Happy tasting,
Rob Urban