Liquid Luxury
Dallas
Morning News
Cheryl Ng Collett
Gourmet store brings exotic oils, vinegars to Dallas
Oil & Vinegar just opened its doors and bottles to Galleria shoppers, offering condiments from around the world.
Founded in the Netherlands by Femke Stevens and John Blogg, the first store opened in 1999. O&V has since grown to more than 70 locations in Europe. The Dallas store marks the chain’s first opening in Texas.
The culinary gift shop features a varied collection of oils and
vinegars held in large glass vessels on the Amphora Wall. Customers
can choose a bottle or cruet from the store’s selection and have it
filled with the oil or vinegar of their choice.
Samples of unusual items from Spain, Greece, Italy and South Africa take customers on a five-minute culinary tour around the glove.
Owners Lara and Wim Schalken fell in love with the concept on a work stint in the Netherlands. Two years later, the Schalkens made a career shift from IT consulting to serving the insatiable appetites of Dallas’ gourmet food hounds.
“It’s all about being passionate about taste – so many area residents have traveled around the world and tried these wonderful products,” Ms. Schalken says. “When we lived in the Netherlands, we were addicted to the Dippers and now, we’ve finally brought it here.”
Originally published by The Dallas Morning News September 22, 2004
Last update 10 May 2007