Beyond Extra Virgin 2009 an International Conference on Excellence in Olive oil, from Agriculture to Sensory Evaluation to the Culinary Arts organized by UC Davis Olive Center.
Experts from Spain participated in seminars, tastings and conferences in which they shared results of research on the benefits of extra virgin olive oil from Spain on health and the flavor characteristics of Spain’s unique varietals. Participants also had the opportunity to taste more the 26 premium olive oils which are currently being sold in a variety of fine outlets throughout the USA.

This exciting professional culinary event is a three-day culinary symposium where the world's most influential and innovative chefs, pastry chefs, mixologists, and sommeliers present the latest techniques and culinary concepts to their peers.
Juan Maria Arzak, José Andrés and Paco Torreblanca will be demonstrating with Olive Oil from Spain. Visiting chefs will be able to taste and see a sample a range of olive oils and other products from Spain at the conferences marketplace exhibit in the Spain pavilion.
More information on this year's Congress can be accessed at: http://www.starchefs.com/events/icc/2009/index.shtml

The theme this year will be a very popular one given both current food trends and the changes to the industry wrought by the recession: Frontiers of Flavor-World Street Food, World Comfort Food, Celebrating the Fast Casual and Slow Savory Culinary Traditions of the Mediterranean, Asia and Latin America.
Spain will be one of the featured countries in the conference, focusing on both Spain's "fast casual" foods-tapas and other casual foods-as well as Spanish comfort food-home cooking traditions, and the restaurant traditions inspired by home cooking. Paco Roncero from Casino de Madrid will be one of the chefs representing Spain. Olive oil will be used as an ingredient in some of the seminars, and the participants will be able to taste a few different kinds in the marketplace.

This is an exclusive event for press, local prestigious chefs and a selection of quality retailers consisting in a presentation, followed by a tasting and a dinner.
The event will be held in a famous restaurant in each city, with the collaboration of an olive oil producer, and will consist in a tasting of several olive oils followed by a meal that illustrates the value of olive oil. The attendees will be influential people.