PROFILE: Theo Stephan - Leading a Culinary Revolution in Los Olivos

By Lisa Snider, findingojai@aol.com

Deep in the heart of the Santa Barbara wine country is a different sort of tasting room. Beautiful bottles showcase local as well as global harvests, but you needn’t be 21 to sample at this Los Olivos stop. That’s because Global Gardens doesn’t sell wine; they sell olive oil and fruit-infused vinegars.

Proprietor Theo Stephan came to the Santa Ynez Valley in the 90s as an advertising executive from Dayton, Ohio, on a photo shoot for a client. It didn’t take her long to make the decision to drop out of the corporate world and, in 1996, make this her home.

“I was so drawn to this region,” said Stephan, who recalls being reminded of Greece, where her family is from, when she first saw the valley. In 1997, she started growing olives on her property in Los Alamos, knowing conditions were perfect for her imported trees. “We have a wonderful
Mediterranean climate!”

Stephan was soon producing olive oil and making strides to have her product become certified organic. And her lifestyle changes were paying off in other ways, too, helping her to shed 40 pounds. Of her new-found eating habits, she announced, “I am a true believer in the Mediterranean diet.”

Stephan, 47, is now sharing that philosophy with her customers so that they can learn to “cook quickly and healthfully.” Her goal is to make products that “enhance flavor profiles and are healthful,” adding, “It doesn’t have to taste like cardboard.”

Still, she recognizes what her customers are looking for. “We live in wine country, we want a glass of wine with our meal, we want to eat tri-tip cooked on a barbecue!” Hallelujah.

As a self-proclaimed “catsup kid,” Stephan puts a lot of her focus on sauces, spreads and dips. “Sauces get a bad wrap for not being healthful.” She knows that educating her customers about using ingredients that are organic and natural, and giving them easy recipes, will encourage at-home family dinners, just as she does in her own home with her two daughters. Eight years ago, Stephan adopted two sisters from the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, now ages 12 and 13. She says they come from a region of the world with “lovely bountiful gardens, where they eat what they grow.” She frequently involves her daughters in cooking and encourages her customers to do the same. “If you involve the family in the meal planning process, it becomes something joyful.”

When Stephan isn’t running her shop, blending olive oils or teaching her girls how to cook, she is traveling the world – but she is always working. During a recent trip to Jamaica, she acquired close to 50 pounds of spices to bring home. Her Type-A personality, she says, didn’t allow her to just have a leisurely vacation.

This habit has also allowed her to expand her product offerings to non-food houseware and kitchen items gathered from the exotic locales of her travels. “We have lovely hand-made imports from trips we take around the world.” Among Stephan’s favorite finds? “Pottery from Greece and
France, textiles from Nepal, hand-carved spoons and serving ware from Wichi Indians in Argentina, hand-crafted Buddhist offering plates and antique spice boxes from India.”

Since opening her Los Olivos shop in 2006, Stephan is hoping to do what Harry and David did in Oregon by offering quality gourmet gifts to-go. “My endeavor here is to build a brand.” She is working on expanding her product line (including a gluten-free line of pastas), adding on a courtyard that can seat up to 40 people and beefing up her Web site to become a source for olive oil and cooking education. Right now, she is focused on product tastings.

On the first Saturday of every month, at her shop - just two blocks east of the flag pole in Los Olivos - Stephan hosts a culinary-themed open house. The current theme, “Orange you glad it’s spring!” is a big hit and features tastings of her blood orange vinegars, made into attractive recipes including a hearty guacamole dish.

Stephan’s career life has evolved and seen many facets – advertising executive, farmer and now retailer – and yet there is no question in her mind
about which has been the most fulfilling. “From an emotional standpoint, this one, of course.”

Lisa Snider is a local freelance writer. For more, visit www.findingojai.com.