BERLIN– Built to resemble a small Italian villa, Una Bella Salute is stocked with enough craft olive oil and vinegar to appease even the most discerning Mediterranean palate.
The new shop, run by mother and daughter duo Charlene McQuillen and Deborah Nicole, opened during the last weekend of September.
The name means “beautiful health.”
“I was in South Carolina and went to a store that sold olive oil and vinegar and the product was wonderful,” Nicole said. “I knew some of the backgrounds of the health benefits of olive oil and vinegar. The ambience, the atmosphere and just the whole experience was amazing and it was something that I was really interested in pursuing for ourselves.”
A Worcester County resident – by way of Long Island – since 1998, Nicole said Berlin provided the perfect location for her own endeavor.
“Berlin is becoming more of a foodie town,” she said. “Being that the shop is very quaint – very eclectic – Berlin is really putting forth that type of atmosphere. We thought it would be a really good fit.”
A tasting room in the back is divided into light and dark balsamic vinegars on one side and artisan olive oils, including extra virgin, flavored and unflavored, on the other side.
“Things like unflavored olive oils come in different intensities based on the polyphenols – that’s what really gives it the bite and that peppery flavor,” Nicole said. “The higher you go, the more intense the flavor, but the better for you it is.”
Fused and infused olive oils are also offered. Infused oils add flavor after the olives are pressed, while fused oils are crushed with added ingredients to build flavor.
“We’ll have different flavors as the seasons change,” said Nicole. “In the spring we’ll have things like blueberry and coconut and peach. Right now we have cinnamon and pear and apple – flavors of the season.”
All of oils and vinegars come from Californian distributor Veronica Foods.
“They are the ones that go to the different countries,” Nicole said. “Right now, we have the seven hemisphere types of olive oils from Chile and Australia and Tunisia, places like that. In the spring we’ll bring in the Northern Hemisphere, because the growing seasons are different. A lot of them will use the same types of oils, but depending on when they’re ripe it allows them to give us the freshest olive oils that there are.”
Both owners were thrilled with the initial response from the town. McQuillen said she was amazed that other business owners in the area instantly began recommending the new shop to their own customers.
“We had someone from the knit shop recommend us and they sent somebody over here. That was really wonderful,” she said. “We have a merchant meeting every month here and everybody gets together and discusses selling and whatever is going on in town.”
“We had all kinds of traffic the first weekend and people have said, ‘We’ve seen you coming and we’re so glad you’re open.’” Nicole said. “Without having really advertised yet, we’re really getting a lot of traffic and a lot of recommendations. Everyone from the business owners to the chamber to Main Street, to just the people walking on the street – it’s been an absolutely amazing experience.”
In the future, Una Bella hopes to integrate chefs and culinary arts demonstrations, especially during 2nd Friday, as well as tasting parties in other Berlin shops.
“It’s nice to be able to work with other people in the community and kind of help each other out,” Nicole said. “We’re going to try to do as much as we can with the community.”
For more information call 410-641-2300 or visit Una Bella Salute at 14 Broad Street, next to The Globe.
The new shop, run by mother and daughter duo Charlene McQuillen and Deborah Nicole, opened during the last weekend of September.
The name means “beautiful health.”
“I was in South Carolina and went to a store that sold olive oil and vinegar and the product was wonderful,” Nicole said. “I knew some of the backgrounds of the health benefits of olive oil and vinegar. The ambience, the atmosphere and just the whole experience was amazing and it was something that I was really interested in pursuing for ourselves.”
A Worcester County resident – by way of Long Island – since 1998, Nicole said Berlin provided the perfect location for her own endeavor.
“Berlin is becoming more of a foodie town,” she said. “Being that the shop is very quaint – very eclectic – Berlin is really putting forth that type of atmosphere. We thought it would be a really good fit.”
A tasting room in the back is divided into light and dark balsamic vinegars on one side and artisan olive oils, including extra virgin, flavored and unflavored, on the other side.
“Things like unflavored olive oils come in different intensities based on the polyphenols – that’s what really gives it the bite and that peppery flavor,” Nicole said. “The higher you go, the more intense the flavor, but the better for you it is.”
Fused and infused olive oils are also offered. Infused oils add flavor after the olives are pressed, while fused oils are crushed with added ingredients to build flavor.
“We’ll have different flavors as the seasons change,” said Nicole. “In the spring we’ll have things like blueberry and coconut and peach. Right now we have cinnamon and pear and apple – flavors of the season.”
All of oils and vinegars come from Californian distributor Veronica Foods.
“They are the ones that go to the different countries,” Nicole said. “Right now, we have the seven hemisphere types of olive oils from Chile and Australia and Tunisia, places like that. In the spring we’ll bring in the Northern Hemisphere, because the growing seasons are different. A lot of them will use the same types of oils, but depending on when they’re ripe it allows them to give us the freshest olive oils that there are.”
Both owners were thrilled with the initial response from the town. McQuillen said she was amazed that other business owners in the area instantly began recommending the new shop to their own customers.
“We had someone from the knit shop recommend us and they sent somebody over here. That was really wonderful,” she said. “We have a merchant meeting every month here and everybody gets together and discusses selling and whatever is going on in town.”
“We had all kinds of traffic the first weekend and people have said, ‘We’ve seen you coming and we’re so glad you’re open.’” Nicole said. “Without having really advertised yet, we’re really getting a lot of traffic and a lot of recommendations. Everyone from the business owners to the chamber to Main Street, to just the people walking on the street – it’s been an absolutely amazing experience.”
In the future, Una Bella hopes to integrate chefs and culinary arts demonstrations, especially during 2nd Friday, as well as tasting parties in other Berlin shops.
“It’s nice to be able to work with other people in the community and kind of help each other out,” Nicole said. “We’re going to try to do as much as we can with the community.”
For more information call 410-641-2300 or visit Una Bella Salute at 14 Broad Street, next to The Globe.