Southern Hemisphere

Nicolas CLOISEAU, M.O.F ¨President of the COMPETITION

MAISON DU CHOCOLAT, Chocolatier Chef Créateur, Paris, France

Nicolas Cloiseau, Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chocolatier “MOF” (chocolate’s best craftsman). Nicolas Cloiseau is the Chef of La Maison du Chocolat since 2012. He is responsible of the chocolates’ signature, pastries and ephemeral collections of the Parisian house.

Imbued with elegance and artisanal prowess, he has created a dreamlike Maison du Chocolat universe that gives chocolate lovers the opportunity to taste an art of its own.

Chef François PERRET

RITZ Paris & RITZ Paris Le Comptoir, Pastry Chef

Iconic pastry Chef of RITZ Paris. François Perret was named the World’s Best Restaurant Pastry Chef in 2019, the same year his book “French Pastry at the Ritz Paris” was published. In 2020, big success of the first season of “The Chef in a Truck” series on Netflix. Then in 2021, he opens Ritz Paris Le Comptoir, the pastry boutique at the Ritz Paris.

Emmanuel PERRODIN

Nomadic Chef, performer & historian dedicated to Mediterranean culture

Carola DÜMMER, PANEL LEADER

Olive Oil, Food & wine industry expert, Santiago, Chile

Carola Dümmer, Santiago, Chile,  Food & wine industry expert, journalist co-author of the Chilean olive oil guide, Guía Oliva. Carola works as a consultant to companies and buyers, and develops activities and tastings in Chile through her online community OlivaLovers (www.olivalovers.com).

Kostas LIRIS, PANEL LEADER

kostasliris.com Kalamata, Greece

Kostas LIRIS is an agronomist and teacher of oleology worldwide, based in Kalamata, Greece. This agronomist and miller teaches olive growing and shares his knowledge around the world from Paris to London and from New York to San Francisco. Kostas is also a tasting panel leader and serves as a jury member at numerous international competitions in New York, Tokyo, Athens and Hamburg.

Alexis KERNER

The Olive Workshop, Founder, IOC Expert Olive Oil Taster

IOC Expert Olive Oil Taster, Sevilla, SpainBorn in Philadelphia, Alexis Kerner is an expert olive oil taster who has resided in Sevilla for 20 years.

Founder of The Olive Oil Workshop in Sevilla (2014), a company that strives to educate buyers at all levels as well as producers of virgin olive oils in order to empower consumers, promote good olive oil, and support producers in a difficult market.

Kerner received her undergrad in Environmental Science from Connecticut College and her title as Expert Olive Oil Taster from the International Olive Council and the University of Jaen in Spain. She also has trained under top Spanish olive oil tasters, Brígida Jiménez and María Paz Aguilera.

Marcelo SCOFANO

ESTILO GOURMET, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Marcelo SCOFANO is a Chef and an oleologist, founder of the movement ESTILO GOURMET to celebrate the best olive oils. Carioca (from Rio de Janeiro), olive oil researcher and consultant, Marcelo is a training Chef to elaborate pairing with the different olive oils and workshops dedicated to the sensory experience.

Christophe LAVELLE, PhD

CNRS, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATIONAL HISTORY, Paris, France

Christophe Lavelle is a biophysicist, researcher at the CNRS (the French center for scientific research) and co-founder of the Food 2.0 LAB. Passionate about food and the relationship between art and science, he teaches in many institutions such as the universities of Paris VI, Paris VII, Cergy-Pontoise, Aix-Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, SupBioTech Paris and Le Cordon Bleu Paris.

Dr Stéphane ROSSI

Pharmacist, Founder of Au Temps des Fées herb shop

Dr Stéphane Rossi, a pharmacist and apothecary, runs Au Temps des Fées herb shop (one of the few to be certified organic ) that he founded up in 2005 in his native Grenoble.

Introduced to perfumery and sensory analysis at ISIPCA, the school founded in 1970 by J-J. Guerlain, he works with cosmetics and perfumery companies to develop their well-being products

Dr Rossi brings his expertise in medicinal, aromatic and perfumed plants to his patients and his private, professional and institutional customers.

In 2016 he launched Comme des tisanes, a range of 36 gourmet herbal teas for the pleasure of taste, and in 2020 Les partisanes will follow: more than 60 herbal teas with health benefits.

A member of the Collège Culinaire de France

Pascal TANCHOUX

SUMMIT OF MINDS Managing Director

Pascal has held executive and senior corporate affairs positions in MNCs and SMEs. He has a passion for connecting people and has been responsible for the development of several commodity sustainability programs.

Fil BUCCHINO

ABANDONED GROVE, Toronto, Canada

Toronto-based Fil Bucchino, is an extra virgin olive oil expert, international contest judge and certified taster. Fil is the founder and olive oil producer at Abandoned Grove and the host of the award winning documentary “Obsessed with Olive Oil”. Nationally and internationally Fil collaborates with top culinary personalities and institutions and has lent his expertise to various renown olive oil publications.

Chef Gaël CLAVIÈRE

Pastry Chef Hôtel de Matignon, Paris, France

Gaël Clavière, Paris, France, “The Dalí of Pastry” as he is known—thanks to his handlebar moustache and surreal creations—works at the Hôtel de Matignon, the official residence of the head of the French government where he already served seven different Prime Ministers!

Milena BUČAR-MIKLAVČIČ

INSTITUTE FOR OLIVECULTURE & LABORATORY OF THE INSTITUTE FOR OLIVECULTURE, Koper, Slovenia

Distinguished expert in Sensory Evaluation and research in the olive oil sector, Mrs Bučar-Miklavčič is member of the Expert Group for Sensory Evaluation at the International Olive Council since 2001. She is founder of new research areas in oliveculture in the academic environment, the result of her unique concept are four PhDs.

Germain FLEURY

Taster & Olive Oil Process Engineer, France

Committed to supporting Olive Oil producers in extraction process optimization in order to obtain the best quality.

Yuri “Yureeka” YASUDA

Entrepreneur in the luxury Food & Beverage market & Tea Sommelier, Italy, Japan, USA, UK, Mexico…

Tokyo-born entrepreneur. Coined by Harper’s Bazaar U.K. as “a successful multi-hyphenate”, Yureeka’s projects span the worlds of contemporary art, food & beverage, journalism and luxury retail. Certified tea and a mother of 2 based in Italy.

Tassos Constantino KYRIAKIDES

Assistant Professor Yale School of Public Health & Olive Oil Sommelier

Tassos C. KYRIAKIDES completed his B.Sc. as a Fulbright Scholar at UCLA (Biochemistry; 1993) and received his Ph.D. at the Yale School of Public Health (Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases; 1999).

Olive Oil Sommelier

He is an Assistant Professor, Yale School of Public Health where he helps design and guide and collaborates on clinical research projects. He consults on methodology, data processes and management, and statistical analysis for numerous research protocols; has been an abstract mentor for researchers at the International AIDS Conferences since 2012, mentors graduate students, and is a statistical reviewer for high-impact journals (Lancet Infectious Diseases; Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology).

He is the co-proponent for the establishment of the Yale Olive Sciences and Health Institute at the Yale School of Public Health that will focus on the olive tree and its products, and their effects on human and planetary health. As part of the activities related to this effort, he has co-chaired the Yale International Symposia on Olive Oil and Health since 2018. He frequently gives talks on the health benefits of olive oil, and he is the principal investigator of a research project to assess the benefits of table olives on cardiovascular markers among college students. He is a certified Olive Oil Sommelier by the International Culinary Center, a certification program produced by the Olive Oil Times Education Lab (February 2017). He is a Legacy Circle member of the Massaro Community Farm, in Woodbridge, CT; the Immediate Past President of the Association of Yale Alumni in Public Health (AYAPH) Board and a faculty fellow at Yale’s Saybrook College.

He is the Director at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Cooperative Studies Program (VACSPCC-West Haven, CT), a clinical trials data coordinating center, where he has worked the last 20+ years on pivotal trials in: HIV/AIDS treatment (The OPTIMA Trial); surgery (The OVER Trial); PTSD (The VIP-STAR Trial). In his capacity as Director, he currently coordinates and facilitates activities in five clinical trials and a Lung Precision Oncology Program in over 100 Veterans’ Affairs Medical Centers in the US.

Cécile LE GALLIARD, oleologist

Cécile le Galliard is an olive oil expert and web journalist specializing in olive oil. Her work takes her all over the world to meet olive oil producers and take part of olive oil competitions. She shares her passion on jusdolive.fr, a goldmine of information for both amateurs and professionals, which has quickly become a benchmark in the field.

Antoine de MACEDO, PRESIDENT OF THE DESIGN COMPETITION

Horlogerie ADM, Paris

Founder of ADM Horloger, watchmaker, specialist in collector’s watches established for 30 years rue Madame, rive gauche, Paris. Passionate about EVOO and extra virgin olive oil producer in Portugal.

Gabriele CORTO MOLTEDO

CORTO MOLTEDO, Italy

Conceived in Venice, Born in New York, Raised between the Venetian countryside, and the Big Apple, Corto Moltedo is a fashion designer based in Le Palais Royal, Paris, son of the founding family of Bottega Veneta. His eponymous label Corto Moltedo was launched in 2004. Trademark to Moltedo’s design is his constant attention to every detail in order to personalize each bag.

EVOO lover, Gabriele supports his family, founder of Res Antiqva.

Lorena VERGANI

LVBESPOKE, Paris

Lorena Vergani, Argentine-German, grew up in the south-east of Spain, in Alicante, a city bathed in light and surrounded by olive trees. After studying in various European countries, she decided to settle in Paris 15 years ago. Having always worked in the luxury sector, she created her own agency LVbespoke 8 years ago, specialising in the organisation of exclusive events for private clients and luxury brands. Her clients include houses such as Alaia, Prada, Loewe, Repossi, Piaget, Frette, Burberry, Lanvin, Armani, Alexander McQueen… As an opinion leader on the Parisian scene, she also plays the game of collaborations with niche designers that she particularly likes as a co-designer, but also collaborations of influence with luxury brands. Her life is punctuated by her curiosity for design, art, fashion and travel.

Sabah AL ABBASI

SHAWATI’ MAGAZINE, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Editor-In-Chief Shawati Magazine / Chief Creative Consultant – Cultural Programs & Heritage Festivals Committee Abu Dhabi, Sabah Al Abbasi is a cultural consultant and visual communicator. Her portfolio embraces a vast spectrum of disciplines across the Arts, Culture and Lifestyle fields.

Obaid KHALFAN AL MAZROUEI

Director of Planning and Projects Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee in Abu Dhabi

Olio Nuovo Days is honoured to welcome Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Director of Planning and Projects Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee in Abu Dhabi

Strategic Management- Harvard Business School, Disciplined Leadership-Sandhurst

Al Dhafra Dates Festival, Million’s Poet , Prince of Poets Festival, Al Dhafra Water Festival.