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Inside the Santa Ynez Valley Magazine Winter 2002 Edition
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Global Gardens
by Reka Badger
Ancient, oily and the stuff of myth, olives have sustained humanity through thousands of years of trials and triumphs, darks days and golden ages. Like the wine grapes so vital to Valley life, olives reflect the soil, water and sunshine of their region, the whims of weather and the skill of their handlers.
Theodora and Joel Williams, an enterprising Los Alamos couple, have taken on the challenge of wrestling these variables into a satisfying lifestyle and a viable source of income. Though their first inclination was to plant grapes, after evaluating the rate of return on vineyards versus olives trees, they opted for an orchard and named their enterprise Global Gardens.
We didn't know much about wine beyond drinking it, Theo laughs, her eyes dancing with mischief, and we felt the market was saturated. I was raised on olive oil, especially Greek oil and one day while I was cooking I thought, why not olives?íî
Still living in Ohio at the time, where Theo ran a design firm and Joel practiced law, the two had grown disenchanted with the shifting ethics of the fast-track business world and craved a more rural life. They also yearned for a meaningful way to earn a living, as well as the chance to contribute to the common good.
 Joel's grandparents raised corn and soybeans, and Theo had absorbed agrarian tendencies from her Greek forebears, so farming was not an entirely alien pursuit for the professional couple. They began to think a return to the land offered just what they needed: a creative, self-sustaining lifestyle. With Theo's design abilities and Joel's business sense, they could market the produce themselves and eventually support the causes they believed in, like literacy and education for third world children.
While at Universal Studios, fulfilling a contract with her firm back east, Theo traveled from Los Angeles to Los Olivos and fell in love with the area. In 1993, she and Joel spent their honeymoon at the Grand Hotel and the notion to leave Ohio swelled from a restless itch into an irresistible urge.
Four years later, they bought a ranch in Los Alamos, 50 acres that sits amid a wonderland of hiking trails and panoramic views. As if to signal the validity of their decision, a stand of shaggy, overgrown bushes that looked like weeping willows turned out to be 30-year old Farga olive trees.
Before planting, Theo and Joel toured Napa Valley to sample the region's olive oil and found that they preferred the rich fruit and varietal distinctions of Spanish Mission and Manzanilla, a self-pollinator they hoped would stimulate their aged Fargas to set a crop.
Armed with notes from a university course in olive propagation and oil production, Joel and Theo planted 1600 Spanish Mission and Manzanilla saplings, and began the rigorous task of earning certified organic status for the ranch, which they officially received in November 2002. They also imported 500 Koroneiki olive trees from Greece and are currently the only orchardists in California growing them commercially for oil.
Just like grapes, olive trees need to grow six years or so before they come into full production, so by planting 2- and 3-year old trees, the Williamses hoped to hasten the day when they could expect about a gallon of oil from each tree. In the fall of 2002, Global Gardens harvested close to one ton from 400 baby trees, with 5% of the total harvest coming from those rare Koroneikis, and pressed Santa Barbara County's first-ever, extra virgin, Certified Organic olive oil.
It was so aromatic coming off the press, Theo remembers, I wish I could have bottled [the fragrance]. I jokingly called it the Mountain Dew of olive oil because it was such a brilliant green.
 Last August, Joel and Theo adopted two sisters, Anita and Sunita, from Nepal. Lively girls with sparkling eyes and ready smiles, the girls love to help in the orchard, and luckily for Global Gardens, they share their mom's flair for creative cookery. Their culinary tastes have inspired Theo to add an assortment of Nepalese herbs and spices to the Global Gardens line.
To let folks in the Valley know more about Global Gardens, Theo has set up a display of her olive oils, roasted garlic spreads, vinegars, hand- painted dipping bowls and pottery in the tasting room at Buttonwood Farm Winery. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, visitors can get a first hand look at her olive-related goodies and sometimes even a sample or two from Theo herself.
I want to be an educator, Theo declares, to teach people that healthy doesn't have to taste like cardboard, and Joel and I both want to collaborate with artists who make items for the home. We want to help them with distribution, combine their things with our products so we can all live self-sufficiently, creatively, easily, beautifully. We want to establish an organic kitchen for events, maybe even get the local winemakers and chefs involved.
In a spot near their olive trees, Joel and Theo decided to plant a little vineyard anyway. It's just big enough to keep their cellar stocked with wine to sip at parties and while relaxing on their deck overlooking the picture-perfect valley. They have found a meaningful life, created their dream and are happy to live simply, surrounded by friends, family and their sun-kissed olives. |
