The Olive Oil Trend That Is Making Chefs Rethink What Belongs on the Plate
Forget plain drizzling for a minute—some chefs are using olive oil almost like a secret finishing ingredient.
Olive oil has always been one of those kitchen basics that quietly does everything. It starts sauces, dresses salads, coats vegetables, and gives a piece of bread something worth dipping into. But a Lodi, California, producer is giving the familiar bottle a much bolder personality with flavored oils made using a traditional Italian technique. The result is showing up on restaurant menus in dishes that sound far more adventurous than “olive oil.”
The Sacramento Bee recently highlighted Corto Olive’s new seasonal flavors, including Calabrian chili and a brand-new horseradish olive oil. The company is celebrating the release throughout October, with participating chefs across the country creating limited-time dishes featuring the oils. You can see how the story unfolded and why this little Lodi producer is getting attention beyond California.
This Isn’t Quite the Same as Flavored Oil
Here’s the clever part: they don’t simply stir the ingredients into finished oil afterward.
Corto uses what is known as the Agrumato method, in which fresh ingredients are crushed together with freshly harvested olives during milling. That means the flavor becomes part of the oil during production rather than being added later as a separate infusion. According to the company’s description, the technique has Italian roots and is designed to capture the character of seasonal ingredients at their freshest.
That distinction matters when you’re tasting the finished product. A Calabrian chili oil can bring peppery heat alongside the olives’ fruity character, while the new horseradish version has a completely different personality—earthy, sharp, and surprisingly savory. Suddenly, olive oil isn’t just something you pour over food; it can become part of the flavor story itself.
Chefs Are Having Fun With It
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The most convincing proof that an unusual ingredient works is what happens when chefs get their hands on it.
For October’s Agrumato Month, 24 chefs across 23 cities are creating limited-time dishes using the two oils. At Reem’s California in Oakland, chef Reem Assil is pairing the Calabrian chili oil with za’atar on a sourdough flatbread, while Foreign Cinema in San Francisco is featuring horseradish oil with seared Pacific tuna and a colorful collection of vegetables.
Other chefs are pushing the idea even further. The combinations include pizza, oysters, beef, seafood, roasted vegetables, and even an olive oil cocktail. It is exactly the kind of cooking that reminds you why simple kitchen habits can sometimes get more exciting when one familiar ingredient gets a completely unexpected twist.
Related: FDA Flags Olive Oil Recall Over an Unapproved Garlic Ingredient
The New Horseradish Bottle May Be the Wild Card
If chili oil feels familiar, horseradish olive oil is the flavor that makes you stop and wonder what else it could do.
Corto describes the horseradish version as earthy and decisive, with suggested uses ranging from oysters and beef to root vegetables and creamy sauces. The Calabrian chili version, meanwhile, is positioned for everything from fried eggs and chicken to seafood, sweet potatoes and dressings.
And that is the most appealing part for home cooks: you don’t need to build an elaborate recipe around these oils. A few drops over roasted vegetables, a drizzle across eggs, or a finishing splash over seafood can change the entire character of a familiar meal. That’s why good cooks keep interesting vinegars, spices, and superfoods within easy reach—the right finishing touch can make ordinary food feel newly invented.
October Is the Month to Experiment
For once, the limited-time part of a food trend actually makes sense.
Agrumato oils are tied to the fall olive harvest, so the seasonal release isn’t simply marketing dressed up as scarcity. Corto says its 2026 collection includes the returning Calabrian chili oil and its first horseradish olive oil, with participating chefs showcasing their own interpretations throughout October. The company’s 2026 gift set pairs the two 500-milliliter oils and is listed at $84.
A closer look at the 2026 Agrumato celebration shows just how many different directions chefs are taking the same ingredient. That’s what makes this more interesting than another food trend: one bottle can taste completely different depending on what you pair it with.
That could be the real lesson. Great cooking isn’t always about adding more ingredients. Sometimes it’s about finding one ingredient with enough personality to make everything around it taste more alive.
Would you try the earthy horseradish olive oil first, or would you go straight for the spicy Calabrian chili version?
