Capella’s Oil and Vinegar
Oil and vinegar mix with bold flavors at Asbury location
GROWING UP in Hammonton, NJ, Debbie Capella’s father’s Italian heritage showed. He was the chef of the family, she said. When she decided to launch her own business, she sought to honor his heritage.
About three years ago, she opened Capella’s Oil and Vinegar on Tilton Road in Northfield, in a shopping center called London Square. But she wanted to be in Ocean City.
“Everything’s great here. The people are wonderful,” she said. “It took me a while, but I finally got here.”
She found a spot at 1123 Asbury Avenue. She appreciated her customers in Northfield, she said, but this location sees more foot traffic strolling by, which means customers are far more likely to stop in to check out the store, even if they did not set out to find her.
Some of the Atlantic County customers have followed her to the new location.
“And I’m so grateful and thankful to them, that they did travel,” Debbie said. “Yes, it’s only 10 minutes but you have to go over the bridge. They are finding their way here.”
The shop is lined with polished steel containers, with a variety of olive oils on one side, balsamic vinegars on the other. The store also offers a variety of other delicacies, including imported pastas, olives, sea salts, jars of artichokes, pestos and a variety of tomato-based sauces. Or gravies. Or, it depends. The age-old argument remains alive and well.
“I call it gravy,” Debbie said, true to her Hammonton roots. “The dictionary definition is anything that’s made with meat is gravy.”
She offers pasta sauces with sausage, pork, beef or ingredients. “We put meat in there so we call it gravy,” she said.
There are also gourmet jellies and jams, along with a variety of gift items, including kitchen ware and some beautiful plates and utensils. A striking wooden salad bowl and wooden spoons were carved from olive wood, Debbie said.
The oils and vinegars are the main attraction and the focus of the store.
Launching a new business in 2020 presented some extraordinary challenges, some of which remain. The emergency measures in the spring meant the store could not open until June. She was also limited in other ways, unable to hold special events or offer some kinds of samples.
Debbie was able to give tastes, though.
“You can still taste the oils and the vinegars. But I do it, so that it’s controlled,” she said.
She puts a small amount of oil or of vinegar in a disposable cup, so customers can have a sip. On a recent visit, the first taste was of an olive oil infused with Tuscan herbs. This first sip, slipped under a cloth mask, coats the tongue and slides down smoothly. Initially, it’s all about texture before the complicated combination of herbs blossoms on the taste buds. Oregano adds a slight bite, blending with the rosemary, marjoram and garlic.
Many experts tout the virtues of olive oil, which is loaded with antioxidants, and is shown to work as an anti-inflammatory and help protect against heart disease.
Another taste combines vinegar and oil, with a lemon infused vinegar giving a brightness to the flavor.
Vinegar, too, has long been held to offer health benefits. It’s great for digestion, Debbie said. Its use as a tonic dates to ancient times. Hypocrites– the Greek guy from the doctor’s oath – is reported to have recommended it for patients.
In this context, it’s all about the flavors.
Debbie said her distributor works directly with the farmers, who press olives twice a year to produce the extra virgin olive oil.
“I really like this company. I had been using this product for a really longtime,” Debbie said.
The balsamic vinegar is from Italy, and undergoes a multistep aging process. The grapes are from the Italian region of Modena, she said.
“Just like Champagne has to come from a particular region of France, it’s the same with these grapes in order to make it a balsamic vinegar,” Debbie said. She enjoys working with the customers, trying different combinations of oils and vinegars and recommending pairings.
“And that’s the fun part, is you get to taste everything,” Debbie said. “You’re not buying something that you’re going to take home and not like. You tried it and you know you like it.
“You get to experience the fun of tasting it and the different things that you can do with the oils and balsamics.”
At the front of the store near the entrance is a display of the current recommended tasting.
“This is the wild mushroom and sage olive oil paired with the red apple balsamic, which is great for fall,” she said.
While it may be fun to taste the products straight up in the store, that’s not how most will be used at home. Debbie has a plethora of recommendations.
“You can use them for everything. You can marinate with them. You can use them as a salad dressing. You can cook with them or use it as a drizzle to finish your meats or drizzle them on cheese,” she said.
She recommends some as an ice cream topping, such as the black cherry or dark chocolate-infused vinegars. She suggested customers can let their imaginations run wild, and not stick to vanilla as a base.
“That’s up to your tastes. You can be very creative,” she said.
She uses the vinegars to create iced teas or to flavor sparkling water. The beverage tastes great with no added sugars.
“You can even make cocktails,” she said.
Debbie said she has plans for a cookbook to eventually be available in the
store.
Part of the inspiration was to honor her parents, she said. She also thought
there was a need.
“We just didn’t have anything that I knew of like this around here,” she said.
The store has a web presence, at capellaoilandvinegars.com, but Debbie said
she would rather see the customers in person, and for them to have the chance
to immerse themselves in the place, and to experience the smells and tastes of
the infused oils and vinegars before making a choice.
The website does offer some chances to make connections as well, with
recipes posted there and an option for customers to offer their own stories.
Debbie bottles the oils and vinegars on site. Most are the same price, $13.95
or $19.95 depending on the size.
Some options run slightly more, such as the white truffle olive oil. She said
the products are all natural, with no artificial ingredients.
Once the world returns a little more to normal, she said, she plans to bring
in samples of her own cooking to show what can be done with the oils and
vinegars, as well as the other specialty items.
The oils from around the world use the agrumato method, with options like
blood orange, lemon on chipotle. The vinegars include no thickeners, caramel
colors or added sugars and are aged in wooden barrels in the traditional Solera
system.
“I want people to come in and experience this,” Debbie said.