Echo Park Company Imports Greek Delicacies

The story of Tagaras Hellenic Gastronomia, a new Greek import company in Echo Park, is almost as old as Greece itself. The Greek historian Thucydides wrote that "the peoples of the Mediterranean began to emerge from barbarism when they learned to cultivate the olive and the vine."

For those who still enjoy delicious things in this day and age, thankfully the civilized Greeks continue to cultivate both the olive and the vine.

Proprietor Yiorgos Tagaras was born in Greece, where he was working as an economist. After meeting wife Laurel Myers, he moved to Los Angeles in 2002.

Tagaras hails from the northeastern portion of the Peloponnesian peninsula, near Corinth. His hometown, Agios Vassilios, is in the middle of a region famed for its wine and olives.

Tagaras and Myers decided to bring the tastes of his native country to his new home by importing wine and olive oil. Tagaras says he was “always trying to find the best Greek stuff” in his new adopted city.

Tagaras was not thinking of profit at first. He was “frustrated” and wanted “to share with people the tastes I grew up with.” Myers, for her parts, was “tired of having bottles of red wine break in my suitcase.”

Rather than continue to bring back personal supplies of the best of wines and olive oils from travels to Greece, Tagaras and Myers started Tagaras Hellenic Gastronomia to import the finest products.

Born on Thanksgiving

After some wrangling of permits, Thanksgiving 2010 saw the birth of the new company. They now sell Tagaras brand olive oil and imported Greek wines at 26 shops, restaurants, bars and wine stores throughout the Los Angeles area.

The olive oil is made by Tagaras’ family, from trees that have existed “longer than anybody can remember,” says Myers. The oil itself is made according to tradition.

The trees are not irrigated, depending instead on rainfall and moisture that drifts inland from the Gulf of Corinth. One varietal of olive, the Manaki, is used to make the oil – it is never blended.

When ripe, the Tagaras family and helpers harvest by hand. The olives are scraped from the trees and fall to canvas tarps below where they are sorted for quality before being pressed immediately.

The result is a fine olive oil that tastes richly of its source.

Great for Dressing

Tagaras recommends using it as a dressing for Greek salad, so the taste is preeminent. For cooking, Myers suggests frying an egg in it. Whatever you might prepare, it can easily be paired with one of Tagaras’ imported wines.

Tagaras’ mother hails from Nemea, where grape vines grow in the shadow of the ruins of the Temple of Zeus. Homer himself called the area “Ameloessa” which means “full of vines.”

Tagaras and Myers found a boutique winery that makes high quality wines from indigenous varietals. Myers says that the Anastasiou winery has “a lovely synthesis of traditional technique and modernization in technology.”

At present, three wines are available. Two are white–Roditis and Malvasia--and one is a robust rose–Agiorgitiko. The rose is made from the oldest Greek varietal. All the wines are crisp, refreshing and smooth. They are all “distinctly Greek,” says Myers, but compare to the finest wines from around the world.

As befits Greek culture, they all pair well with food. “Greeks like to eat and drink for hours,” explains Myers. I tasted the wines paired with homemade bread and Tagaras olive oil, followed by cinnamon-spiced lamb with artichoke, bulgur and a salad.

Helen Harlan, an employee at in Echo Park, says Roditis is “crisp and refreshing.” She adds that “it’s a great summer wine” and recommends pairing it with seafood. It the only Greek wine available at City Sip, and you can try a glass for $11.

Other L.A. establishments that carry Tagaras imports are Barbrix, The York and Bar Covell. Tagaras says that he and his wife “really appreciate the support of the community” in trying their wares. The line will expand to include more wines this autumn, including a red.

You can learn more about the origins of Tagaras, as well as their devotion to carefully crafted authentic Greek olive oil and wine, on their website at tagaras.com.