If you’ve ever walked into Taste Oil Vinegar Spice and found yourself sampling an olive oil you’ve never tried before or discovering a new flavor you suddenly can’t wait to cook with, you’ve experienced exactly what Deb Foley hopes her shop will be.
Deb, who owns Taste Oil Vinegar Spice, has brought together two of her greatest interests—cooking and helping people—to set up a shop where food enthusiasts can discover new flavours and get ideas for their next culinary project.
For Deb the key thing is the pleasure involved in cooking. She enjoys helping people find ingredients which can turn an ordinary meal into something a bit more special and would like that feeling of discovery to happen as soon as you walk in the door. She hopes that customers will feel welcomed, inspired and excited about giving something new a try.
A highlight of a visit to Taste Oil Vinegar Spice is the opportunity to taste the products before making a purchase. If you’re looking for a new olive oil, if you want to find the right vinegar, or if you’re just interested in a flavor you’ve never tried, Deb advises customers to taste the items, explore them, and discover something that inspires their cooking.
It’s an appropriate career for a person who enjoys food and community, and Deb mentions that this same spirit is one of the reasons she loves Culpeper Downtown. She appreciates the town’s charm, its walkable streets, the good food and the individual shops, and enjoys the fact that there is something for everybody. It is important to her to support local businesses, whether she is buying a gift, picking up something for herself or meeting a friend for lunch; since there are so many locally owned businesses in the downtown area, Deb says that there is always somewhere to go and something new to discover.
Even though Deb is constantly surrounded by culinary inspiration each day, there’s one interesting fact about her which you may not have guessed: she’s allergic to seafood! Yet this doesn’t prevent her from assisting customers in discovering tasty ways to cook with it. It proves that you don’t need to love all ingredients in order to enjoy exploring food. For Deb, the key is to find the flavours that inspire her and then pass on that enthusiasm to the people nearby.
On your next walk around Culpeper Downtown, don’t forget to go to Taste Oil Vinegar Spice, give one of their products a go, and ask Deb, or her staff for a bit of inspiration for your next meal. The shop is open every day of the week and is located at 122 E. Davis Street, being open from 11am to 5pm on Monday through Friday, from 10am to 6pm on Saturday, and from 12pm to 5pm on Sundays.