Strega Nonna's Market

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Michael Cosmo and Sherry Belliveau of Strega Nonna’s Market are in the olive business, and if olives are your thing, their booth is the place to stop for a sample. “We sell olives from all around the world,” Michael said. “We started eating these olives years ago and fell in love with them.”

Michael has a degree in nutrition and dietetics, and has put his passion for healthy eating into his business model. “Olives are the second most nutritious food on the planet after berries,” he said. “Our olives are organic and cured by fermentation, which means they retain nutritional value.”

Michael proscribes to the Furhman Nutritarian diet, in which food is rated by its nutrient density per calorie. He lost 96 pounds following the diet, which emphasizes eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

But whole olives aren’t the only sample to try at the Strega Nonna booth. They import kalamata olive oil from Greece, which they flavor in themselves in Gainesville with organic extracts, like blood orange and meyer lemon. They also sell 12-year-old balsamic vinegars, and make spreads and muffelatta. The muffaletta is worth a try just for the effort that went into its creation. “Our muffaletta went through 17 recipes to get it right!” Michael said.