All About Magic Oil
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By Linda Della Donna
c2006 Linda Della Donna
It’s Wednesday. August 16, 2006. And I’m headed north, over the steel bridge, up the Taconic Parkway. The sun is out, the sky is blue, my Corolla is the only car on the road. Yadda yadda yadda. Welcome to Westchester, New York. Suburbia. The place where kids rule and parents juggle two jobs, one mortgage, sometimes two, supporting single-family homes, schools, camps, nurseries, private tutors, live-ins, and all the trappings that go with living in the most affluent county on the east coast.
Early for my noon appointment, I continue past the white house with black shutters at the top of the tall driveway and park under the shade of a large oak at the end of a tree-lined street. I recheck my equipment, review my questions, and ground myself as I prepare for my second interview (this time, as writer Linda Della Donna, not Linda Sclier) with Ivey Levy, Professional Foodie and owner/operator of Ivey’s In My Kitchen, in as many years. What secrets will Ivey reveal about her Magic Oil? I swagger a sip of coffee, take a deep breath, exhale, and turn the key in the ignition. One minute later, I’m there.
The door is open. No need to ring the bell. A small girl with apple cheeks and honey colored hair greets me. Emannuelle Josephine? The last time I saw EJ she was a swaddled infant. The little girl takes my hand.
Ivey is in the kitchen. A platter of salmon, white fish, cream cheese and a basket brimming with fresh bagels rests on the counter. I am embraced, kissed, and ordered to remove my shoes, as Ivey slices a sweet pickle for EJ, and we catch up. Raising a family, operating a business, developing a new product, marketing it, authoring two monthly magazine columns, blending work with family, Ivey makes it look easy. Though time has passed, Ivey is her usual brassy, bombastic, beautiful, breathless, personable self, performing daily tasks while animating words about her latest brainchild, Magic Oil.
One glass sweetened iced tea and a cinnamon raisin bagel later, I am tagging Ivey up a carpeted flight of stairs, chewing, swallowing, tripping, scribbling wildly in my notebook. Keeping up with Ivey Levy is like catching butterflies without a net.
We are in Ivey’s office. In a moment we are not. In a millisecond I am dashing down the hall. And I find myself in Ivey’s bedroom. For one brief shining moment I blush. Ivey points, “Sit there.” And I do. In an oversized cushy leather chair opposite Ivey who is resting comfortably on her king bed, radiant in white gauze, her body pressed into a blanket of linen the color of snow. Westchester is no longer boring, at least not here. And in my mind’s eye, I am reminded of licorice and lollipops with a dash of vinegar. I pick up my pen, open my notebook, and the interview begins. With Ivey Levy, this writer has learned to expect the unexpected.
Q: Okay, Ivey Levy. Talk to me. Tell me about Magic Oil. Where’d you get the idea?
A: Well, when I lived in New York City I shopped the Green Market at Union Square. I took a subway to do grocery shopping. Imagine. But I wanted fresh produce and Green Market was the place to go. So that’s where I went. Back then there weren’t a lot of places to shop for quality produce. Since I lived there, the food market has escalated. Anyway, one day I went shopping and I discovered this garlic. I was attracted to it because of its color. It was purple! And organic. So I bought some. When I got home I cooked it. It tasted so good. In fact, it was good. So, I got back on the subway and bought the rest of it.
Q: Keep going.
A: In the beginning I served it to my friends as dipping oil when I entertained them. They loved it. I love my friends and I love having them around me. Magic Oil became my lure to get my friends to come to the country. I began making extra batches and sending them home with it. It wasn’t long before I was sending Magic Oil as gifts. The quantity grew. Requests grew. It seemed everyone wanted Magic Oil. It didn’t take long before I began thinking of it as a tool. What started out as personal gifts for friends became my Magic Oil business. It’s an amazing gift item. Everybody brings a bottle of wine when they visit a friend. Magic Oil makes a much more interesting gift item. And Christmas to New Year’s is my busiest season. I actually have one guy who used me as a gift list last year. Incredible.
Q: What makes your oil special, Ivey? I mean, besides the name?
A: Magic Oil makes cooking foolproof. It has its own built-in alarm - When you can smell the oil in the pan warming on the stove - the pan is the correct temperature for cooking. That’s the “magic”. It makes the inexperienced cook look good.
Q: You’re always thinking Ivey. What else should I know about Magic Oil? And oh, yeah, did you encounter any problems developing it?
A: Well, actually, yes. There is one problem with purple garlic. It’s only available two weeks out of the year. And the olive oil, well, I’m incredibly fussy. My standards are very high. I needed an olive oil of the highest quality and I had specific base requirements.
Q: How did you resolve all this?
A: I’m very proud of myself, because I figured a way to extract the flavor from the garlic. Then I hunted and located an oil that met my high standards. It was hard work. But it enabled me to keep purple garlic as an ingredient year round. The integrity of my product is very important to me. I actually created a product that does what I say it does. I’m very proud of that.
Q: Uh, Ivey, what’s that on your foot?
A: Lady bugs. It’s a tattoo.
Q: Can I take your picture, Ivey?
A: Can I take yours?
Be sure to visit Ivey Levy’s website and learn more about her and her new product, Magic Oil.
Linda Della Donna is a freelance writer. A graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature, and a student of Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones. Linda quit the day job to pursue a writing career. She does interviews, writes for new widows, and she does it from the heart. If you need an interview, or perhaps a different writing assignment, why not contact Linda? You can learn more about Linda Della Donna at www.littleredmailbox.com and griefcase.
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