About Mary Ellen Carter and Verde Specialty Foods

Mary Ellen Carter is one of Bellingham, Washington’s best known food enthusiasts and a strong advocate of returning to the table to enjoy good seasonal food. She is committed to preserving food and culture based on the values of community and sustainability.

Mary Ellen has authored 4 cookbooks including the local bestseller - At Joe’s Garden Harvest Recipes from the Pacific Northwest. Her latest cookbook Accent on Asia - Recipes for a Culinary Adventure reflects the last 10 years of culinary teaching with the influence of Asian cooking.

In addition to writing and teaching Mary Ellen has added a line of specialty foods focusing on high quality California extra virgin olive oil. Verde Specialty Foods - the name of Mary Ellen’s company is green in more ways than one. The focus being sustainability and support of the farmers in the US - Ending the dependency of foreign oil. This is one of the only olive oils you can find that hasn’t spent months in a transport tanker. “Verde olive oil has the lowest carbon footprint that we can get here in the Northwest.” It is fresh, fruity and fragrant. Fresh – within 12 hours of harvest the olives are pressed in an olive grove in Northern California and sent to Verde Specialty Foods kitchen where Mary Ellen bottles it immediately for sale and labeled with a freshness date. Light, heat and time are enemies of olive oil – Verde bottles the olive oil in dark bottles and kept in cool surroundings – the extra virgin olive oil is sold within 12 months it is harvested.

In addition to extra virgin olive oil Verde Specialty Foods is carrying high quality “hard to find” dried heirloom beans and spices. Traditional heirloom European dried beans such as Cannelini and Barlotti are both delicious and nutritious. For all you culinary adventurers – beans are on the horizon. With little effort and time a pot of beans become the center of the table. The fragrant spices are hand blended and packaged in small quantities to ensure freshness. The culinary triad of foods – Excellent olive oil, good spices with tasty beans.