Boston Globe | Food Section

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Stroll through the Olive Connection in Brookline, which opened in August, and you’ll feel like planning a dinner party to try many of the shop’s interesting foods from artisanal producers. Carol and Morry Sapoznik (pictured), Brookline residents passionate about food and cooking, opened the store near Coolidge Corner as a post-retirement endeavor. Carol worked for Crate & Barrel for 42 years and Morry was an assistant principal at the Lawrence School in town. Their son CJ, 32, also a partner, went to culinary school and cooked in Colorado. The store is devoted to olive oil. Rows of fustis, which are stainless steel drums with a spigot, hold fresh-pressed olive oils from Italy, Greece, Spain, Lebanon, and California. Some are infused, such as the Tuscan herb, blood orange, or Tahitian lime oils ($15.95 for 6.7 ounces; $19.95 for 12.6 ounces). Balsamic and fruit vinegars come in cucumber and star-anise vanilla ($15.95 for for 6.7 ounces; $19.95 for 12.6 ounces). For a charcuterie plate, the shop offers sausages such as chorizo with truffle, hard salami, spicy prosciutto spreads, Vermont cheeses, French and Spanish olives, and sweet slices of a roasted fig ball from Calabria wrapped in fig leaves. Baguettes come from Clear Flour Bread in Brookline. Shelves hold unusual pantry items, including matcha green tea and merlot salts, and beet and balsamic vinegar pearls for garnishes. Customers are encouraged to taste. A charcuterie and cheese board sits on a zinc counter for samples. “We want people to feel comfortable here, poke around, and stay a while, “ says Carol. Olive Connection, 1426 Beacon St., Brookline, 617-879-9980, www.oliveconnection.com

Photo Credit: Keith Bedford / Boston Globe Staff