Alia has added a new skill to her culinary & gastronomy portfolio, being the first Egyptian female chef to hold a certificate as an advanced professional olive oil taster & sommelier from ONAOO Scuola in Liguria, Italy (The National Organization of Olive Oil Tasters).

Through her tasting skills & extensive practice, Alia has started a wave of awareness & tasting events across Cairo by partnering up with premium Egyptian olive oil brands as well as taking it internationally via harvest retreats/gastro-tourism across the Mediterranean.

Guests, chefs & enthusiasts are invited to explore the world of extra virgin olive oil by understanding the harvest process, touring olive groves, doing professional tasting sessions to look out for flavor notes & positive attributes of the different oil varieties and taste and pair each variety with different dishes through her curated menus.

I am very looking forward to continuing my educational journey into the world of olive oil with ONAOO and its network of tasters and professionals in the field, and also look forward to also educating more clients through my work.

Patrick J. O’Brien is Travel Director for Table Six Travel, a US company launched in 2019 to organize small group gastronomic tours originally focused on regions producing olives, extra virgin olive oils, cheeses, cured meats and balsamic vinegars and related culinary specialties across Italy supporting his wife’s US company, FIORE Olive Oils. In 2025, with the sale of FIORE after 15 years to a longtime staffer, Patrick continues as a Marketing Consultant and Import Coordinator for FIORE while expanding the scope of travel with Table Six to Greece, Ireland and beyond.

Patrick received certification as a Professional Taster of ONAOO in March 2019. Having earned Irish citizenship in 2022, Patrick and his wife reside permanently in The Republic of Ireland. In June 2025 Table Six Travel received registration in Ireland, Table Six Travel, LTD,

Margherita Chiaraviglio is from Piedmont. She owns a company called “Frantoio Fresia S.r.l.” with her son, Andrea Fresia.

It is located in Chiusavecchia, in the hinterland of Imperia. She started making olive oil after her marriage.

After her husband died, she kept making olive oil and her passion for it. Margherita took a technical course and then an advanced course from the ONAOO School.

She passed the final exam and got the qualification of Professional Taster of ONAOO in 2023.

Born in Verona in 1983, he grew up in the Mezzane Valley and considers himself a citizen of the world. In life he is a computer engineer with many years of experience in the field.

Occasional walks among the olive trees help him to relax his body and mind. In 2021 he approaches O.N.A.O. to start a new educational path.

His studies end in March 2024 with an exam that certifies him as an O.N.A.O.O. Professional Taster.