Last weekend I spent four wonderful days in my favorite city (NYC!) with 17 amazingly talented photographers.  It was an epic girls’ weekend that deserves (and WILL get) its own blog post.  We did a lot of fun touristy things (that will get their proper attention in the previously-mentioned post) but one of the things that I wanted to write about now was a food tour.  It was awesome because it combined two things that I love about the city – exploring the West Village and eating!

One of the stops was at the O&Co – a tiny but oh-so-nice everything-olive-oil store.    At first we were a bit shocked by their prices.  After all, you can buy a half a gallon of olive oil for $12 at a super market and here they dared to sell 1.7 OUNCES! of oil for $17!    If it were not for the tour, I probably would’ve walked away after seeing their prices.  But I stayed (and so glad that I did!) and learned about an amazing world of olive oils produced for this store: how each olive oil is handpicked (not shaken down from a tree), how they are stored in special containers so that they don’t get damaged by the sun, how olives are crushed together with herbs (vs infused with herbs) for a delicate and rich taste.

The oils and vinegar were delicious, people working there were so helpful and friendly and I think this stop was our favorite out of the 8 food stops we made that day!  And guess what?  After the tour all of us went back to that store and walked out with our wallets considerably lighter but with beautiful bags of delicious olive oil products.

So what’s the moral of this story?  Great product and amazing customer service are worth paying for!  Yes, they come at a premium but there is a HUGE difference between buying olive oil at your local supermarket vs buying olive oil at O&C.  Just like there is a huge difference between an artistic image that has been perfectly positioned and processed by a professional photographer and a cookie-cutter image taken at a mall photo studio.  And there is no comparison of the experience of waiting in line in a supermarket to buy olive oil vs personalized olive oil tasting and friendly service at O&Co.

And now, every time I use my white truffle oil and truffle salt that I bought over the weekend (they make EVERYTHING taste better by the way!) I remember what a wonderful experience being at that store was.  And I believe that’s how my clients feel – not only they receive beautiful images that capture authentic family moments but they also love the whole experience of working with Live Love Laugh Photos.  And that combination keeps them coming back to me for their photo sessions year after year – or at least that’s what they tell me:)

So if you are in Ridgewood or other towns in Bergen County or surrounding areas and are looking for a great family photographer and a wonderful photography experience, give me a call!   And if you are not, then at least do yourself a favor and order some goodies from O&Co!  🙂