At first, pasta for the poor was just flour and water. Pasta for the rich contained egg. Potenza says he was the first chef in the United States to introduce the art of terra cotta cookery, the first in New England to offer the cuisine of the Italian-Jewish heritage, and a certified olive oil taster. Many people, says Potenza, don't even recognize whether they're being served olive oil or vegetable oil. He plans to teach a tasting course.
Olive oil is as important and complex as wine, and as expensive.
I can taste olive oil and tell you the region it comes from. It is purely American. We do it because people want it. But restaurants should charge and give really fine olive oil if they are going to serve it, because good olive oil is expensive. Potenza offers more commentary on Italian food, with historic photos and 85 recipes, in Federal Hill Flavors and Knowledge .