Chef Marc Murphy was born in MIlan, speaks fluent Italian, and now has taken his connections to il bel paese a step further, starting a line of premium extra virgin olive oil, Umbrian Gold. He has teamed with his brother, Paul Murphy, who lives in Umbria, to start importing the EVOO to the United States, and the first bottles have begun shipping.
Murphy, a long-time New York City restaurateur who is now better known as a main judge on Chopped and a frequent cohort of Guy Fieri’s on shows like Guy’s Grocery Games, describes Umbrian Gold on the brand’s website as “spicy and full-bodied.” The site also features an FAQ that notes that Murphy has used exclusively Umbrian olive oil at his private event studio in Manhattan, and has recently switched to the brand he has launched with his brother.
Umbrian Gold’s first release is Martani 2023, a blend of Moraiolo, Frantoio, and Leccino olives, three of the most common olive varieties in Umbria, the central Italian region bordering Lazio, Tuscany, and Le Marche.
Umbrian Gold Martani is available for $45 plus shipping in the United States for 500-ml numbered bottles, exclusively on the Umbrian Gold website. The inaugural run features just 2,000 bottles, in part due to tough weather conditions.
The brothers are clearly committed to Umbria, which they describe on the Umbrian Gold site as “Italy’s most mysterious region.” Paul says that he was a frequent visitor before moving his family there, while Marc moved there after finishing culinary school, learning to cook Umbrian dishes—”almost all of which require olive oil”—and learning how to work the land, butcher, and farm alongside Umbrians.
