The rapid growth of food halls in Miami has shown that Miami loves a culinary tasting experience, so it’s no surprise that Miami International Airport is making efforts to make your travel experience that much tastier. This fall, travels won’t need to waste time waiting at the gate, their tickets have been upgraded as MIA has partnered with Olive Oils from Spain, the promotional brand of the Spanish Olive Oil Interprofessional, in collaboration with the European Union, to launch a month-long pop up located inside the North Terminal.  

Whether seated in coach or first class, everyone is offered priority boarding on the Olive Oil World Tour as travelers can enjoy the best olive oils in the world in an itinerant oleo library. The specialty lounge will come equipped with a relaxation area, kids space, express tastings of an abundance of unique olive oils and WiFi hotspots so that the public can travel virtually to the world of “liquid gold.” Travelers will be able to enjoy the lounge from 11AM-7PM beginning September 27 through October 27. 

Representing these olive oils as the ambassador of the tour is chef Seamus Mullen.

Seamus Mullen is an award-winning New York chef, restaurateur and cookbook author known for his inventive yet approachable Spanish cuisine, he is also a leading authority on health and wellness. Seamus opened his first solo restaurant Tertulia in Manhattan in 2011, which was awarded two stars from The New York Times and was a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant. In 2013, he opened El Colmado, a Spanish tapas and wine bar at Gotham West Market, a food hall in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen.

After cooking throughout Spain, New York and San Francisco, Seamus first rose to national prominence in 2006 with Boqueria, one of the first critically acclaimed and highly successful Spanish restaurants in New York. In 2009, he was one of three finalists on the Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef.” He can often be seen as a featured judge on the popular Food Network series “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” and is a frequent guest on programs such as The Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show and CBS This Morning.

More recently, Seamus has become a leading authority in the conversation on food, health and wellness. An avid cyclist who raced competitively in his twenties, he was diagnosed in 2007 with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that forced him to rethink his relationship with food, and led to his first cookbook Hero Food, published in 2012. Through food, exercise and lifestyle changes, Seamus was able to successfully turn his health around. He shares his story through numerous speaking engagements around the country and has been featured in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Chicago-Tribune, and The Guardian. He has written about his experience for The New York Times and through his bimonthly column in Men’s Journal.

Tell us about why you partnered with The Olive Oil World Tour?

I’ve been cooking with olive oil from Spain my entire career and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be able to cook without it. I think a lot of people are intimidated by olive oil and I hope to help break down some of the fears folks have about cooking with olive oil. The world tour is an amazing way to turn new people on to the magic of olive oil.

What's your favorite way to use olive oil?

There are so many applications that I love, but one of the more unusual uses that I love is to use it in baking. I love making almond tarts and breads with olive oil 

When was your first memory of loving olive oil?

When I was 16 and just moved in with my host family in Spain, one of the first things I learned to cook was the tortilla española. Olive oil is one of the key ingredients in the dish and it’s a flavor the clearly comes through in a good tortilla. To This day it’s one of my favorite ways of highlighting olive oil.

As a chef, what's one tip all home cooks should know?

Don’t be scared of using olive oil as a sauce. A generous drizzle on a finished dish can mean the difference between a good dish and an amazing dish.