ABOUT MALINDA
ICU nurse. Certified olive oil sommelier. Clinical lens on olive oil.
Full-time ICU nurse and certified olive oil sommelier through Olive Oil Times Lab, NYC.
I'm Malinda — a critical care nurse with over 13 years of ICU experience, a Certified Olive Oil Sommelier through the Olive Oil Times Education Lab, and the voice behind @thatsso_olive.
My nursing background isn't separate from this work, it's the foundation of it. Spending years in the ICU trained me to look closely at what goes into the body and why it matters. Olive oil wasn't a lifestyle choice for me. It was a clinical one first.
As a sommelier, I evaluate oil for quality, authenticity, and sensory integrity. Oils with real polyphenol content, proper harvest dates, and full traceability. I travel to visit producers, build relationships with farmers, and taste oils at the source.
My focus is on premium extra virgin olive oil from small estates across premier growing regions.
Through @thatsso_olive, I translate the science, the provenance, and the sensory experience of real olive oil for everyday people — breaking down what the label means, what the research says, and why most of what's on the grocery shelf doesn't qualify.