Angelo Merlino immigrated from Italy to Seattle in 1889. Having been in the olive oil business in his homeland, Merlino began importing olive oil in 1900, the first to import the product to Seattle on a large scale. Merlino established the Metropolitan Grocery Co. at 301 Main Street in 1903, where he sold Italian food and products, including his Merlino's Best Brand, or M. B. Brand olive oil, the "Only Oil Awarded Gold Medal at A-Y-P. E."

Over the years, Merlino's sons Ubaldo and Attilio joined their father in the business. Merlino's daughter Annie married Joseph Batali, and their son Armandino founded Seattle's artisan cured meats shop Salumi, still in business today, just around the corner from his grandfather's original store. Armandino Batali's son is the chef, writer, and restaurateur Mario Batali.

This booklet contains a collection of recipes using olive oil, "more economical than butter or lard." In addition to recipes for anchovy sauce and sauteed bananas, the cookbook also promises results from the medicinal use of olive oil: "Lubricate your system with pure, high-grade olive oil and half your illnesses will disappear!" The first page features a drawing of a ship captioned "American-Hawaiian Steamship Missourian first trip through Panama Canal with a cargo of Merlino's Best Brand Virgin Olive Oil." As of 2026, Merlino Foods is still in business in Seattle's SODO neighborhood.