holler at your monger

hello cheese lover. i'd like to be your cheesemonger. your cheese advisor. your cheese lady, even. send me your cheese related questions, and i'll answer them as best i can.

[cheesenotes]

Southern Artisan Cheese Festival, September 12th

Nashville-area cheese lovers, don’t miss the 5th Annual Southern Artisan Cheese Festival, going down tomorrow, Saturday, September 12th, and organized by Nashville’s top cheese shop, The Bloomy Rind:  

Southern Artisan Cheese Festival

Artisan cheese, food and beer. Six states. All together for one day in Nashville, Tennessee. Sept 12, 2015.

Artisan cheesemakers representing eight states around the region make the journey to Nashville to participate in this special event shining a big happy spotlight on the growing Southern cheese movement:

AA Farm Creamery AL | Belle Chevre AL | Boone Creek Creamery KY | Boxcarr Handmade Cheese NC | Capriole Cheese IN | Caromont Farm VA | Dayspring Dairy AL | English Farmstead Cheese NC | Fishing Creek Creamery SC | Kenny’s Farmhouse KY | Kent Walker Cheese AR | Looking Glass Creamery NC | Lost River Creamery KY | Many Fold Farm GA | Noble Springs Dairy TN | Prodigal Farm NC | Sequatchie Cove CreameryTN | Sweet Grass Dairy GA | Three Graces Dairy NC | White River Creamery AR | And our honorary southerner: Marcoot Jersey Creamery in IL

Venue: Rocketown, 601 Fourth Ave South, Nashville, TN 37210

VIP tickets are $80 ($90 at door) each and include: Meet and chat with cheesemakers and food artisans from eight states. Sampling of more than 150 artisan cheeses, handcrafted accompaniments, craft beer and wines (21+ with ID of course). Early admission VIP ticker holders are admitted one full glorious hour ahead of everyone else! Access to VIP area Plenty of seating and extra cheese samples when you need a break from the crowd. Souvenir tasting glass for our Over 21 guests. $10 voucher towards the purchase of any cheese or artisan food being sold at the Festival. Souvenir insulated tote for keeping all your delicious cheese purchases cool.

General admission tickets are $55 ($65 at door) each and include: Meet and chat with cheesemakers and food artisans from eight states. Sampling of more than 150 artisan cheeses, handcrafted accompaniments, craft beer and wines (21+ with ID of course). Souvenir tasting glass for our Over 21 guests. $5 voucher towards the purchase of any cheese or artisan food being sold at the Festival. 

[heycheeselady]

east coastin’

Greetings, cheese people!

The ACS conference is almost over, and I have had a whirlwind week tooling around Vermont and then getting very serious about the cheese down in Providence since Wednesday. 

Many posts are coming! There will be pics (not enough, though) and text and I will probably mention a few cheeses I am super jazzed on along the way. 

This has been one of the best experiences of my young cheese life, and I honestly can’t wait to share it with the internet and my real life cheese co-workers. Now to find the nearest after party that’s got a little free drink ticket action...

[cheesenotes]

When in the Alps, go for the local Alpkäse. I’m currently in Crans-Montana, in the Valais Canton of Switzerland, and lunch was a local alpine cheese, made on the mountains towering over our dining table.

[cheesenotes]

Cabricafe, aka belgian Cabricharme with a coffee-rubbed rind, at the @fmabklyn booth #sffs (at Javits Center Fancy Food Show)

[heycheeselady]

Hey! I don't even know if this blog is current but I'm new to the cheese world and my department is working with a skeleton crew so there's literally no time for education. I'm really uncomfortable with pretty much all of the coffin cheeses and I really want to be able to answer all the questions I get asked. Do you recommend any good literature for green mongers?

Hello! Yes! 

Here are a few that are pretty good intro level books: 1) The Cheese Primer (Steven Jenkins): It’s more than a bit elitist and on the old school side of things, but it’s still a really good basic intro to the classic old world cheeses by region. When someone asks for a cheese from Burgundy or Alsace-Lorraine, this is still the book I grab for names. 2) Cheese Essentials (Laura Werlin): This was the first book I read that made me really understand how to talk about flavor profiles. It’s broken up by type, and if you follow along you’re very likely to be able to fake it til you make it, in terms of specific cheese knowledge. 

3) Culture magazine: Subscriptions are expensive, but even Barnes and Noble carries it. I like reading culture to stay up on American artisan cheeses, and find that they also do a good job of talking up pairings. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a new cheese nerd. 

4) Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge (Gordon Edgar): One of my favorite books on mongering from one of my favorite guys in the cheese world (also the real world--Gordon is a co-worker and friend). This book is unpretentious and completely accessible, and may help you find new ways to talk about cheese with your customers. 

I also spent a lot of time here when I was first learning cheese. I started out at Cowgirl, so I’m definitely a bit biased. But I still find it useful because of the way it’s broken into categories. 

Finally, some advice: 

1) Start with what you like: Taste something new every chance you get, and when you find a cheese you LOVE, learn as much as you can about it. It’s easier to sell what you enjoy. 

2) Learn by categories/families: Let’s say you fall in love with gruyere. Excellent! Start searching “alpine cheese” in the books, on google, etc. Gather a bit of knowledge about that group of cheeses and start applying it when you taste those cheeses for yourself or customers. For alpines, you’ll learn that they’re great melters that are always made with raw milk (typically cow). Sometimes knowing a category well can help you sell it to a customer. 

3) It’s ok to start out relying on other people’s descriptions until your palate develops: Keep tasting til the words have meaning. Nutty, meaty, grassy, tangy, lactic...there are lots of cheese words that can sound totally made up. Until they don’t any more. The more you taste new things, the stronger your palate will get. 

4) Always listen to the conversations other mongers are having: I still do this. Sometimes a co-worker will use a phrase or describe a flavor and it WORKS, so I take it. I try to thank them/mention it so there’s no hard feelings. But a lot of on the job learning is about keeping your ears open for little details. 

5) Ask for a chance to help set/re-set the coffin case or to help with early stocking: Physically touch the cheese if you can and try to read the signs. You can actually learn a lot by looking at/feeling cheese, and if you offer to help out with deep cleaning/re-sets you are likely to earn some points as a new worker. 

Good luck, and I hope that helps! Please message me again any time! 

[cheesenotes]

The results are in! A winner has been declared at the Concours Mondial du Meilleur Fromager 2015:  Fabien Degoulet, a French cheesemonger who has worked in Japan for the last 8 years. I was rooting for the two yanks at the event, Perry Soulos of Arrowine in Arlington, VA and Justin Trosclair of St. James Cheese Co. in New Orleans, LA, but after seeing the photos of Degoulet’s work there’s no denying he earned that medal. 

The Podium: Meilleur Fromager Mondial 2015 (GOLD) : Fabien DEGOULET Médaille d'Argent (SILVER): Guillaume CARDINET Médaille de Bronze (BRONZE): Nathalie VANHAVER

Via RFI:

Frenchman crowned as the world’s best cheesemonger

Fabien Degoulet won the title of the world’s best cheesemonger on Sunday in Tours.

Fabien Degoulet won the title at the second edition of the International Best Cheesemonger Competition which was held in the French city of Tours on Sunday.

The 31-year-old Degoulet, who was born in Le Mans but who is now based in Japan, beat a dozen rivals from the United States, Japan, Belgium, China, Israel and France.

The candidates were tested for their theoretical knowledge, taste pairing, cutting and cheese presentation.

For cheese preparation, they were provided with a specific budget which they had to use for shopping on the eve of the competition.

The second place went to another Frenchman Guillaume Cardinet while Belgian Nathalie Vanhaver took third place.

Besides the competition to determine the world’s best cheesemonger, the three day event is also a platform for exchanging information about innovations and developments in the sector.

This year, the event attracted participants from 23 countries.

(Photos ©2015 Mondial du Fromage)

[heycheeselady]

This competition looks INTENSE. I would love to be able to experience it first hand one day, either in the audience or competing against other mongers.

[equius]

reblog this if cheese has impacted your life in a positive way

[steelplatedhearts]

theonlycheeseleft

[heycheeselady]

The midnight snack of champions, or the cheese food which comforts and delights me: TAM AND JAM! Living in California means that, often, the Mt. Tam that's around is a little young. It's still rich and creamy and buttery, of course, with that pleasant mushroomy note at the rind, but it's not...luscious. So when I start seeing really ripe Tam at the counter my brain starts humming a little song that goes "tam and jam, tam and jam, tam and jaaaaam!" I recommend it to customers, and then, when I can't deny it any more, I get some for myself. Tonight was the night. A large half wheel of Mt. Tam was around $7, and my jams--Inna Jam's lively, tart blenheim apricot and the cheapest strawberry jam we sell-- were already in my fridge. The perfect vehicle for Tam and jam is the humble mini toast; it's crisp and mild, never trying to interfere with the glory of the Tam or the jam. For under $10, I just made myself a very happy snacker. And really, I could have made another snacker happy too: there's still a half of my half Tam left, and plenty of jam, all waiting to get slathered on those toasts and eaten. If I made you hungry, you're welcome. Go buy a Mt. Tam now.

[homosociallyyours]

What fruit/jam would you pair with goat cheese?

Hello! Thanks for your question! I’m gonna answer over here, but please feel free to send cheese questions to my cheese blog! heycheeselady! 

This is a fun one, though, because first I’m gonna answer your question with a question: What *kind* of goat cheese, exactly? 

The most typical kind would be fresh goat cheese, or chevre. It’s bright white with a zippy tang that you might describe as lemony or citrusy. Flavors and textures vary from brand to brand, so if you don’t like one, you may like another. They also come with herbs and flavorings sometimes, which can be fun. Try lots! Chevre is great. 

My favorite fresh fruit to pair with chevre is definitely a fresh cherry. Right in the middle of summer when the cherries are dark and luscious, there’s nothing better than slicing one in half and letting the juices run onto the fresh white paste of the cheese. It’s messy and gorgeous. 

A cherry jam would work nicely too, of course, as would a drizzle of honey. In general I love summer fruits with chevre, so I’d go in that direction for a jam pairing—blueberry, raspberry, apricot, peach…but really, a fresh cherry is the best. 

For more aged goat cheeses, I love figs or fig jam. A good aged goat gouda is sweet and nutty, and when paired with fig jam it really sings. Look for brabander or black betty if you’re feeling spendy and have a nice cheese counter near you, otherwise check out central coast creamery’s goat gouda—its black rind and creamy white paste look a lot like midnight moon, but the price is often just a bit cheaper…and it’s made in the US, which is nice. 

Those are my suggestions, but at the end of the day pairing is all about experimentation. Pull out the jams and honeys you have in your fridge (I can’t be the only one who impulse buys jam & honey and then has 3-5 going all at once, can I?) and try a little of each with your cheese. You might discover that you love the way that lemon curd matches your fresh chevre in brightness and creaminess, or that the cranberry jelly your aunt makes at Christmas turns your goat cheddar from meh to magnificent. 

Report back on your findings, nonny! I’m anxiously awaiting the results! 

[heycheeselady]

I'm always happy to answer cheese questions! Holla at your monger, friends!

[heycheeselady]

Cheesemonger Invitational: This weekend!

Hey friends, long time no post! I've been a little busy actually working with cheese, and have neglected my cheese-filled corner of the internet. RUDE! 

Anyway, I'm competing in the Cheesemonger Invitational this weekend! I'll be tasting, selling, cutting, and wrapping alongside many other cheese professionals in the hopes of winning a trip to France (!!!) as well as a hell of a lot of glory. WISH ME LUCK. 

And if you're in the Bay Area, come on over and taste my perfect bite or gimme a little cheer. I'm hoping I make it to the top 10 (ok, I'm actually hoping I win)--we'll find out at 6:30 PST. 

Even if I lose, there will still be hella cheese to eat. Can't go wrong there. 

[cheesenotes]

ACS 2014: Full Results Online

The results for the American Cheese Society 2014 Judging & Competition are now online, you can download them (PDF) at cheesejudging.org.

[laughingsquid]

‘Affinage’, A Short Documentary About the Process of Aging a Fine Piece of Cheese

[heycheeselady]

Great little short about Neal's Yard Dairy. Love the shots of making Red Leicester and David talking about knowing his customers -- it's true, if you sell Neal's Yard cheeses they really want to know what you're looking for and get you the best quality for your shop.

This is totally with the 7 minutes of your time to give it a watch and share!

[cheesenotes]

Guardian: A Cheese Lexicon

How do you describe the cheese you eat? Is it ‘soapy’ or ‘cowy’? ‘smokey’ or ‘astringent’? The Guardian looks at some researchers who are trying to develop the formal terminology of cheese tasting: 

How a lexicon for cheese gave researchers a headache

Is your cheese cowy, catty or brothy? Researchers devote their efforts to finding the right words of description

The 21st century, at its birth, saw cheese researchers in something of a frenzy trying to solve the industry’s great language problem. The problem is this: say what you will, the taste of a cheese is hard to describe.

In 2000, Jane Murray and Conor Delahunty of University College Cork rejected all earlier cheese-language-making attempts, complaining that “the method by which these were selected” was vague.

Murray and Delahunty went at it with 25 volunteer taster/talkers and samples of Ballyclough cheddar, unislim reduced-fat cheddar-type, and other cheddary cheeses available in Ireland. Their resulting paper, Selection of Standards to Reference Terms in a Cheddar-Type Cheese Flavour Language, serves up a list of 21 terms to be used singly or in judicious combination: pungent, caramel, sweaty, creamy, fruity, buttery, rancid, cheddary, mushroom, mouldy, nutty, smokey, soapy, processed, sweet, salty, acidic, bitter, astringent and balanced.

Soon after, MA Drake of North Carolina State University, together with several colleagues, tested a similar list on people in panel discussions at which cheese was munched. (“Cheeses were sliced into cubes using a wire slicer within two hours of presentation. Cheeses were tightly wrapped in foil prior to presentation.”) The munching, and some data crunching, produced firm statistical findings (“The flavour cowy was correlated with age and sourness, but was not correlated to any other flavours or tastes”). Drake’s team settled on 17 words – cowy, catty and brothy among them – that “describe and differentiate the majority of flavours encountered in cheddar cheese”.

Here’s the official definition of cowy: “Aromas associated with barns and stock trailers, indicative of animal sweat and waste.”

Check out the full piece.

(photo ©2013 The Guardian)

[cheesenotes]

The Lorenzo, from Meadowood Farms in Cazenovia, New York, is made by Veronica Pedraza, a restaurant-world alumni and former Saxelby monger, who also put in time at Sweetgrass Dairy and the Cellars at Jasper Hill, before taking over the cheesemaking at Meadowood (one “W” in the name) Farms. Meadowood has a herd of East Friesian sheep, from which they make their cheese, dairy and lamb products. I previously reviewed the Ten Eyck and the Ledyard from Meadowood. 

And speaking of the Ledyard, the Lorenzo is named for the estate on Cazenovia Lake that was once owned by John Ledyard, and sat on Rippleton Rd (Rippleton is another of their cheeses). George Strawbridge married Ledyard’s daughter (Strawbridge is — you guessed it). And to complete the circle, Ten Eyck was named for an old farm that once belonged to an influential Dutch family in the early settlement of the region. There’s usually a great story associated with unusual cheese names, and Veronica chooses hers to honor the history of her locale, acknowledging a cultural terroir even as the grasses and herbs of her pastures put their imprint on  her cheeses. 

The Lorenzo is a cooked, pressed cheese, made from raw sheep’s milk, that bears similarities to both Fontina and Raclette, and is aged for a minimum of two months and washed with cider from Harvest Moon Cidery at Critz Farms. The outside is amber-gold and textured, while the inside is dense, smooth and pliant, moderately eyed, softening and developing a buttery sheen as it warms. Mildly pungent when young, it can develop more kick as it ages, but is not a stinker per se. The flavor is buttery and full, a bit meaty, buttery and nutty, with grassy and lanolin hints. 

This is an excellent melter of a cheese, perfect for a grilled cheese or as an alternative to Raclette caramelized on top of potatoes and charcuterie. 

[skaal]

[cheesenotes]

BBC: Endangered cheeses: How do you save rare types?

With the biennial Cheese Festival in Bra, Italy coming in September, the BBC reports on the  Slow Food Ark Of Taste and its effort to preserve some traditional cheeses that are increasingly in danger of slipping into extinction. 

Endangered cheeses: How do you save rare types?

For many, eating cheese is one of life’s great pleasures. But some of the world’s rarest cheeses could soon disappear.

When greeted with the impressive sight of a cheeseboard in a top restaurant, the diversity of flavour, texture, smell, size, and shape of the artisanal cheeses presented, gives little clue to their dwindling numbers.

But the Slow Food organisation believes “thousands” of artisanal cheeses are disappearing around the world, along with the knowledge behind them. It hopes to save endangered cheeses from specific territories and communities by adopting them into its Ark of Taste at its Cheese festival in Italy in September.

France has been badly affected, as more than 50 traditional cheeses have disappeared in the last 30 years, says the Fromages de Terroirs Association. The association’s president, Véronique Richez-Lerouge wants the French to preserve their heritage of raw milk cheeses. “We have to watch out for our traditions and methods, because if we don’t, they will be destroyed. Cheese made with raw milk has quite a different taste. As with wine, it has all the flavour of its landscape in its taste and has nothing in common with an industrial cheese without substance,” she says.

Read the full story. You can also check out Véronique Richez-Lerouge on YouTube in the french documentary The War of the Stinky Cheeses. And if you are anywhere near Bra September 20-23, this is a don’t miss event, with cheese makers coming from all around Europe, the US and the world to present their cheeses and some truly unique, tiny-batch cheeses from distant mountains and valleys making rare appearances on such a big stage.

[heycheeselady]

ACS 2013: Best of Show

ACS 2013 is fading away now. We'€™ve all gone back to work. The rarefied atmosphere of Cheese Camp is something I think we all try to hold onto a little, but real life intrudes. But I have a few more...

My friend Gordon makes the best posts about ACS, always. 

Also check out his picture of Winnemere, this year's first place award winner. It's a piece of gooey, oozing perfection, and his description of the flavor sounds so good that I can actually taste all that woodsy perfection if I concentrate hard enough. 

A lot of the top cheeses this year aren't available yet, so I suppose I'll have to wait to try them. But this post gets me excited nonetheless.