Opening a cheese shop is no easy feat, but once you get past the initial opening, you have the challenge of keeping the doors open. In this episode, we check in with Laura Downey from Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Company about some of the strategies they've employed to keep the lights on and make the shop a valued part of the community.
Here are your links to connect with Laura and the team!
IG: @fairfieldgreenwichcheeseco
Website: https://fairfieldcheese.com/
Read MoreRachael Lucas has been hustling hard in the Seattle cheese world to create her perfect cheese job. She's built relationships in the wine world, leading to her current hyper-fixation and a perfect blend of passions. From cheese classes to small cases in wineries' tasting rooms, she's trying, and succeeding at solidifying her place.
Find Rachael at https://cheeseladyloveswinellc.com/
IG: @cheeseladyloveswineseattle
Read MoreThe passionate, hard-working people that brought you a 5k during the middle of a cheese conference are back with more tricks under their sweatbands! They've added some friends and created grants geared towards cheese professionals to get experiences at some of the best in the biz. The deadline to apply for these grants is right around the corner on February 28th, 2023, so now is the time for the last push!
Apply here: thecheeseletes.org
Questions/Sponsorship Opportunities: network@thecheeseletes.org
Find The Cheeseletes on IG @thecheeseletes
Read MoreHow does a small cheese shop compete in this current space of instant gratification? With heart, enthusiasm, and passion, of course!
You can find all that and brightly colored aesthetic at Lady and Larder in Santa Monica, California. Created by twin sisters Sarah and Boo Simms, this small but mighty shop feeds celebrities and local cheese lovers.
Sarah's energy will excite you for your next trip to the cheese shop.
IG @ladyandlarder
Website https://www.ladyandlarder.com/
Sarah also mentioned working with the Cheese Culture Coalition, and you should check out their work.
https://cheeseculturecoalition.org/
Read MoreIf you are in or near the Philly cheese scene, then Alexandra Jones is a name you know well, but even if you live on the other side of the country, her food writing has likely informed your ideas about cheese. From Culture magazine to Modern Farmer, Alex has bylines that range in topics about cheese and agriculture. She's taking a more personal approach by starting her own newsletter over at Milkfed.
Here's where else you can find Alex and all of her work:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/arockjonestown/
Website: https://www.alexandrajones.net/
Collective Creamery: https://www.collectivecreamery.com/
Stuff Every Cheese Lover Should Know: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/646054/stuff-every-cheese-lover-should-know-by-alexandra-jones/
Read MoreCaite Palmer and Arlene Hunter have created a podcast to talk about being farm parents, and they join me to give a snippet of the topics they delve into on their show. We discuss the trauma of pregnancy and childbirth, the grief of giving up pieces of your life to raise children, and the differences between the US and Canadian systems.
Don't worry; we also talk about the joys of raising farm kids too.
To hear more of Caite and Arlene, find Barnyard LAnguage wherever you get your podcasts and follow them on IG @barnyardlanguage
Read MoreThe role of women in cheesemaking is a storied one with a rich history that spans centuries, but too often, it gets told in sidebar paragraphs in cheese books. Mary Casella is looking to change that. As the first recipient of the Daphne Zepos Research Award, she dug deep into the history of women cheesemaking, and she presented her findings through the stories of three women at the American Cheese Society annual conference. We talk about that research and gush a bit about the wonderful women that make up the cheese industry.
If you missed her presentation in Portland, keep an eye out on the DZTE social channels to sign up for the next time she is presenting.
https://www.dzte.org/
IG: @dzte2022
Follow Mary on IG: @mlkbtch
Photo of Mary by Al Pomper
Find me on IG: @the_mobile_monger
Read MoreAn affineur's job is to tend to cheese until it is ready for sale. It's not a part of the job in cheesemaking that gets much attention, but all aged cheese requires some level of attention. In this episode, I chat with Josh Windsor, Caves Manager at Murray's Cheese Cave in NYC.
Josh started sharing his philosophical and artistic musings from the caves on Instagram at the beginning of the pandemic. It feels like a portal to a secret realm that most are not privy to.
Follow Josh on IG @theaffineur
Buy some cheese that Josh likey handled: https://www.murrayscheese.com/cave-aged
Read MoreEvey has worked in cheese for a few years but made a splash this year as they competed in both San Francisco and New York's Cheesemonger Invitational. What makes that extraordinary was that they went from the bottom in SF to the Top 6 in NYC!
Evey and I have a lot to discuss as our lineages coincide in many ways, from growing up poor in Oregon and getting our cheese chops behind a grocery store cheese counter.
Evey's IG: @cheese_isle
Read MoreAs the cheese community prepares for the American Cheese Society's annual conference in Portland, Oregon, A check-in with the host state's cheese guild was in order! Katie Bray has been at the helm as the executive director since 2015 and we chat about the successes she's had while in that role and the difficulties over the last couple of years finding ways of supporting Oregon cheesemakers.
https://oregoncheeseguild.org/
Read MoreOlympia Provisions has gone from a one-person operation to a nationally distributed and well-respected charcuterie brand. With Elias Cairo steering the ship, their focus on quality and time-honored tradition has won them accolades from industry professionals to casual meat lovers. I dig in with Eli about what makes OP tick and what's new in the company.
www.olympiaprovisions.com
Read MoreGianaclis and Vern Caldwell created a blueprint for sustainable goat dairying in Southern Oregon. While not commercially making cheese any longer, their legacy lives on with the multitude of books written by Gianaclis about holistic goat care.
Photo of Gianaclis taken from Mateo Kehler's IG page.
Read MoreVermont Creamery has been at the forefront of the conversation around quality, cultured butter in the United States. What was once something only available in certain specialty shops and shipped over from France, cultured butter can be found on most grocers' shelves.
This episode digs deep into the butter conversation with Adeline Druart, President of Vermont Creamery. We talk about what it takes to produce 2 million lbs of butter a year, how a goat cheese company came to make high-quality butter, and how having cheesemakers running the show makes all the difference in the taste of the multitude of cultured cream products made by Vermont Creamery.
If you didn't already love butter, this episode might do it for you!
Read MoreMay is American Cheese Month. Why is this important? Well, I asked a few of my favorite people to tell us why American made cheese is important to them.
Make sure to head to the American Cheese Education Foundation to find out how you can support American Cheese Month and the continued efforts to bring more cheese education to our industry and beyond.
Read MoreThe joys of an event like the Cheesemonger Invitational is that someone can come from seeming obscurity to take the top prize. Though Sam was not a nationally well-known competitor, his mark has been firmly placed on the PNW cheese scene for years. We chat about that scene, taking the trophy, and finding your passion in unexpected places.
Find Sam on IG: @sam.cheeseontoast
Read MoreIn an effort to condense the DZTE episode to vital information, I chose to cut this fun part out and release it as a lil extra episode! Listen in as Juhl and Sam talk about cheese crushes, pairings, and food memories.
Read MoreDaphne Zepos created a vision for her legacy and since her death in 2012, her dedication to education has lived on in the Daphne Zepos Teaching Award. This award gives the opportunity for a North American cheese professional to travel and answer the deep cheese questions they hold. As with many things, the last two years have reimagined this award and now two awards live under the umbrella of the Daphne Zepos Teaching Endowment.
If you are a cheese professional and have burning questions about a cheese-related topic, This is the episode to find out how the organization has changed, expert opinions on how to get through the application process, and how the organization is working to keep Daphne's vision alive.
To apply for DZTE:
Deadlines: DZRA May 1, 2022-DZTA May 31, 2022
www.dzte.org
Find DZTE on IG @DZTE2022
Read MoreAlisha Norris Jones' experience in the restaurant world gave her the ability to intentionally create beauty with food. For the last several years cheese has been the vehicle and she has been adding her own fingerprint to the Chicago cheese scene. We talk about inspiration, spirituality, kitchen witchery, and creations that include those that feel left behind.
Find Alisha on Instagram:
@_immortalmilk
Read MoreHow do you bring together a small group of people across a large landmass like Canada? Well, Erin Harris and Kelsie Parsons are trying to do just that in their new venture the Canadian Cheese Collective. In this episode, we talk about what gave rise to this idea and how they are working with new pandemic era tools to create community. Here's your chance to get a sneak peek into the Canadian world of cheese!
@canadiancheesecollective on Instagram
canadiancheesecollective@gmail.com
Read MoreIn my first International podcast, I talked with world-renowned cheesemonger and affineur, Rodolphe Le Meunier. He is also joined by his Assitant Export Manager, Owen Rumiano.
We discuss butter (of course!), what the French cheese market looks like right now for them, and what exactly an affineur does!
Learn more about Rodolphe: http://www.rodolphelemeunier.fr/rodolphe-le-meunier/?lang=en
patreon.com/themobilemonger
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