Cooking, Pairing, Education
“Go West young man”!! – It was a term that became popular in the mid-1800’s as gold was discovered in California. As a result, it became the world’s largest mass-migration to California in search of gold. Trails such as The Mormon Trail and The California Trail were most common to get to the gold fields…But I used another map to get there…
IMAGE COURTESY OF: The Hustle I have been around Specialty Foods industry for 42 years. As such, I have learned much about where products come from, how they are made, and how they can be enjoyed…But what if one wanted to become more than just a fan, and be seen more as a subject matter expert?...How does that happen?? Let’s take wine for example. I enjoy wine. I live in Northern California (home…
Hello Fellow Cheese Travelers! In all my years within the cheese industry, the one thing I never had the opportunity to do is to make cheese…Oh, I have made my fair share of some fresh types at home (like Chèvre and Cottage Cheese)…but what I am talking about is working at a factory – Gently warming the local milk, adding in the starter culture until just the right moment when it’s time to add the…
I am calling Chicago home for a few days, thanks to a business trip. While in town, I had to see what “cheesy” events and/or places there were to visit. I am happy to report that I found Beautiful Rind, a specialty cheese shop, restaurant and classroom space in Logan Square – About 16 miles Northwest of Downtown Chicago. Beautiful Rind was the brainchild of Randall Felts…
Hello Fellow Cheese Travelers! Sometimes food (especially cheese), has a way of transporting you…to another place, another time, or another culture. Browsing through my local retailers cheese cases can sometimes be a “treasure hunt”…What is new?...What haven’t I seen in a long time?...What is seasonal? Photo courtesy of Swiss or Miss Ahhh….What is “seasonal” you ask? Well, if you look through some…
Hello Fellow Cheese Travelers! “A Journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step”…or in this case, 1,412 miles North as I boarded my flight for Calgary, Canada. Alberta is a beautiful province in Western Canada. Its landscape encompasses mountains, prairies, and vast forests. It is home to 4.2 million people…most live in Calgary, or Edmonton, the Capital of Alberta. Lastly, six UNESCO World…
Dear Cheese Enthusiasts, Today I learned that the cheese industry lost one of our own...Kiri Fisher. I first met Kiri at her place of business, The Cheese School of San Francisco. It was a wonderful venue in the heart of Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. There they taught cheese classes and courses, had a nice selection of cheeses and specialty food, and it was also a great place to have a good…
Hello Fellow Cheese Travelers! As March is “Women’s History Month”, I thought I would share with you the story of a celebrated cheesemaker from Norway, Anne Haav (sometimes spelled Hov). Many people may not recognize her name, but the cheese that she created is recognized around the world. In 1863, Anne created Gudbrandsdalost, but many people know it by its common name, Gjetost. This cheese may…
Of all the American food brands, Kraft (and its iconic logo) is one of the most recognizable… and why not, as it has been a brand for over 100 years. There are not too many food brands that can say that. While the Kraft company has a long history, and has had many changes, I wanted to focus on how the company got started in today’s story… James Lewis Krafft was born was born on December 11, 1874…
Hello Fellow Cheese Enthusiasts! Recently I had the opportunity to travel to the South…to be specific, Atlanta, Georgia. Ask anyone their thoughts on the foods from the South, and you will most certainly hear someone speak about Pimento Cheese. I confirmed this with my sister who lives in Atlanta and her husband from Alabama.
In my early days of working in a cheese shop, I sold a little Italian import known as Galbani Bel Paese. I did not know much about the brand, or the cheese, other than it was imported from Italy. It had a mild taste and my customers loved it! I thought it was long overdue to share the story of this iconic brand (and cheese) and how they got started….
Hello Fellow Cheese Enthusiasts! The month of July is a time to celebrate! Canada celebrates Canada Day (July 1st – A day of Unity that brought the three separate colonies of the United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single Dominion); Independence Day (July 4th – Commemorating a “Declaration of Independence” for the thirteen colonies from King George III and to show their unity,…
Hello Fellow Cheese Enthusiasts! By now I am sure that most of my loyal readers have thought that something drastic must have happened (like being trapped in a cheese cave, becoming lactose intolerant, or worse) to me, as it has been a while since I have written a blog post. The truth is that after being isolated for 18 months from my cheese community, I was down…Then travel opened back up for me…
Hello Cheese Enthusiasts! During these last lazy days of Summer, I have found myself craving more comfort foods…Maybe it’s because the weather has turned a little cooler, or maybe it has just been too long since I have enjoyed some. Everyone has a different idea of their comfort foods…for some it’s Macaroni & Cheese, for some its Cheesy Casseroles, but for me it’s a Grilled Cheese Sandwich (notice…
Hello Fellow Cheese Travelers! Today’s story easily could have been called “From Ohio, with Love”, but then you may not have read this far… While I have seen many interviews with cheese makers over the last year, I wanted to take a different approach and write a story about cheesemongers and the important role they have in our cheese industry. They are the last set of hands that touch the piece of…
Hello Fellow Cheese Traveler! It feels good to “intro” with that again!...It has 15 months since I last traveled. I just returned from a vacation on the island of Maui, which is the second largest of the eight Hawaiian Islands. At 727.2 square miles, it is the 17th largest island in the United States. Known as the “Valley Isle”, it used to be home to Sugar Cane and Pineapple crops, but that has…
Hello Cheese Enthusiasts! Upon my desk sits a small stack of French Books with a small bust of Napoléon Bonaparte standing guard proudly over them. While they may be small, they are mighty… In my many travels, it has been some of the smallest cheeses that have made the biggest impact. I thought that I might share a few of them today with you:
My granddaughter Kaci enjoys Japanese Anime “graphic novels” (which we called comic books in my day), so she drew this picture of me…and she added that I am wearing a cheese t-shirt, and I am thinking of cheese of course! I guess that I felt this image would be perfect for today’s story. Back in the 90’s the term “Virtual Reality” was coined, but due to current social distancing, I am afraid that…
Hello Cheese Enthusiasts! I have to admit it…March 2021 hit me much harder than I would have expected…it was then I realized that it had been a full year since everything shut down, travel stopped, people isolated, and it yet remains to be determined if it will ever return to the way it was. To keep a smile on my face, I remind myself of the things that I am grateful for, and the things that bring…
Hello Cheese Enthusiasts! The inspiration for this week’s blog came from the photo roll of my camera. I found a series of photos that I had taken last year of the smoky skies near my home in Northern California, due to the horrible fires that we had experienced. The day the photo was taken, the smoke was so thick that there was only about 1,000 feet of visibility and the local schools were closed…