Tag: cheese counter

  • The Non-Melting Cheese That Should Be a Staple in Your Kitchen

    The Non-Melting Cheese That Should Be a Staple in Your Kitchen

    One of my favorite cheese puns is a joke about Halloumi: “What does cheese say when it looks in the mirror?” “Hallou-mi!” I’m not just a fan of this pun because it teaches you how to pronounce the name of a cheese that is obviously sassy and feeling itself, but also because it is about…

  • How to Pair Cheese & Chocolate for Valentine’s Day (or Any Day)

    How to Pair Cheese & Chocolate for Valentine’s Day (or Any Day)

    Cheese and chocolate pairings don’t always work. But when they do, the combination can be magical. I will admit that I haven’t always been a fan of putting cheese and chocolate together (in fact, I have admitted it before). But here I am, a person who co-teaches cheese and chocolate pairing classes at Theo Chocolate…

  • What It’s Like Competing in the Cheesemonger Olympics

    What It’s Like Competing in the Cheesemonger Olympics

    Last month, on January 13 and 14, I competed in the olympics of cheesemongering. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen posts about the Cheesemonger Invitational (#cmisf). The invitational usually happens twice a year, during the Fancy Food Show. The winter edition is in San Francisco in January, and the…

  • A Resolution for 2019 That We Can All Do

    A Resolution for 2019 That We Can All Do

    It’s that time again: out with the old, in with the new; a fresh start; a renewed sense of [insert deep internal need/desire here]; time to lose weight, get more sleep, be more productive, and do it all. Did someone say “New Year’s resolution?” Now, I don’t know too many people who actually set New…

  • 8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 8

    8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 8

    We have made it to the end of my “8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses” series—and subsequently to the end of 2018. If, like me, you are scratching your head and wondering where the time went, just know that it tends to fly when you are having fun—as you should be when cheese is a part…

  • The 12 Days of Cheesemas

    The 12 Days of Cheesemas

     [Originally published on December 18, 2016; revised December 12, 2017.] In honor of the holiday season that surrounds us, I give you the gift of poetry and music. Tomorrow is the twelfth day of Cheesemas. If you have not yet gotten all of your Christmas cheese together, I hope you will take inspiration from this…

  • 8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 7

    8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 7

    One of the qualifying factors for a cheese to be considered a “celebration cheese” is its availability. I’ve talked about some cheeses that are more difficult to get because of how they are imported, and I have mentioned that other cheeses are only seasonally available. When you eat what is in season, when it is…

  • Have A Blue, Blue Blue Blue Christmas (Pairing)

    Have A Blue, Blue Blue Blue Christmas (Pairing)

    When we talk about pairings for blue cheeses like Stilton, the conversation tends to head toward dessert wines like Port, Madeira, or Sauternes. After all, the fortified wine plus assertive, salty blue cheese is a classic combination—and it works. But that got me thinking: If you are going to eat your cheese for dessert, what…

  • 8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 6

    8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 6

    It’s hard to believe that we’re now over halfway through the holiday season. Time flies when you’re having fun! This week’s celebration cheese is a no-brainer for a list like this. It is easily one of the best cheeses in the world, and it is always one of the best cheeses in my case. There…

  • How to Build a Killer Cheese Plate at Home

    How to Build a Killer Cheese Plate at Home

    I would say that 40 percent of my cheese sales go to people who are looking to build a cheese plate for an event—whether it be a romantic evening for two, movie night for five, or a baby shower with dozens of guests. At this time of year, the cheese plate-building intensifies, as the holiday…

  • 8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Weeks 4 and 5

    8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Weeks 4 and 5

    The gig is up, right? You already know that I’m posting two weeks’ worth of celebration cheeses at once because I got behind due to Thanksgiving week and weekend craziness, and the inevitable sinus infection of doom that came after. Well, yes and no. I mean, yes, I got behind on posting; such is life…

  • What do you ask a cheesemonger?

    What do you ask a cheesemonger?

    “Where’s your bathroom?” – That’s the No. 1 question I answer all day, every day at work. Despite the mundaneness of turning people back to the front of the store from whence they came, it is but one of many questions a cheesemonger anticipates every day. Often times, people walk right up to you with…