Tag: foodie
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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…
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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…
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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…
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8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 3
People who get excited about scraping sheets of melted Raclette cheese over boiled potatoes, cornichons, pickled onions, and prosciutto are not wrong. It’s very right to love the ritual of making Raclette. That ritual, and the cold-weather warmth that it conjures, are only part of my reasoning for naming the third 2018 holiday cheese none…
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Pairing Chocolate and Cheese at the 2018 Northwest Chocolate Festival
This past weekend, one of the largest chocolate conventions in the world took place in a cruise-ship terminal on the southern crest of Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. The Northwest Chocolate Festival, which celebrated its 10th year, hosted hundreds of exhibitors from around the globe and a steady stream of hour-long chocolate education sessions that took place…
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8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 1
Since I spent most of this year being a new homeowner and opening a new store/not publishing blog posts, missing out on all of the fun holidays and special opportunities for cheese-eating during the year, I decided to go big (OK, but not too big) for the winter holiday season. From Thanksgiving planning through Christmas…
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There’s White Stuff Growing on Your Cheese That Isn’t Mold
Two weeks ago, one of my best friends and ex-cheese comrades, Chelsea, brought our old mentor/boss-lady, the illustrious Kim Martin, into the shop. Neither of them had visited us before, and it was pretty exciting to show them around our little corner of the co-op. As they were getting ready to leave, Chelsea pulled me…
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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…
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What is the Difference Between Chèvre and Goat Cheese?
“Where’s your goat cheese?” I answer this question at least three times a day at work; my response is usually not immediately helpful to the person asking. “Here is our goat cheese section in the cheese case, and over here we have two shelves of goat cheese on this wall. Is there a specific type…
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Alp Blossom Smells Like Heaven
If I could only smell one scent for the rest of my life, it would probably be the scent of Alp Blossom. This stunning cow’s milk cheese from Sennerei Huban is a celebration of springtime. Decorated with a rind of flowers and herbs from Alpine Meadows, the cheese is made in Austria and aged in…
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Why You’ve Gotta Try Garrotxa
It’s the cheese that nobody knows how to pronounce in our goat cheese section. How do you even ask a question in English about a cheese that ends with “txa”? First of all, I recommend holding a wedge up to the cheesemonger so that he or she can see the name on the label and…