Miss Cheesemonger ™

What a whirlwind week last week! The Fancy Food Show invaded San Francisco last weekend, and I was lucky enough to attend, albeit briefly. On Monday evening, a local accounting firm held a Food Show-related event, and I got to meet some really great people in the food industry. There were folks from Caribou Coffee, one of my law school classmates’ favorite study time draughts, the owner of Mollie Stone’s Markets, a local upscale grocery store, the owner of Cactus Candy in Arizona, and more. However, there was one meeting that was truly serendipitous. I had met reputable Napa caterer Melissa Teaff and her son Burt during a brief visit to the Oxbow Cheese Merchant in Napa, way back in May. Well, there they were again on Monday evening, and although we haven’t seen each other in months, we struck up conversation easily, again. I have heard so many wonderful things about Melissa’s catering company. When I used to plan events at my old job, I received many glowing recommendations about Melissa’s company. She is certainly THE caterer to use!


Well, when I met her and her son back in May, they had recently launched a new company, the Napa Cookie Company. They make these biscuits called wine snaps, available in both red and white wine versions. They’re savory cookies, great with cheese. I know because I tasted! I am not sure what their distribution is like now, but I know that the Oxbow Cheese Merchant in Napa does carry them. With the Teaffs was Kristin Thompson, head of sales & marketing at Oakville Ranch Vineyards in Napa. She also carries the wine snaps in her tasting room!


I only managed to go to the show on Tuesday, thanks to Melissa’s generously sharing a pass with me! Hers was the first booth I visited, and she immediately directed me across the aisle to check out FOMZ, a fruit-flavored foam product that you can use like whipped cream. I tasted the strawberry lemonade. How wonderful. Frothy, fruity, and so versatile. You could use it as a drink topper, but also a dessert topper. I had to remind myself that there were literally thousands of other items to taste, and little time.


I made my way to where most of the cheeses were. There, I met Jerry Heimerl, owner of Saxon Homestead Creamery in Wisconsin. After one taste of his Saxony cheese, whose production is based on Comte, I was hooked. Saxony may be based on Comte, but it sure doesn’t taste like it. It tastes like a Comte that’s been infused with peaches and plums. There’s something very fresh, lush, and fruity in this cheese. I can see how chefs would flock to it, and be able to use it in many different ways in the kitchen. Jerry was very warm and welcoming, even though we were in the last hours of the food show, and he was probably tired! He told me about his cows, his farm, and his cheeses. All of Saxon Creamery’s cheeses are harder, aged cheeses, which I thought unusual for a new creamery. A lot of times, because makers need to earn some money as soon as they open their doors, they sell fresh cheeses like ricotta, or soft-ripened cheeses. Not Jerry! He’s going for the gold with all aged cheeses! I wish him all the best , and I hope to see his cheeses in more places soon. I want more Saxony!


Another delightful cheese discovery was of the cheeses of the Fine Cheese Company, based in the UK. Strangely, the only items I was familiar with before were their crackers. Taking samples from their rep (named Flo, like my sister!), I discovered their Ticklemore, Sharpham Rustic, and Lord of the Hundreds. I was loving the names. Maybe because I love goat cheeses more than anything, the Ticklemore stood out in my mind. It was creamy, yet slightly sandy, with a very smooth, muted goat flavor. I loved the form—one wheel is almost shaped like a flying saucer, with tapered edges. This comes from the curd being pressed into colanders during the make. I do hope I’ll see more of this company’s cheeses available.


I caught up very briefly with Paula Lambert of the Mozzarella Company in Texas (I love her bright red glasses!). She was kind enough to share with me a sample of Grassias, a cow/goat milk cheese wrapped in lemongrass. She told me she likes serving them on ginger snaps. It was a refreshing mouthful, a little creamy, a little tangy, and slightly spicy. I would definitely serve that up on a salad, but you know me, I’m a purist. I just eat this stuff plain.


The most giddiness-inducing meeting was with the reps of the Caves of Faribault, from Minnesota. I recognized their St. Mary as a cheese I had first tasted when lunching at Google recently, and told one of the reps about the experience. “What? Huh? THAT Google?” Was the basic response I got. And then, she told me to tell her colleague what I had just told her. “When having lunch at Google one day, I saw that they served your cheese.” By this time, both reps were practically jumping up and down and laughing. I guess you don’t actually know where your cheese goes as a maker. Someone has to tell you! I’m glad they got some great exposure, and are making headway, because the St. Mary was my favorite cheese that day at Google.


Unfortunately, my time at the show was very short! I had to attend another conference that day, so was there during the morning. I breezed past a host of other delicious displays—Japan had a very strong showing, and I tasted my way through some wonderful German chocolates. I tasted some fabulous smoked salmon from Washington state, and finished off with some terrine de foie gras from Hudson Valley Foie Gras. It goes without saying that I was super full!


Thank you, Fancy Food Show! Until next year!


Sorry, guys and gals, I didn’t have time to take pictures. I was too busy stuffing my face. You’ll have to use your imagination: Imagine 206,000 square feet of food displays, and over 17,000 vendors offering samples! The floor is crammed with trade affiliates, producers, and celebrity foodies. The din of dozens of languages and cooking food fill the air. Heaven must look very much like this.

Yay! The old cheese shop owner has let me use her Fancy Food Show pass for Tuesday! I’m so excited! I can’t wait to taste all the cheeses (and other food, of course) and catch up with people like the folks at Culture magazine and Bellwether Farms.

What a year it’s been! Since January 1, 2011, I’ve started a new career, a new business, and really gotten to know this great city that is San Francisco. Plus, I got to visit some great local cheesemakers and animals, and learn a little more about the cheese industry. I’m very excited about what 2012 will bring.


I’ve decided to delve even further into the professional cheese world, and sent in my application to join the California Artisan Cheese Guild. All the cheesemakers and cheese-related folk I’ve spoken with, particularly Will Fertman from Culture Magazine, have recommended it as a great resource with good people. Their general meeting is coming up in about a month, and I am ready to introduce myself and support the community. Moreover, the meeting will be at Redwood Hill Farms, so I can hopefully find a baby goat to play with on the premises.


This Christmas, I received a few beautiful cheese-related gifts that will surely come in handy the next time I have a cheese party. My sister and I both managed to offer each other a calendar (she gave me a calendar of vintage sheet music covers; I gave her a calendar of vintage advertisements) and a platter (she offered me a wood platter for cheese, and I offered her a clean white serving dish). Maybe we think alike because we’re sisters. She also offered me a beautiful bamboo-handled cheese knife set. Yay! My good high school friend offered me an enormous book, translated from German, called the Gourmet’s Guide Cheese.


I’ll be honest, I was pretty simple on the cheese for Christmas. We were at my sister’s, and she had some marinated mozzarella, Ossau Iraty (her husband’s family is Basque, so of course the Basque cheese must make an appearance!), and flavored Jack cheese. That day, my eyes were focused much more on the roasted capon stuffed with a mixture of ground veal, pork, pâté, and chestnuts than anything else.


I wish you all a happy Holiday, and much love and cheese in 2012!

When I was at the cheese shop, once in a while we’d get a beautiful, oozy square of Brebirouss d’Argental. It arrived in its brilliant, orange glory, which I think is what scared some people away. For some reason, it never really sold well, even though it was lush and delicious.


Mr. Cheesemonger and I were out on Haight Street, and as we walked past a guy yelling “MARIJUUUAANNAAAA” and another (apparently stoned) guy asking for cash, we came upon the Haight St. Market. We needed cilantro anyway, so we walked out with some Brebirousse d’Argental, Point Reyes Toma and cilantro.


It was surprisingly tough to do the research on this cheese! There isn’t much out there, apart that it’s sold by the Fromi Group from France. It is a soft ripened ewe’s milk cheese that’s aged for 3 weeks. The cheese is washed twice during aging with a brine solution, resulting in that beautiful coloring. If I’m to believe that this cheese is actually made in a French place called Argental, that would be Bourg-Argental, in the Loire Department (slightly different from where the renowned Loire Valley castles are located).


What gives the cheese that ultra-spreadable texture is the ultra-filtration process the milk goes through, like the fromager d’affinois made by
Guilloteau Fromagerie, which developed the process. As a result of this filtration, bacteria get filtered out, increasing the shelf life, and the milk is concentrated—there are more solids (curds) in proportion to the liquids (whey), and the cheesemaker gets to maximize her cheese. From what I understand, the process is not the same as pasteurization, so the milk isn’t cooked. (Hey, cheese techies, I’d love to hear more about this!)


I never did a written review of Brebirousse while I was a cheesemonger, so I may as well do it now!


Aroma: It so mild, I didn’t really even wouldn’t have guessed it’s a washed-rind cheese. It’s washed only a hint, so to me, I wouldn’t even classify it as stinky cheese. Others may disagree! There was a slight mushroomy aroma, but it was definitely also lactic. There were slight tangy and grassy elements there.


Appearance: The entire Brebirousse d’Argental is a about the size of a small, square dinner plate. The cheese has ridges throughout the whole square, and from the washing is tinged orange. The orange is more pronounced along the edges. As the cheese ages, the edges seem to pucker up, giving the whole square a more “architectural” look. The paste is a cheesecake color—the palest yellow, almost white. It is smooth, and begins oozing when it’s been out of the refrigerator.


Flavor: For a cheese not made of raw milk, I think it has great flavor, which develops slowly as you eat it. First, I sensed it was slightly sharp and salty, but this faded into an amazing lactic quality that gets gradually sweeter. The rind gives the taste a little bit of a mushroomy element that wafts up into the nostrils ever so gently. As the mushroom fades, it combines with the paste to linger a little bit on the tongue. And then you want another bite. Like the other ultra-filtered cheeses I’ve had, this has a definite lactic quality. I don’t really get a sense of terroir, as in, I don’t really sense what these animals must have eaten, but it’s very delicious. If you know someone who hasn’t had sheep’s milk cheese, and is afraid to try, you might consider offering this one to taste.


Texture: As I’ve said before, Brebirousse d’Argental’s texture is smooth and slightly gooey, but it can still kind of hold its shape on the plate if you don’t leave it out too long. Like the Fromager d’affinois, which is a cow’s milk treated with ultrafiltration, the paste is extremely smooth. I wonder if the paste texture is a result of the filtration process. The only “tougher” parts of this cheese are in the rind, but I think it adds great balance to the otherwise uniform consistency.

I always do some research on a company when I write about its products, and O Olive Oil was no exception! I had the chance to speak with Mario Aranda, Vice President of O. He’s been with them for over ten years, and the growth and recognition that O has experienced has been rewarding to him.


Mario shared with me the stories of O’s olive trees. The company sources from small family farms in Butte County, California, which is about an hour’s drive north of Sacramento. These farms practice biodynamic farming, which is, briefly, a method that emphasizes the entire ecosystem over simply the crops. The farms do not use herbicides or pesticides, and maintain sustainable farming practices, for instance, by using natural fertilizers. O has been working with these farms for 10-15 years, so they know the exact quality of the olives and the people who worked with them. In many cases, the olive trees that provide O’s olives date back to the times of the Spanish missions in California—they’re hundreds of years old. In some cases, the same families have tended the trees the entire time.


The force behind O is founder Greg Hinson. Back in the 1990s, when he was living with his family in Italy, he would visit small villages. While touring their olive oil–making operations, he noticed that the locals cleaned their presses by pressing lemons. The oil that resulted was delicious, but never reached market. The oil makers always kept it for themselves. When Hinson returned to the U.S., he began experimenting with Meyer lemons, and the first O citrus olive oil was born. He started small, bottling at a friend’s restaurant. When the oil crossed the path of renowned chef Michael Mina, he began ordering it for his restaurants. The accolades quickly stacked up. The company gained exposure through word of mouth, eventually gaining attention and praise from Good Morning America, Oprah Winfrey, Saveur Magazine, and the New York Times, among other media outlets.


So what could Olive Oil have in common with cheese, apart from pairing and cooking possibilities? It looks like that new producers in both areas are getting positive recognition. Just as non-European cheesemakers are gaining respect and fans, non-European olive oil producers are gaining exposure and respect. What I think sets this new generation apart is their creativity. They respect traditional methods, but they don’t feel confined by it. For instance, O offers a staggering array of citrus oils extending beyond the basic lemon—there is jalapeno lime, clementine, and ruby grapefruit. Their wine vinegar list includes champagne, honey apple, and porto. Sometimes these new flavors succeed, sometimes they don’t, but this is what keeps me watching food.


Thank you very much to the people at O Olive Oil Company, especially CFO CJ Spady and Vice President Mario Aranda!

I’ve been really lucky in San Francisco in that I’ve had the chance to meet so many passionate people involved in producing and sharing delicious food with the food-loving community here. At a recent networking event (I do tons of that now, it seems!), I met the CFO of the O Olive Oil Company. She very kindly shipped me a sampling of their citrus olive oils. With that comes my first post about olive oil.

Tucked neatly in their slots were tall, slim bottles of olive oil crushed with: Meyer lemon, blood orange, and Tahitian lime. I was going to make myself a spinach salad with chèvre when the doorbell rang, so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to test out all of them. I broke out a large slab of ciabatta bread, slathered on an enormous amount of chèvre, and drizzled the oils on one at a time, taking bites as I went. Maybe it wasn’t the most efficient method, but it worked well enough.

Over all, I noticed that the oil is very light, fine, and delicate. Mario Aranda, Vice President of O Olive Oil Company, later explained to me that they deliberately choose California Mission olives for that delicate quality. The olive flavor recedes to let the citrus flavor shine through!

Meyer lemon: I found it to be the most delicately-flavored of all the oils. There was almost a sense of pine in it, it felt that fresh. The sweet Meyer lemon aroma is quite strong. After popping it in my mouth, I felt the oil gives a great burst of—not flavor—essence of Meyer lemon before I could sense the olive flavor. For those readers who may not be familiar with Meyer lemons, they are less acidic and a bit sweeter than your average lemon. This oil is very light, and would probably go well over fish, poultry, or simple vegetable dishes where you’re looking for a refreshing garnish. The imagery it conjured up for me was of summertime meals on the patio, complete with a bottle of pinot grigio or some other light white wine.

Blood orange: Of all of the oils, I found this to be the most “meaty” or savory. The color is a little richer than the meyer lemon oil. I couldn’t detect sweetness, which I have tasted in other citrus oils. There was not the acidity that we usually associate with citrus, but again, this heady essence of blood orange. I think this ended up being my favorite oil of the three, to be honest. I can totally see this going over meat dishes or hearty vegetables (I’m thinking root vegetables, since I’ve been eating a lot of them lately). It would make a fabulously luxurious, thick, and sensuous accent to a dish, like a velvet drape of citrus olive oil on your plate!

Tahitian lime: The aroma on this one was fresh. Smelling it made me immediately want to drizzle some on grilled fish, which is something my (awesome cook) grandma would make if we were sitting on some faraway beach. The feel was decidedly tropical. While the lime essence is strong, this is definitely amenable to lighter cooking with lighter meats like poultry and fish.

What kinds of cheese would I put with this? I’d definitely recommend fresher, younger cheeses, because flavorwise, they won’t be competing too much with the oils. I did my tasting with chèvre, and I was poised to try them with burrata, but Mr. Cheesemonger beat me to our stash to make burrata pizza with spinach and prosciutto instead. I ended up making a simple mixed green salad with the Tahitian lime oil, some salt, and pepper (Maybe I’m strange, but if I’m eating the salad on the side with something very flavorful, I usually won’t put any vinegar or dressing) to accompany the pizza. It was a pretty fantastic combination.

Next post is going to be on my conversation with Mario Aranda, Vice President of O Olive Oils. He told me all about the manufacturing process, the history of the company, and the history of the olive trees. I’m happy to share it!

I had the pleasure of speaking with Lisa Gottreich, who, with her business partner Miriam Block, opened Bohemian Creamery three years ago in Sebastopol, California. The creamery is going strong, making its way to fine tables of the likes of the French Laundry and Chiaroscuro in San Francisco.


Lisa explained to me the origins of her passion for cheese making. Growing up in a rural area around Bolinas, California, she always had some farm animals around the house. Making cheese was something she had done since she was a child, although with a doctor as a father and a horologist as a mother (how amazing is that?), it probably was not apparent to her that one day she would turn cheese into her livelihood. It took a series of events to lead her to decide to take the cheese making to a commercial level. While in undergraduate school, she majored in Economics and Philosophy, and spent a year in Padua, Italy. In love with Italian culture, she returned to Italy to pursue a career in the film industry, but returned to the United States for graduate studies. Already having extensive background in Europe, she launched a new career working on trade issues between the European Union and the United States. During these stays in Europe, she was able to taste and explore the cheese spectrum. When she found herself working at an oncology clinic following a divorce, she decided that this was her moment to do something positive. She wanted to produce something that would give people joy.


Her meeting with Miriam Block was serendipity. Miriam was hosting a dinner party, and during the course of the evening, announced that she had offered herself a cheese press for Hanukkah. Lisa’s interest was piqued, the two began talking cheese, and Bohemian Creamery was born.


They chose their name in part because of their proximity to the Bohemian highway, but, it seems to me, also because of their family connections to the European region of Bohemia, which is roughly the area of the Czech Republic today.


The ladies started small, renting creamery space. When their cheeses gained some popularity, the two ladies realized they needed their own facility. They enlisted the help of respected Dairy technology consultant Neville McNaughton, among others, and developed their creamery.


When asked about the inspiration of her cheese recipes, Lisa said that her Italian experience was a huge factor. Many of their cheeses are inspired from the Italian, such as Asiago, Robiola, or Bel Paese. The two ladies touch on their knowledge of cheese to develop cheese ideas, cheese dreams. Then, their know-how makes it happen—sometimes, with a twist. For instance, their Holy Mole is a blended milk cheese inspired from Robiola, but comes enrobed in cocoa nibs. The list of nine cheeses this dynamic duo produces is impressive. They work with cow, sheep, and goat milk.


Ah, goats! Bohemian Creamery keeps a herd of roughly fifty goats. When I listened to Lisa speak about them, I could see that it was here the nexus of her history, her future, her professional, and her personal interests. Lisa has kept goats since she was young, and now, the professional herd is growing. Since the beginning, she has named them each after a member of her family, some of who perished during the tragedies of the Holocaust. With each new generation of goats, though, she has to rush to find new names. If you have the chance to visit the farm, you’ll probably see the bustling four-legged family with names like Sidonia (named after one of Lisa’s grandmothers), Amil, Stephie, or Amanza.


Bohemian Creamery is committed to minimally impacting the environment, and reuses as much of its material as possible. Their closed loop cooling and heating system allows them to reuse nearly all of their water. They share their goat droppings with friends and family for fertilizer, and source organic milk as much as possible. They also recycle their whey, feeding it back to the animals.


Right now, Bohemian Creamery distributes largely within California, especially Northern California, but that may all change very soon. I had the feeling that Bohemian Creamery is poised to strike, and you may soon find their delicious cheeses in retail locations near you.


OK, so some of you are probably saying, “Enough with the story! I need cheese!” Here is the list of Bohemian Creamery’s cheeses:
• Capriago—a goat milk asiago;
• Boho belle—a cow milk made in Bel Paese fashion;
• Bodacious—a fresh goat milk cheese;
• Bo Poisse—the Bohemian version of the French Epoisses;
• Bo Peep—a cow and sheep milk blend, fresh, inspired by Corsican basket cheese;
• Holy Mole—a sheep-cow milk blend styled after Robiola, with cocoa nibs in the rind;
• Bovoncino—a cow’s milk cheese inspired by Asiago Stagionato
• Romeo—a cow milk cheese made in the style of Romano, and aged for 6 months.
• Caproncino—a goat cheese aged 3 months.


I guess you can say Lisa does have a favorite child, and it’s the baby. Romeo is Bohemian Creamery’s newest creation, and the one you are most likely to find Lisa munching on. Since it is turning chilly with fall coming, she recommends that to warm your heart and your belly, try a pairing of Bo Poisse with a glass or two of pinot noir. So hearty! If you’re enjoying balmy weather, maybe a bit of Bodacious tossed in with a light salad will cool you down.


I would like to thank Lisa Gottreich for so generously donating some of her time to Miss Cheesemonger. I hope I will have the chance to taste more of Bohemian Creamery’s creations soon!

***NOTE: It turns out, that because of some miscommunication, I was mistaken. This cheese is actually a cow’s milk cheese, not a goat’s milk cheese as I originally believed.

A couple of weekends ago, a group of friends and I went to Point Reyes to hike in the Elk Reserve. We planned a sumptuous picnic feast before setting off on the trail, and stopped by Cowgirl Creamery’s shop and cheese making facilities in Point Reyes Station to pick up provisions. As I walked in, an enormous chalk board indicated they were making Red Hawk that morning. I loved the smell of the cheesemaking, but my friend who grew up on a dairy farm, said she never liked that smell. To each her own!


We were there on a mission. Another friend wanted to wrap figs and fresh chèvre with prosciutto and drizzle the ensemble with honey, so we got a container of fresh chèvre, along with another cheese called Boho Belle. I hadn’t had it before, but that was an excuse to try some.


We ended up not eating the Boho Belle at the picnic. We had too much food! So, I took it home with me for a quiet tasting afterward.


Its bouquet was intriguing—definitely milky, with this burst of sweetness/fruitiness, but with that musty, cave-like undercurrent. It’s a gorgeous cheese with a smooth paste of pale yellow, nearly white, which contrasts nicely with the mottled brown and tan rind.


When I tasted it, I could feel some slight springiness in the initial bite that quickly dissolved into a slightly sandy bundle of deliciousness. The cheese glided down my throat with lingering flavor. Its flavor was pretty mellow, but there was a wonderful, unique element that reminded me of peaches. That on top of the milky flavor.


Boho Belle is made right here in Northern California, in Sebastopol, by Bohemian Creamery. They also make that breast-shaped cheese called BoDacious, which I have yet to try. Bohemian Creamery is a recent arrival on the artisanal cheese scene, founded by Lisa Gottgreich and Miriam Block, who both were searching for a second career. While they do keep their own goats from which to make cheese, they also purchase their milk from other sources. I think they have the Boho Belle down pretty well. I’ll have to keep an eye out for their other cheeses for a taste.


P.S.: Visiting Point Reyes was WONDERFUL! I managed to take this photo of a Tule Elk at the Elk Reserve! I can’t believe how close they let us approach!

A cheesemonger friend of mine and I were at a great little vegetarian café, chatting about cheese (of course!), when a woman walked up to us and said, “I’m sorry. I just heard you both talking about cheese, and . . .” I thought she would finish her sentence, but then she must have gotten shy, because she walked away. I wonder what she was going to say.

I know what I am going to say about this cheese that my friend handed me as we said goodbye. It was a hunk of Beekman 1802 Blaak!


Because I don’t have a television set at home, and I spend most of my life in a cave, I had no idea what this “Beekman 1802” business was. But, I thought the cheese was worth writing about, so I did my research! It turns out, the guys behind this cheese are hitting the mainstream in a big way!


It turns out that the men of Beekman 1802, Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, began their farming adventures to, supposedly, return to a simpler way of life in rural New York. They fixed up their farm mansion, hired a local farmer to manage their farm and bring in his goat herd, started making some cheese and soap from goat milk, got a reality show, and now, they are working on making this their full-time gig. Maybe by now they have succeeded. The name “Beekman 1802″ is derived from the name of William Beekman, original owner of the house, and the year 1802, when construction on the mansion first began.


The men have been busy building their brand, so now, not only can you visit their website to make purchases, read their blog, and learn about life during the times of their resident ghost, you can watch them on TV as they engage in projects like decorating port-a-potties, painting their barn, and playing with goats.


Anyway, enough of the rambling. I had a beautiful piece of cheese before me that begged a tasting. After all—this stuff is in high demand! My friend had to subscribe to the cheese queue on the Beekman 1802 website for the right to even order it. And it’s made by famous people!


The cheese, I learned, is made from a combination of goat and cow milk, with a 60:40 ratio. It is aged about 4 months, and rubbed with ash at each turning of the cheese. The Beekman boys do not make the cheese on the premises, but nearby, at the Cooperstown Cheese Company.


The Blaak cheese lives up to its name in that it’s coated in a smooth black ash rind (I couldn’t find out what type) that catches the light . There are small ridges in concentric circles all over the cheese, giving the rind an almost jewel-like quality. The paste is a medium straw yellow. It’s a great piece to present, thanks to that contrast between the rind and the paste. In terms of texture, the past is semi-hard with small eyes throughout. Aroma-wise, I found it quite mild. There was a whiff of hay and what reminded me of stone.


At this point, Mr. Cheesemonger was telling me to hurry up and just serve the darn cheese, so finally, I tasted. The mouthfeel was a little slick, with a bit of a fine sandy crumble. So far so good. The taste—it was extremely mild, bordering on dull. The balance between the saltiness and flavor was good, but the overall flavor was so mild, the balance didn’t really matter that much. Maybe this flavor choice is deliberate. To appeal to a large potential market, maybe they’ve decided to go ultra-soft on flavor. Maybe they haven’t mastered their cheese recipe yet. Maybe they personally just enjoy mild cheese.


Mild flavor notwithstanding, Mr. Cheesemonger and I drizzled some clover honey over it, and counted our cheese blessings.


Bottom line–it looks gorgeous, its taste leaves much to be desired. I was very glad for the chance to taste this cheese and read up on this pop phenomenon. I probably won’t watch the show, but if they come out with new or improved cheese recipes, I’d be up for a taste.

Although I love owning my own business, I have to admit that working at a big and bustling company like Google does have its perks—like free lunches. Or rather, free artisanal cheese served at lunch. Luckily for me, I was able to take part in this phenomenon when a friend of mine, and Google employee, invited me to her workplace for lunch.

Google’s San Francisco office is pretty non-descript on the outside. I would never have guessed its location. There isn’t even a sign outside the building. When in the cafeteria, and I made a beeline straight for the cheese board at the end of the food line. There, I found: Burrata with quartered figs, Faribault Dairy’s St. Mary Grass-fed Gouda, Aged Mimolette, and . . . oh no ! I forgot to take a picture of the label of the last cheese! I hate when I do that! I guess I’ll just have to describe it to you. It was a fresh chèvre in the shape of a ball about 5-6 inches in diameter, although I didn’t know it was chèvre because it was coated in freshly chopped herbs.




I went for the burrata first. I have learned that San Franciscans nearly universally love burrata, me included. The burrata did taste great, but I was a little disappointed with the serving method. The burrata was served in a large tray—burrata on the bottom, figs and basil spread out on top, with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Everyone serving himself or herself effectively smashed everything together, so by the time it was on my plate, it was a flattened mess. I could try to console myself by saying the taste made up for it, but it didn’t really.


Instead, I reached for the aged Mimolette. It turned out to be quite good—you could say delicate. Its softer texture and milder flavor makes me think it is a younger specimen. It was definitely not as flinty as I am used to eating, but it had great balanced flavor. The characteristic saltiness was there, but it seemed more subdued, and blended with a light nuttiness, with a hint of the caramel flavor I tend to taste in the Mimolette.


Next up was the St. Mary’s Grass-Fed Gouda. I’ve heard of the Caves of Faribault, but I have never tried their cheese, which is literally aged in caves! By the time it had reached my plate, it had been sitting out for a while, and was starting to get a bit soft. It was almost turning buttery (not to say that it was sweating, though). When I took a bite, I thought it was fabulous! It had huge, lush flavor—mainly nuttiness and sweet grass. The texture was very silky, with just some fine sandy texture. The flavor just lingered in the mouth. I will definitely have to find more of it.


The last cheese to taste was the sliver of herb-crusted chèvre. WOW, was my first thought. It was unimaginably refreshing. The chèvre was light and fluffy, like a down pillow. The flavor was impeccable, and featured a surprising burst of lemon. The marriage between lemon and chèvre was perfect; it was as though somehow these goats were producing lemon milk. There was also very little tang from the milk itself; it seemed to come almost exclusively from the lemon. If only I knew the name! If someone out there has an idea of what it may be, please let me know!


If you were curious about the rest of the meal, I must say, Google does feed its workers really well! My friend got something from the sushi bar, but there is also a large bar for entrees, pizza as you walk in, a section for non-meat proteins, a couple of salad bars, desserts, and a formidable drink corner. After the meal, you walk out to a snack section where you can grab foods like Popchips, Judy’s Breadsticks, Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Potato Chips, or fruit. I think I saw small baskets of grape tomatoes as well.


In any event, if you were ever afraid that you would starve working at Google, lay your fears to rest.